SocialPrivacyPLSC Draft

8/3/2019 SocialPrivacyPLSC Draft

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Work-in-ProgressPaperfordiscussionatthePrivacyLawScholarsConferenceonJune2,

2011inBerkeley,CA.Pleasedonotcitewithoutcontactingauthorsfirst.Feedbackwanted!

DraftDate:May9,2011 1

SocialPrivacyinNetworkedPublics:

TeensAttitudes,Practices,andStrategies

danahboydandAliceMarwick

[email protected]@microsoft.com

Waffles,17,NC1:Everyteenagerwantsprivacy.Everysinglelastoneofthem,

whethertheytellyouornot,wantsprivacy.Justbecauseanadultthinkstheyknowthe

persondoesntmeantheyknowtheperson.Andjustbecauseteenagersuseinternet

sitestoconnecttootherpeopledoesntmeantheydontcareabouttheirprivacy.We

donttelleverybodyeverysinglethingaboutourlives.Wetellthemgeneral

information-names,places,whatweliketodo-butthatsgeneralknowledge.Thatsnotsomethingyouliketokeepprivate--Oh,Iplaygames.Ibetternottellanybody

aboutthat.Imean--thatsnotsomethingthatwedo.Sotogoaheadandsaythatteenagersdontlikeprivacyisprettyignorantandinconsideratehonestly,Ibelieve,on

theadultspart.

TheresawidespreadmyththatAmericanteenagersdontcareaboutprivacy.The

logicissimple:WhyelsewouldteenagerssharesomuchonFacebookandTwitterandYouTube?2ThereislittledoubtthatmanybutnotallAmericanteenshave

embracedmanypopularsocialmediaservices.3Andthereislittledoubtthatthose

whohavearepostingphotos,sharinglinks,updatingstatusmessages,andcommentingoneachothersposts.4Yet,asWafflesexplainsabove,participationin

suchnetworkedpublicsdoesnotimplythattodaysteenshaverejectedprivacyasa

value.Allteenshaveasenseofprivacy,althoughtheirdefinitionsofprivacyvarywidely.Theirpracticesinnetworkedpublicsareshapedbytheirinterpretationof

thesocialsituation,theirattitudestowardsprivacyandpublicity,andtheirabilitytonavigatethetechnologicalandsocialenvironment.Assuch,theydevelopintricate

1Thenamesusedinthisarticlearepseudonyms.Somewerechosenbytheparticipantsthemselves;otherswerechosenbytheauthorstoreflectsimilargenderandethnicrootsasareembeddedinthe

participantsgivennames.Allidentifyinginformationinteensquoteshasbeenalteredtomaintain

confidentiality.2A2008HarrisInteractive/CTIAsurveyaboutteensrelationshiptotheirmobilewaspublicizedas

indicatingthatkidsdontcareaboutprivacybecauseonly41%indicatedthattheywereconcernedaboutprivacyandsecurityissueswhenusingtheirmobile:

http://files.ctia.org/pdf/HI_TeenMobileStudy_ResearchReport.pdfIn2010,ChrisJayHoofnagle,

JenniferKing,SuLi,andJosephTurowfoundthatyoungpeoplesattitudesaboutprivacyparallel

adultsattitudes,buttheirskillsinmanagingprivacyonlineareoftenlacking.3AsofSeptember2009,thePewInternetandAmericanLifeProjectfoundthat73%ofAmericanteensages12-17useasocialnetworksite;only8%ofteensintheirsampleusedTwitter.See

Lenhartet.al.2010.4Ofteenswhoareonsocialnetworksites,Pewfoundthat86%commentonfriendsposts.Theyalso

foundthat38%ofteensages12-17sharedcontentonline;14%keepablog.SeeLenhartet.al.2010.


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strategiestoachieveprivacygoals.Theirpracticesdemonstrateprivacyasasocial

normthatisachievedthroughawidearrayofsocialpracticesconfiguredbystructuralconditions.Howteensapproachprivacychallengesthewaysinwhich

privacyiscurrentlyconceptualized,discussed,andregulated.

Thispaperexamineshowteensunderstandprivacyandwhatstrategiestheytakein

theireffortstoachievesocialprivacy.Wedescribebothteenspracticesandthestructuralconditionsinwhichtheyareembedded,highlightingthewaysinwhich

privacy,asitplaysoutineverydaylife,isrelatedmoretoagencyandtheabilitytocontrolasocialsituationthanparticularpropertiesofinformation.Finally,we

discusstheimplicationsofteenspractices,revealingtheimportanceofsocialnorms

asaregulatoryforce.

Thedatausedinthispapercomefromethnographicfieldworkcollectedacross20

differentU.S.statesfrom2006-2010.Inadditiontobothonlineandoffline

participantobservation,weconducted16390-minutesemi-structuredinterviews.5Westrategicallyworkedtosampleacrossgender,race,ethnicity,religion,age,socio-economicbackground,politicalbackground,andschoolengagementlevel.Allofthe

teensthatweinterviewedwereinhighschoolorhadrecentlydroppedoutofhigh

school.Weusedajudgmentsampletoelicitdiverseperspectivesratherthanattemptingtoobtainarepresentativesample.Privacywasthecentraltopicof58

interviewsconductedinNorthCarolina,Massachusetts,Tennessee,andWashington

DCin2010.Whilewedrawfromtheexperiencesofalltheteensweinterviewed,thevoicesofinformantsfromtheseregionsareoverrepresentedinthediscussion.

WhatisPrivacy?Privacyisafraughtconcept,withnoclearagreed-upondefinition.Philosophersand

legalscholarshaveworkeddiligentlytoconceptuallylocateprivacyandofferaframeworkforconsideringhowandwhenithasbeenviolated.6Yet,fundamentally,

privacyisasocialconstructthatreflectsthevaluesandnormsofeverydaypeople.

Howpeopleconceptualizeprivacyandlocateitintheirlifevarieswildly,

5Thisethnographicprojectisanextensionoftheonedescribedindanahboyds2008 TakenOutof

Context:AmericanTeenSocialityinNetworkedPublics .Adetailedaccountofthemethodological

proceduresisavailablethere.

6Thedefinitionsofprivacyarenumerous.HelenNissenbaum(2010)relatesmultipledefinitionsofprivacyandgroupsthembasedonwhethertheyarenormativeordescriptive;emphasizeaccessvs.

control;oremphasizepromotingothervaluesvs.protectingaprivaterealm.Theseinclude

definitionsfromRuthGavison(ameasureoftheaccessothershavetoyouthroughinformation,

attention,andphysicalproximity)(68);JeffreyReiman(theconditionunderwhichotherpeople

aredeprivedofaccesstoeithersomeinformationaboutyouorsomeexperienceofyou)(1976,30);

Westinstheclaimofindividuals,groups,orinstitutionstodetermineforthemselveswhen,how,

andtowhatextentinformationaboutthemiscommunicatedtoothers(Westin1967,7),andAnita

Allen(whodefinesthreetypesofprivacy:physicalprivacy,informationalprivacy,andproprietary

privacy,71).SeeNissenbaum2010forafulldiscussion.


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highlightingthatauniversalnotionofprivacyremainsenigmatic.7Whenweasked

teenstodefineprivacyforus,theircacophonousresponsesrevealthediverseapproachesthatcanbetakentounderstandprivacy.8Whilethesediscussionsdo

nothelptodetermineaprecisedefinitionofprivacy,howteensattempttoexplain

privacydemonstratesitsimportancetothem.

Bothlegallyandphilosophically,privacyhasbeenconceptualizedasadichotomyinwhichpeopleareentitledtogreaterprivacyprotectionsinthedomesticspheredue

toitsintimateandpersonalnature.9Althoughteensrecognizethespatialdimensionofprivacy,thisdichotomydoesnotreflecttherealitiesofyoungpeoples

lives.Forexample,Jabari(17,TN)arguesthatprivacyishavingmyownspaceand

notnecessarilynothavingpeopleinvolvedinmylife,buthavingtheopportunitytobe

aloneortousemyspaceindividually.Jared(17,TN)alsorecognizesthatprivacyis

usuallyunderstoodintermsofspace,buthebelievesthatitisimpossibletoactually

achievephysicalprivacybecauseeveryoneisalwaysinvadinghisspace;helivesina

one-roomapartmentwithhisbrother,hisfather,andhisfathersdown-on-his-luckfriend.Givenfewopportunitiestoexperiencephysicalprivacy,hefocusesinsteadonwhathehascontrolover:histhoughts.Theonlyprivacywevegotleftinourlives

iswhatwedontsayandwhatwedontdo,andthatsreallywhattellsthemostabout

people,isnotjustthethoughtsbutwhatdotheynotwantpeopletoknow.Inthisway,Jaredsettlesforprivacyinhisheadbecauseofhisinabilitytocontrolhis

physicalenvironment.

Whenadultsthinkaboutprivacyorprivateplaces,theyoftenimaginethehomeasa

privatespace.Yet,manyoftheteensthatweinterviewedrejectedthis,highlightingthewaysinwhichhomeisnotprivateforthem.Forexample,whendanahasked

14-year-oldLeighfromIowaifhomewasprivate,shesaidNottome,buttoourfamily.Mymomcomesandlooksinmyroomandstuff.Heather,a16-year-oldfromIowa,wentfurther.Becausetherearealotofthingsthatmymomdoesthat

makemefeellikeitsnotprivate.Icanbetakingashowerandshellcomein,gotothe

bathroom,andleave.Shehasnorespectformypersonalprivacy.Icanbesittingonthe

computertalkingtoafriendandshellbereadingovermyshoulderandIdontwant

herto.Thatsnotreallyprivatetome.PrivateiskindoflikeaplacewhereIcankindofgoandjustbebymyselfandnothavetoworryaboutanyonedoinganything.When

danahaskedHeatherforanexampleofaprivateplace,shelistedPaneraBread,a

restaurantwheresheworkspart-time.Mycoworkers,theyllcomeandtalktomebutIstillhavemyalonetime.Imsittingtherebymyself.IfImlisteningtomymusic

anddoingmyhomeworkitsjustkindofalonetime.Imrelaxed.Theabsenceof

7Anthropologistshavefoundwildvariationsinhowdifferentcommunitiesunderstandandprioritize

privacy.JohnL.LockesEavesdropping:AnIntimateHistory(2010)weavestogethermanyofthese

differentaccounts.8Teensarenotaloneinhavingdiverseviewsaboutwhatconstitutesprivacy.Diverseadult

perspectivesarewelldocumentedinChristenaNippert-Engs IslandsofPrivacy(2010).9Allen1999;Nissenbaum2010,94;Strandburg2011


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parentsisregularlyakeyfactorforteenstofeelasthoughtheyhaveprivacy.For

example,17-year-oldSamfromIowatolddanahthathisprivateplacesareInmycaroratafriendshouseorsomething.Imdefinitelynotworriedaboutitbecausethey

arenotmyparents,so,Imalittlemoreopen.Whenteensexplainwheretheycan

seekprivacy,theyfocusmoreonwhoispresentthantheparticularconfigurationsofthespace.

Accessisakeypartofmanydefinitionsofprivacy;forexample,RuthGavisonwrites

thatprivacyisalimitationofothersaccesstoanindividualandthatalossofprivacyoccursasothersobtaininformationaboutanindividual,payattentionto

him,orgainaccesstohim.10Boundariestoaccessalsoplayanimportantrolein

howsometeensunderstandprivacy.Forexample,Jeromy(14,DC)saysthatprivacyiswhenyou'retryingtokeepsomethingfromtheworldoryourselforpeople

thatyoudon'tlike.Inlistingoffdifferentexamplesofwhoshouldnthaveaccessto

certaininformation,Jeromyleavesroomtoshare.Likewise,Meixing(17,NC)

suggeststhatprivacyinvolvescertainthoughtsorideasthatyoukeeponlytoyourself,ormaybesomeoneelsethatisclosetoyou,butitsrelativelyconfidential.Bothoftheirapproachestoprivacyhighlighthowprivacyisntsimplybinary

accessornoaccessbut,rather,controloverhowinformationflowsor,inother

words,controloverthesocialsituation.Maintainingcontrolisntnecessarilyaboutstructuralconstraints.Forexample,Miguel(17,NC)arguesthatprivacyisfor

someonetorespectwhatyoudo.Taylor(15,MA)takesthisonestepfurtherby

sayingthatprivacyistherightyouhavetokeepingpersonalthingsprivate.Byusingthelanguageofrights,Taylormakesitclearthatprivacyextendsbeyondthe

individual.Whatshesarguingforistheimportanceofsocialnormsasaregulatoryforce.

InhisseminalbookCodeandOtherLawsofCyberspace,LarryLessigarguedthatfourconstraintsserveregulatorypurposesinsociety:thelaw,socialnorms,the

market,andarchitecture(orcodeinthecaseofdigitalenvironments).11Eachofthesefourmodesofregulationplayaroleinprivacy,butwhenitcomestoprivacyin

networkedpublics,socialnormsareoftendownplayed.Somescholarsfocusonthe

rolethatthelawshouldplayinregulatingprivacyinthesenewenvironments.12Otherslamentthemarketsincentivesforerodingprivacy.13Stillothershighlight

howtechnologyscodecanbeusedbothtodestroyprivacyandtoprotectprivacy.14

Whensocialnormsareinvoked,itsusuallytojustifyapproachesmadebyother

10Gavison1980,p.421.11Lessig,Lawrence.(2006).Code:Version2.0.NewYork:BasicBooks.Page123.12Regan,P.(1995).LegislatingPrivacy.ChapelHill:UniversityofNorthCarolinaPress13Cohen,J.E.(2003).DRMandprivacy.CommunicationsoftheACM,46,4649;Solove,D.J.(2004).

Thedigitalperson:Technologyandprivacyintheinformationage.NewYork:NewYorkUniversity

Press.14Zimmer,Michael.(2007).TheQuestforthePerfectSearchEngine:Values,TechnicalDesign,andthe

FlowofPersonalInformationinSpheresofMobility(PhDDissertation,DepartmentofMedia,Culture,

andCommunication).NewYorkUniversity,NewYork.


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regulatoryforces.Forexample,whentechnologyexecutiveslikeFacebooksMark

ZuckerbergorGooglesEricSchmidtsuggestthatprivacyisdisappearingasasocialnorm,theyareusingthistojustifytheincreasedpublicityofpeoplesdataontheir

services.15Suchincidentsprovokepeopletorespondbyclaimingthatthatthe

socialnormsarentchanging,andthatprivacystillmatters.Ofcourse,socialnormsareinherentlyunstableandconstantlyevolving;theyvarywidelyandaredifficultto

pindown.Socialnormsarerevealedwhenpeopletalkaboutissues,andwhentheircomplexpracticesandattitudesaremadevisible.Whenitcomestoprivacy,social

normsareevolving,butnotdisappearing,evenaspublicfiguresattempttodownplayordiminishtheirpowerasaregulatoryforce.Teenagersareespecially

weddedtosocialnormsastheonlyregulatoryforcetheyfeelempoweredtoshape.

Thisbegsacriticalquestion:inlightofthepowerfulpositionsofthemarket,thelaw,andthearchitecture,howcansocialnormsserveasapowerfulregulatoryforce

whenitcomestoprivacy?

Whentryingtolocateprivacy,youngpeoplecirclearoundthetropesthatadultsusetodiscussprivacy.Theyspeakofsecretsandtrust,andhighlightparticularspacesasmoreorlessprivate.Throughouttheseconversations,teensconsistentlycome

backtotheimportanceofcontrolandpersonalagency.Theybelievethatprivacy

hastodowiththeirabilitytocontrolasocialsituation,howinformationflows,andwhenandwheretheycanbeobservedbyothers.Unfortunately,teensoften

struggletoassertcontroloversituations,particularlywhentechnologyusurpstheir

controlorwhentheiragencyisundermined.Moreoftenthannot,teensacknowledgethislackofcontrolwhenpeoplewhoholdpowerovertheme.g.their

parentsinsistonviolatingboundariesthatteenscreateorsocialnormsthattheydeclare.Thereinliesthekeyhypocrisysurroundingteensandprivacy.Alongside

adultscomplaintsthatteensdontcareaboutprivacywhenitcomestoonlineactivitiesisanongoingbeliefthatteensdonothavetherighttoprivacywhenitcomestotheirphysicalspacesor,inmanycases,theironlineactivities.16Parents

oftenusetheaccessibilityofteensonlinevocalizationsasjustificationforviolatingteensprivacy.

In2006,17-year-oldBlyLauritano-WernerfromMainecreatedaYouthRadioepisodetohighlightthishypocrisy.Init,shearguedMymomalwaysusestheexcuse

abouttheinternetbeingpublicwhenshedefendsherself.It'snotlikeIdoanythingto

beashamedof,butagirlneedsherprivacy.IdoonlinejournalssoIcancommunicate

15SeeEsguerra,R.(2009).GoogleCEOEricSchmidtDismissestheImportanceofPrivacy. ElectronicFrontierFoundation.Retrievedfromhttps://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/12/google-ceo-eric-

schmidt-dismisses-privacyandJohnson,B.(2010,January11).Privacynolongerasocialnorm,says

Facebookfounder.TheGuardian.London.Retrievedfrom

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/11/facebook-privacy.16Marwick,A.,Murgia-Diaz,D.,&Palfrey,J.(2010).Youth,privacyandreputation(literaturereview)

(BerkmanCenterResearchPublicationNo.2010-5).Boston:BerkmanCenterforInternetandSociety

atHarvardUniversity.Retrievedfrom

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1588163


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withmyfriends.Notsomymothercouldcatchuponthelatestgossipofmylife.17In

doingso,Blyisarguinganage-oldrefrain;shewantstherighttobeletalone18evenandperhapsespeciallywhenshessocializingwithfriends.

TeenslikeBlylacktheagencytobeabletoassertsocialnormsandadultsregularlyviolateteensunderstandingsofsocialdecorum.ConsiderwhathappenedinOld

Saybrook,Connecticutwhenlocallawenforcementandteachersputtogetheranassemblyforstudentsonprivacy.19Tomakeapointaboutprivacy,theeducators

puttogetheraslideshowofimagesgrabbedfromstudentsFacebookprofilesanddisplayedtheseimagestothestudentbody.Studentswerefurious.Onestudent

toldareporterthatthisstuntisaviolationofprivacy.Mostadultsfindthis

incredulousgiventhatthecontentwasbroadlyaccessibleandthatthestudentsintheschoolhadalreadymostlikelyseenmanyoftheseimagesbecausetheycertainly

hadaccesstothem.Yet,bytakingtheimagesoutofcontext,theeducatorshad

violatedstudentssocialnormsand,thus,theirsenseofdignity,fairness,and

respect.Asonestudentexplainedtoareporter,Ikindofthought,itslikeifyouputitonline,anyonecanseeit,butthenatthesametime,itslikekindofnotfairforthepoliceofficerstoputthatondisplaywithouttheirpermissionandwithoutthem

knowing.Thisincidentdoesnotrevealthatteensdontunderstandprivacy,but

rather,thattheylacktheagencytoassertsocialnormsandexpectthatotherswillrespectthem.Thosewhohavepoweroverthemtheirparentsandthepolicecan

usetheirpowertoviolateteensnorms,usingaccessibilityastheirjustification.In

thisway,adultsfurthermarginalizeyoungpeople,reinforcingthenotionthattheydonothavethesocialstatusnecessarytodeserverightsassociatedwithprivacy.

Inaneraofsocialmediawhereinformationisofteneasilyaccessible,itsalltooeasy

toconflateaccessibilitywithpublicity.Yet,justbecauseteensaresocializinginapublicsettingdoesntmeanthattheywanttobepublicfiguresnordoesitmeanthattheywanttobetheobjectofjustanyonesgaze.Whatsatstakeconcernsnotjust

therighttobeinvisible,butwhohastherighttolook,forwhatpurposes,andtowhatends.Findingawaytomanageboundariesisjustoneofthechallengesthat

teensfaceinnavigatingnetworkedpublicsbecauseprivacyisntsimplyabout

controloverthesocialsituation;italsorequiresenoughagencytoaffectthesesituations.

Astheyenterintonetworkedpublics,teensaregrapplingwiththetensionsthatsurroundprivacyandpublicity.Theyaretryingtofindwaystohaveagencyand

assertcontrolinsettingswhereboththearchitectureandtheirsocialpositionmake

17YouthRadiobroadcastReadingMyLiveJournalbyBlyLauritano-Werner:

http://www.youthradio.org/oldsite/society/npr060628_onlinejournal.shtml18Warren,S.D.&Brandeis,L.D.,(1890).RighttoPrivacy.HarvardLawReview,4,193.19Misur,S.(2011,April11).OldSaybrookHighSchoolmakesprivacypoint;Someperturbedwhen

realstudentsshowninsocial-mediaslideshow.ShorelineTimes.NewHaven,CT.Retrievedfrom

http://www.shorelinetimes.com/articles/2011/04/11/news/doc4da2f3cb5caae518276953.txt


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itverydifficultforthemtocontroltheflowofinformation.Yet,inexploring

strategiesformaintainingsocialprivacyinnetworkedpublics,theyrevealhowsocialnormsareenacted.Privacyisbothasocialnormandaprocess;itisnot

somethingthatishadsomuchassomethingthatisnegotiated.Andthepractices

whichteensengageinwhileattemptingtonegotiateprivacyshowthatthissocialconstructisnotdisappearingsimplybecausetechnologyintroducesnewhurdles.

Lifein(Networked)Publics

Sincetheyfirstbecamepopularin2003,teenshaveflockedtosocialnetworksites

tosocializewiththeirfriends.20Socialnetworksiteshavebecomethemodern-dayequivalentofthemallormovietheater,aplacewhereteenscanhangoutwith

friendsandrunintootherfriendsandpeers.Onewayofunderstandingsocial

networksitesandotherpopulargenresofsocialmediaisthroughthelensof

networkedpublics.Networkedpublicsarepublicsthatarerestructuredbynetworkedtechnologies.

Thenotionofapublicreferstobothahighlyaccessiblespacewherewide

audiencescangather,andacollectionofpeoplewhosharewhatSoniaLivingstonedescribesasacommonunderstandingoftheworld,asharedidentity,aclaimto

inclusiveness,aconsensusregardingthecollectiveinterest.21BenedictAnderson

arguesthatpublicscomprisedofpeoplewhodontoccupyaspace,butratherasharedidentity,canbeunderstoodasanimaginedcommunity.22Assuch,apublic

isnotadefinablesetofpeopleoraboundedspace,butaflexiblecategorywherepeopleconceptualizeboundariesbutdonotcontrolthem.Giventhisunderstanding,

networkedpublicsaresimultaneously(1)thespaceconstructedthroughnetworkedtechnologiesand(2)theimaginedcommunitythatemergesasaresultoftheintersectionofpeople,technology,andpractice.Facebook,forexample,servesboth

asanetworkedpublicitselfandasasiteuponwhichnetworkedpublicsgather.

Publicsservemultiplepurposes.Theycanplayacivicfunction,servingtogather

peopleinademocracy.23Buttheycanalsoplayasocialrole,enablingpeopletomakesenseoftheworldaroundthemandunderstandtheirrelationshiptosociety.

HannahArendtarguesthatthepresenceofotherswhoseewhatweseeandhear

whatwehearassuresusoftherealityoftheworldandourselves.24The

20boyd,danah.2007.Whyyouth(heart)socialnetworksites:Theroleofnetworkedpublics.InYouth,identityanddigitalmedia,ed.D.Buckingham,119142.Cambridge,MA:MITPress.21Livingstone,Sonia.2005.AudiencesandPublics:WhenCulturalEngagementMattersforthePublic

Sphere.Portland,OR:Intellect,9.22Anderson,Benedict.2006.ImaginedCommunities:ReflectionsontheOriginandSpreadof

Nationalism.Newed.NewYork:Verso.23Habermas,Jurgen.1991.TheStructuralTransformationofthePublicSphere:AnInquiryintoa

CategoryofBourgeoisSociety.Cambridge,MA:MITPress.24Arendt,Hannah.1998.TheHumanCondition.Chicago,IL:UniversityofChicagoPress,p.50


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importanceofpublicsforidentityworkandsocialconceptualizationisprecisely

whyteenagersseekoutpublics.Yet,giventheirmarginalizedposition,theyreoftenostracizedfromtheverypublicsthattheywishtoenter.Manyphysicalsitesof

gatheringexplicitlyorimplicitlyrestrictteenagers;teenscannotenterbarsbecause

theyareunderage,theylacktheeconomicresourcestogatherineatingestablishments,andwhenteensgatherinparkinglotsoronstreetcorners,theyre

oftenaccusedofloitering.Giventhis,teensoftenseektocreatetheirownpublics;networkedpublicsare,inmanyways,teenpublics.

NancyFrasernotedthatrepressedgroupsoftencreatesubalterncounterpublics

which,fromacivicengagementperspective,canbeunderstoodas"parallel

discursivearenaswheremembersofsubordinatedsocialgroupsinventandcirculatecounterdiscoursestoformulateoppositionalinterpretationsoftheir

identities,interests,andneeds"25Inconsideringthepracticesofqueerindividuals,

MichaelWarnerfoundthatcounterpublicsdonotsimplyserveacivicrole;queer

individualscreatedtheirownpublicsformultiplepurposes,includingpoliticalresistanceaswellasengaginginidentityworkandnegotiatingsocialrelations.26Thenetworked(counter)publicsthatteenscreatetendtoemphasizesociable

purposes,buttheystillservearesistantpurpose,challengingadultauthorityand

norm-setting.

Participationinnetworkedpublicshasbecomeacorepartofteenculturebecause

teensvalueopportunitiestogatherwithpeersbroadly,especiallyinsituationswheretheirinteractionsarenotheavilyconfiguredbyadults.Theystrugglefor

agencyinnetworkedpublics,preciselybecauseadultsareever-presentintheirlives.Asphysicalspacesforpeersociabilityhavedisappearedorbeenrestricted,

andasteenshavefoundtheiraccessstructurallyorsociallycurtailed,thevalueofmediatedspaceswhereteenscangatherhasincreased.Inchoosingwheretogo,thepresenceofpeersandfriendsisthemostimportantfactor.Iffriendsandpeers

gatherinperson,teensfeeltheneedtobephysicallytheretofeelincluded.Ifthegatheringtakesplaceonline,beingonlinebecomessociallycritical.Thissentiment

isarticulatedbyteensintermsofsocialexpectations:

Skyler,18,CO:Ifyou'renotonMySpace,youdon'texist.

Tara,16,MI:LikeeveryonesaysgetaFacebook.Youneedtogetone.

Abigail,17,NC:You'reexpectedtobeonFacebook.danah:Howwouldpeoplerespondifyouwerent?

25Fraser,Nancy.1992.RethinkingthePublicSphere:AContributiontotheCritiqueofActuallyExistingDemocracy.Pp.109142inHabermasandthePublicSphere,editedbyCraigCalhoun.

Cambridge,MA:TheMITPress.(page123) 26Warner,Michael.2002.PublicsandCounterpublics.Cambridge,MA:MITPress.


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Abigail:Peoplewouldaskyouwhy.You'dhavetohaveagoodreason.Ifyoudidn't

haveagoodreasonpeoplewouldbelikeyou'dhavetobelike"theinternetatmy

houseisn'tworking."Butifyoudidn'thaveagoodreasonlike"I'mjustnotonit."

Peoplewouldbelike"Whynot?Getonit.Makeanaccount."Youdon'thavetopayfor

itsoIfeellikepeoplefeelthere'sanyreasonnottobe.It'sprettymuchexpectedyou'reonFacebook.

WhileteensuseFacebookandMySpaceascommunicationchannels,theyalsouse

themasnetworkedpublics,relishingtheopportunitytoconnecttoabroadercommunityofpeople.Atthesametime,theyrenotinterestedinconnectingtojust

anyone.ThroughthepublicarticulationofFriendsonsocialnetworksites,teens

constructtheboundariesoftheirimaginedcommunity.Aswithallpublics,theresporousnesstothisformalization.Whilesometeenshavearigidsenseof

boundaries,othersrelishthepossibilityofconnectingbeyondtheirnearestand

dearest;thisiswhatmotivatesthemtoengageinanetworkedpublicratherthan

justcommunicatingviatextmessagewiththeirclosefriends.Emily,a16-year-oldfromPennsylvania,explainstheculturallogicofthiswhenshepointsoutthatthesocialpossibilitiesofgoingtothemallormoviesarefargreaterthangoingtoa

friendshouse:

Ifyougo[out]withyourfriends,theremightbeotherpeopleyourunintothatare

yourfriendstoo.Iwouldsayitsmoreofanopportunitytoseemoreofyourfriends

thanjustgoingovertoafriendshouse.Goingovertoafriendshouse,theremightbe

onefriendormaybethree.Whereasgoingtothemall,itcanbesevenortwelve.

Thesamelogicholdsfornetworkedpublics.Teensusesocialmediatogettoknow

peoplewhoaremoreacquaintancesthanfriendsortomeetfriends-of-friends.Asmallminorityofteensseekoutbroaderaudiences,welcomingstrangerswhoseemtosharetheirworldview.Yet,eventeenswhowelcomebroadaudiencesdonot

assumethattheyarepublicizinginformationtoallpeopleacrossallspaceandalltimewhentheyengageinnetworkedpublics.

HowArchitectureInflectsPractices

Whilenetworkedpublicscanservethesamesocialrolesasotherpublics,the

affordancesofnetworkedtechnologiespresentnewchallengesthatinflectthesocialdynamicsthatplayoutinnetworkedpublics.Inparticular,fouraffordancesplaya

significantroleinreconfiguringpublicsociality:

Persistence:Digitalexpressionsareautomaticallyrecordedandarchived.

Replicability:Digitalcontentiseasilyduplicated.Scalability:Thepotentialvisibilityofdigitalcontentisgreat.

Searchability:Digitalcontentisoftenaccessiblethroughsearchengines.


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Becauseofthesetechnicalaffordances,participationinnetworkedpublicsrequires

regularlycontendingwithdynamicsthatarentcommonplaceineverydaylife.Forexample,althoughjournalistsareaccustomedtowritingforinvisibleaudiences,this

isnottypicallyhowpeoplerelatetootherswhentheyresocializing.Yet,in

networkedpublics,peoplemustgrapplewithwhatitmeanstoparticipateinasocialsituationwheretheyhavenowayoffullyunderstandingwhoisandwhoisnot

observingtheirperformances.Justasjournalistsimaginetheiraudiencewhentheycraftastory,sotoomustteensimaginetheiraudiencewhenevertheypost

somethingonFacebook.

Anotherdynamicthatteensmustnavigateisthecommonplacecollapsingofsocial

contexts.Whilecountlessmovieshavebeenmadeaboutsituationswherecontextscollideineverydaylifee.g.runningintoyourexwhenoutonadatetheseare

consideredexceptionalmoments.Yet,innetworkedpublics,itisexceptionally

difficulttoseparatecontexts.Theflatteningofdiversesocialrelationshipsintoa

monolithicgroupofFriendsmakesitdifficultforuserstonegotiatethenormalvariancesofself-presentationthatoccurinday-to-daylife.Socialmediaparticipantsregularlylamentmomentswhereworldscollide.27

Athirddynamicbroughtonbythetechnologicalaffordancescommontonetworkedpublicshastodowiththeblurringofwhatispublicandwhatisprivate.Associal

constructs,privacyandpublicityareaffectedbywhatisstructurallyfeasibleand

sociallyappropriate.Inrecenthistory,privacywasoftentakenforgrantedbecausestructuralconditionsmadeiteasiertonotsharethantoshare.Socialmediahas

changedtheequation.

Inunmediatedinteractions,weassumeacertainamountofprivacysimplybecauseittakesefforttopublicizeinteractions.Whenweshareupdatesaboutourlivesovercoffee,wedontexpectourinterlocutorstosharethemwidely,because1)wedont

believethatsaidinformationisinterestingenoughtobespreadwidely;2)itsdifficulttodisseminatesocialinformationtoalargeaudienceinface-to-face

contexts;and3)recordingaconversationorsharingeverydetailofaninteraction

wouldviolatebothsocialnormsandthetrustassumedinarelationship.Ifwedobelievethatourinterlocutormightbeinterestedinsharingwhatwesaid,we

explicitlystatethattheinteractionisprivateandexpectthesocialnormsaroundthe

conversationtotriumph.28Andifourinterlocutorwantstopublicizeeverydetail,itisassumedthatthisintentionwillbeannounced(e.g.,ajournalistinterviewingan

expert).Furthermore,peoplewhoarelikelytoshareasmuchastheycanrememberareoftenlabeledasgossipsoftenbecausetheyinitiallyviolatedthesocialnorms

aroundsharingandarenolongertrusted.Everydaysocialdynamicsarepredicated

27Marwick,Alice,anddanahboyd.2011.Itweethonestly,Itweetpassionately:Twitterusers,

contextcollapse,andtheimaginedaudience.NewMedia&Society13(1):114-133.28Thisdoesnotmeanthatsuchviolationsneveroccur.LindaTrippsrecordingsofMonicaLewinsky

confidinginherareanexampleofhowviolationsdooccur.


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onthenotionthatmostinteractionsareprivate-by-default,public-through-effort.

Thedefaultisprivate,notbecauseitneedstobebutbecauseeffortisrequiredtoactuallymakethingsvisible.

Withsocialmedia,theoppositeisassumed.Theveryactofparticipationinnetworkedpublicsmakescontentwidelyavailabletomanyinterestedparties,

effectivelytherelevantpublic.Ratherthanchoosingwhattoincludeorwhattopublicize,mostteensthinkaboutwhattoexclude.Theyacceptthepublicnatureof

information,whichmightnothavebeenhistoricallyshared(perhapsbecauseitwastoomundane),buttheycarefullyanalyzewhatshouldntbeshared.Disclosureis

thedefaultbecauseparticipationand,indeed,presenceispredicatedonit.

Technologymaynotberadicallyalteringteensdesires,butitdoescomplicatehow

theynavigateprivacy.Considerhow17-year-oldAliciafromNorthCarolina

understandsprivacywithrespecttoFacebook:

Ijustthinkthat[technologyis]justredefiningwhatsacceptableforpeopletoputoutaboutthemselves.IvegrownupwithtechnologysoIdontknowhowitwasbefore

thisboomofsocialnetworking.Butitjustseemslikeinsteadofspendingallofour

timetalkingtootherindividualpeopleandsharingthingsthatwouldseemprivate,wejustspendallofourtimeputtingitinonemoduleofcommunicationwherepeoplecan

goandaccessitiftheywantto.Soitsjustmoreconvenient.Ithinkthattheadults

thinkthataboutprivacybecausewhentheyseepicturesbeingputuporthingsthey

neverhadthatability.Sowhentheysee[ourphotoalbums]orwhentheysee

conversationsonFacebookwalltowall,theythinkthatitsthishugebreachofprivacy

andyourpersonalideasorwhatever...LikeIsaidearlier,therearethingsyou

shouldntputuporyoushouldntsay.ButIthinkprivacyismorejustyouchoosingwhatyouwanttokeeptoyourself....AndsoIdontthinkthatFacebookisviolating

privacy.Ithinkitslettingpeoplechoosehowtheywanttodefineprivacy.

Aliciarecognizesthathowsheapproachessharingisdifferentfromthosewhogrew

upinanearlierera;shealsorecognizesthatthisisrootedintechnological

affordances.HowsheapproachesnavigatingprivacyinFacebookalsodemonstratesthatthenatureofprivacyandpublicityinpubliclifeisshifting.

Ratherthanseeingprivacyasthedefault,Aliciaseesprivacyasaconsciouschoice.

Inherinteractionsonline,sheassumesthatFacebookispublic-by-default,private-through-effort.Shehighlightshowthismodelofprivacyislocatedinanother

change,facilitatedbytheaffordancesofFacebook,asherpeersmovefromsharingdirectlytosharingabstractly.Inotherwords,whatFacebookenablesistheability

foruserstoshareinformationforotherstoconsumewhenandasappropriate

understoodintechnologycirclesaspullasopposedtohavingtodirectlytargetspecificpeople,orpush.Apublic-by-defaultenvironmentdoesntjustreconfigure

howprivacyismanaged,buttheverynatureanddynamicofsharing.


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Theaffordancesofnetworkedpublicsshapesocialdynamics,buttheydonot

determinethem.Howteensnegotiateprivacyinnetworkedpublicsvariestremendously,shapednotonlybytheunderlyingarchitectureofthesoftware,but

alsoyoungpeoplespersonalvaluesandsocialnormsthatsurroundthem.

VariationsinPrivacyNormsandPractices

Eventhoughalltheteensweinterviewedexpressedanappreciationforprivacyat

somelevel,theydidnotshareauniformsetofvaluesaboutprivacyandpublicity.Justassometeenagersareextrovertedandsomeintroverted,someteensaremore

exhibitionistandsomearemoresecretive.Variationsamongindividualsareshaped

bylocalsocialnorms;sharingisvieweddifferentlyindifferentfriendgroups,schools,andcommunities.Theresalsoagenderedcomponenttoit,withteens

havingdifferentideasofwhatisappropriatetosharethatmaptostereotypical

understandingsofmaleandfemaleemotionalbehavior.When17-year-oldManu

emphasizesthathesnotthatkindofperson,hesalsoenactingfairlywidespreadnormsofmasculinity:

danah:Whenyoubrokeupwithyourgirlfriend,didyouwriteanythingaboutiton

Facebook?Manu,17,NC:No.Imlike--Imnotthatkindofperson--Ifinditreallyweirdtohave

myemotionsoranythingonFacebookorTwitter,anditsjust--Idontdostuff--Iknow

otherpeopledo,butIfeellikeIllgetjudgedorjust--Imnotthatkindofpersontolet

stuffoutlikethat.Idontdostatuses,actually,either.

Privacymustbecontextualized.Teenunderstandingsofprivacyandhowtheycarry

theseoutvariesbyindividual,bycommunity,bysituation,byrole,andbyinteraction.Inotherwords,privacyandthenormssurroundingprivacycannotbedivorcedfromcontext.29

Whenteensshareinformationaboutthemselves,therebyincreasingtheirexposure,

theydosobecausetheygainsomethingfrombeingvisible.Thereisalwaysatrade-

off,asteensaccountforwhattheymightgainandwhattheymightloseandhowsuchcost-benefitanalysesfitintotheirownmentalmodelsofriskandreward.

Thus,whenteensarenegotiatingprivacy,theyarentsimplythinkingaboutaloss;

theyreconsideringwhattheymightgainfromrevealingthemselves.

ConsiderthewordsofMeixing,abubbly17-year-oldfromTennesseewhosharesextensivelyonFacebook:

Meixing,17,TN:MostofthetimeImaprettyextrovertedpersonsoIsharealotof

thingswithpeopleanyways...

danah:Thatmeansyoudontcareaboutprivacy?

29Nissenbaum2010.


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Meixing:ImeanIdocareaboutprivacy,butifIfoundsomeonethatIcouldtrustthen

myfirstinstinctwouldbetosharestuffwiththatperson.Forexample,Ithink,likemy

lastboyfriendandIwewerereallycloseandthenwehadeachotherspasswordsto

Facebookandtoemailsandstuff.AndsoifIwouldgetsomethingthatIdidntknow

aboutthenhewouldnotifymeandlookovermystuffItmademefeelsaferjustbecausesomeonewastheretohelpmeoutandstuff.Itmademefeelmoreconnected

andlesslonely.BecauseIfeellikeFacebooksometimesiskindoflikealonelysport,I

feel,becauseyourekindofsittingthereandyourelookingatpeoplebyyourself.Butif

someoneelseknowsyourpasswordandstuffitjustfeelsbetter.

Meixingishighlightingthetrade-offsthatshefaceswhenshesthinkingabout

privacy.Ononehand,shecaresaboutprivacy,butsheswillingtoexposeherselfinintimatesituationsbecauseitmakesherfeelmoreconnected.Herbarriersto

sharingarerootedinhersenseoftrust.Shesnotwillingtoexposeherselftojust

anyone;shesharesbothbecauseandasasignalthatshetrustssomeone.

Trustisaverysignificantissueforteenagersanditregularlyemergesindiscussionsaboutprivacy.Manyteensarentconfidentthattheycantrustthosearoundthem,

eventheirclosestfriends.Alltoooften,teensusetheinformationthattheygather

aboutotherstostartdrama,performinggossipandsocialconflictforawideaudienceonsocialmedia.30Thismakessometeensverynervousaboutsharing,

evenwiththeirclosestfriends.Taylor,a15-year-oldinMassachusetts,questions

themotivationsbehindherfriendsdecisionstoinvadeherprivacy.

Taylor,15,MA:SoIusuallygivepeoplethelightversionbecauseIdontwantthemin

mybusinessandIreallydontthinkthattheyhaveanyrighttobeinmybusiness.

danah:Whydotheythinktheyhavearight?Taylor:Becausetheyremyfriends,sotheyputthemselvesinmybusinesssometimes,

sotheythinkthattheyshouldbetheretohelpmeandprotectmewiththingsbutIcan

dealwithitmyself.

Taylordoesntwantherfriendsinherbusinessbecauseshesworriedthatshell

losecontrol,soshepurposelyavoidssharinganythingthatispersonalorintimate.Butthisdoesntstopherfromsharingaltogether.Aphotographer,sheregularly

uploadsherworktoFacebookpreciselybecauseshewantsfeedbackandpublic

validation.

Taylor,15,MA:[Acomment]givesmeinputanditmakesmefeelgood.EvenifitsnegativeIdprobablylikeitasacomment.Itsjustlikeamessageismorepersonal,

whichIappreciate,butwhenpeoplecanseethattheylikemywork,Ilikeitwhen

peoplecanseethatotherpeoplelikeitbecauseIdontknow,Ijustlikegettinglotsof

commentsononepictureandseeingpeoplereadthem.

30Marwick,Aliceandboyd,danah.(2011).TheDrama!Teens,GossipandCelebrity. PopularCulture

Association/AmericanCultureAssociationAnnualMeeting ,SanAntonio,TX,April20-24.


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Inchoosingtoshareherphotographsbutnotherpersonalthoughts,Tayloristryingtoassertcontrol,therebyenactingprivacybyselectingwhatshouldandshouldnot

beshared.Sheisnotaloneinthisapproach.Manyteenswhoseeminglysharealot

onlineareactuallyconsciouslylimitingwhatisavailable.ConsiderAbigailsperspective:

Abigail,17,NC:IactuallyknoweverybodyI'mfriendswith[onFacebook]...ButI'mnot

goodfriendswitheverybodyonFacebook.ThepeoplethatIgotoschoolwithIknowI

knowwhatthey'redoing.That'swhyI'mfriendswiththemonFacebookbuttheydon't

needtoknowwhatI'mexactlydoingtoday.I'meatingbreakfast,thenI'mgoingto

swimpractice,thenI'mdoingmyhistoryhomework,thenI'mgoingtodothis.They

don'tneedtoknowallthat.Icanjustputanoverviewlike"Practice,homework,then

Allie's,"orsomething.Idon'tneedtosayexactlyeverythingI'mdoingattimesand

stuff.

Theaffordancesofnetworkedpublicsthatmakewidespreadsharingpossiblealsomotivateteenstousemoreprivatechannelsofcommunicationliketextmessaging

orFacebookchattodiscussthingsthatareembarrassingorupsetting,intimateor

self-exposing.

Althoughmostteensarequiteconsciousaboutwhattheychoosetoshare,theydont

alwayshavecompletecontroloverwhatothersshareaboutthem.Facebook,Flickrandothersocialmediasitesletuserstagpicturesofotherusers,whileTwitter

[email protected],17-year-oldJacquelynfindsitweirdandembarrassingthathermotherregularlyposts

picturesofheronFacebook.Whileshesuncomfortablewithhermothersharingphotosofher,shealsounderstandstheimpulse.Iguessasaparent,itsdifferentthanbeingateenagerbecausewereherkidssoshewantstoshowallhercollege

friendsandhighschoolfriendswhatwereuptobecauseobviously,werenotgoingto

friendherhighschoolfriendsbecausewedontknowthem.Itmakessense,Iguess.I

dontknow.

Intryingtonavigateprivacy,teensmustnotonlycontendwithwhattheychooseto

share,butwhatotherschoosetoshareaboutthem.Whilenetworkedprivacyisnot

uniquetonetworkedpublics,theaffordancesofnetworkedpublicsmagnifythisissue,reifyingthepublic-by-defaultnatureofsuchenvironments.Thosewhoare

moreinclinedtoshareoftenexpectthosewhodontwantinformationsharedtospeakup.Abigail,forexample,postsallphotosfromhercameratoFacebook

becauseitseasierforherthanfiltering.Shegoesthroughherphotoalbumsandtags

thephotoswithherfriendsnames,deletinganyphotosthatareblurry.Mostofthepicturessheputsuphavemultiplepeopleinthem,soshesnotinclinedtodelete

them,butunderstandsifherfriendsuntagthemselves.Ifafriendisreally

botheredbyaphotoandcomplaintoherdirectly,shelldeleteit.Theassumption


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inAbigailsfriendgroupisthatcontentispublic-by-default.Suchasettingforces

teenstomakeaconsciouschoiceaboutwhattoobscure,ratherthanwhattopublicize.

Thepublic-by-defaultnatureofnetworkedpublicsisespeciallyacuteonFacebookandTwitterbecauseoftherolethatsocialstreamsplayinthoseenvironments.

Facebooksnewsfeedbroadcastsbothimplicitactions(e.g.,abrokenheartwhentwopeoplestopbeinginarelationship)andsharedcontent(e.g.,newlyuploaded

photographs).ThenewsfeedandTwittersstreamarecentraltothosesitesandthefirstthingthatmostparticipantsseewhentheylogin.WhileFacebooksnewsfeed

wascontroversialwhenitfirstlaunched,31itsnowafundamentalpartof

Facebooksarchitecture.Teensshareupdatestobeseenbytheirfriends,buttheyalsorecognizethatnoteverythingsharedthroughthismechanismisactuallyseen

bytheirfriends.Whilesometeensexpecttheirfriendstoreadeveryupdateand

picturethattheypost,othersseethepublic-by-defaultdynamicasanopportunityto

reduceexpectations.ConsiderwhyVicki,a15-year-oldfromGeorgia,postsstatusupdatesinlieuofsendingprivatemessages:

Vicki,15,GA:Becauseastatusupdate,everybodycanread.Like,everybodywho

wantstoreaditcanreadit,buttheyrenotobligatedtoreadit.Like,whenyousendamessage,its,Ohmygosh,thispersonsentmeamessage.NowIhavetoreadthis.

But,whenitsanupdate,its,like,ifIdontwanttoreadyourstatus,Imnotgoingto

readyours.ButImgoingtoreadthenextpersons,like,ifIwanttoreadtheirs.You

donthavetolookatitifyoudontwantto.

Contentthatispubliclyaccessibleisnotnecessarilyuniversallyconsumed.

Likewise,informationthatispubliclyaccessibleisnotnecessarilyintendedtobeconsumedbyjustanyone.Whileteensmaybenegotiatingprivacyinapublic-by-defaultenvironment,socialnormsalsoserveacriticalroleinhowteensdo

boundarywork.

BoundaryWork

Traditionally,realmsofprivateandpublichavebeenbuiltuponasetof

dichotomiesanddivisions,whethertheybespatial(workplace,home),temporal

(onorofftheclock),orobject-related(workBlackBerryorparentscar).Thesedistinctionsmustbereinforcedandre-inscribedthroughaseriesofprocesses,

whichMichleLamontandVirgMolnrrefertoasboundarywork.32Boundary

31boyd,danah.2008.FacebooksPrivacyTrainwreck:Exposure,invasion,andsocialconvergence.

Convergence:TheInternationalJournalofResearchintoNewMediaTechnologies 14(1):1320.32Lamont,M.,andV.Molnar.2002.Thestudyofboundariesinthesocialsciences.AnnualReviewof

Sociology167196.ChristenaNippert-Engextendedthisnotionofboundaryworktoindividuals

boundariesaroundprivacy.SeeNippert-Eng2010pp.10-14.


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workcreatessymbolicdistinctionsbetweenobjects,people,practices,and

architecturesateenscarisprivateyettheirparentsispublic.

Creating,maintaining,andmanagingboundariesisdifficultandrequiresvarious

interpretivestrategies,traditions,anddistinctionstoachieve.Teensattempttoachievesocialprivacythroughavarietyofstrategies,demonstratinghowthey

understandarchitecture,assertnorms,andattempttobringtheirdefinitionofprivacyintoexistence.Definingandinscribingboundariesisonewaytoregulatea

setofspacesthatdonotfitneatlyintocategoriesofpublicorprivate.Whetherthesetechniquesaresuccessful,problematic,orboth,theydemonstratetheways

thatteenagersareengaginginboundaryworkbynecessity.

Themostcommonwayinwhichteenstrytodelineateboundariesisthroughthe

assertionofsocialnorms.Teenshaveanimplicitunderstandingaboutwhoshould

andshouldnotbepresentintheirsocialspaces.WhenMySpacewasthedominant

socialnetworksite,teenswouldregularlyvoicefrustrationwithadultswhodidntseemtounderstandthatMySpacewasmyspace.Inotherwords,teenswereemphaticthatparentsandotheradultsweresupposedtoknowthattheywerent

welcome.Manyyoungpeoplefeltthattherewasanimplicitkeepoutsignon

MySpace,meanttosignalthatadultswerentwelcome.Toreinforcethis,teensfocusedonexplicitlyarticulatingwhotheyimaginedaspartoftheirnetworked

publicthroughthepublicarticulationofFriends.33Teensdisplayedtheirclosest

friendsthroughtheTop8list,whichappearedoneveryMySpaceprofileandindicatedaffiliationsandsocialcontext.Inthisway,theywrotetheirintended

audienceintobeingsothatitcouldserveasasignaltoanywhohappenedacrosstheirprofile.Yet,evenparentswhomightrespectsuchasignonabedroomdoor,

oftenfailedtorecognizeorrespectsuchsignalsonline.Inotherwords,evenasteensweretryingtoassertsocialnorms,theireffortswereignored;someadultsfailtorecognizethecuesthatyoutharesignalingwhileothersjudgeteenspracticeson

theirownterms,refusingtorecognizeteensagency.

Associalnetworksitesbecamemorewidespreadandasadultsstartedusing

FacebookandMySpaceforreasonsotherthansurveillingtheirchildrensometeensstartedacceptingthepresenceoftheiradults,whileothersfounditawkward.

WhenIaskedAartihowshefeltabouthermotherlookingatherFacebookprofile,

shesaid:

Aarti,17,NC:Iguessitsnotthatbad,becauseIwouldntreallydoanythingbad,butitskindofannoying.But,youknow,sheslooking....Ithinkitsjustweird.Becausemy

mom--IjustthinkFacebookisformyfriends,andnotmymom.

33boyd,danah(2006)."Friends,Friendsters,andMySpaceTop8:WritingCommunityIntoBeingon

SocialNetworkSites."FirstMonday,11(12).


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Aartismessagehighlightshowprivacyandboundaryworkcometogether.Privacy

forAartiisaboutcontrollingthesocialsituation,notabouthidingthingsfromhermother.DanielSolovecallsthisthenothingtohidemodelofprivacyand

vociferouslyarguesthatprivacyisalargervaluewhichallowspeoplefreedom

fromtheintrusivenessofothers.34Nevertheless,theprevalenceofthisviewthatyouonlyneedprivacyifyouredoingsomethingyoushouldntleadsmanyteens,

whentalkingabouttheirdesireforprivacy,todisclaimthatthattheyarentbeingbad.Aartisdesireforprivacyfromhermotherisntrootedinherfeelingsof

needingtohide,butratherherdesiretohavecontroloverthesocialsituation.AartifeelsasthoughhermothershouldunderstandthatFacebookisntmeantforher.

Likewise,whenIaskedChantelleabouthowshedfeelifherteacherslookedather

profile,shesaid:

Chantelle,15,DC:IdbelikeWhyaretheyonmypage?Iwouldntgotomyteachers

pageandlookattheirstuff,sowhyshouldtheygoonminetolookatmystuff?...I

mean,theyrenotgoingtofindnothing.Whattheseteensaretryingtovocalizeisthatsocialnetworksitesshouldhave

understoodboundaries,drivenbyacollectiveunderstandingofsocialcontexts.Yet,

online,teensareregularlyfacingcollapsedcontextsasfriendshipandfamily,schoolandhomecollide.35Teensstruggletomanagethesedifferentcontexts

simultaneously,buttheyrecognizethatdifferentcontextstypicallyinvolvedifferent

self-presentations.

Carmen,17,MA:Atleastwithme,youactdifferentlyarounddifferentpeople.Everyone

Iknow,theyactacertainwayaroundcertainpeople.Andsometimesyouonlywant

themtoknowthatpartofyouIguess.AndifyouhaveprivacyIthinktheyonlyseethesidethatyoushow,whereifyoudon'thaveprivacythentheyseeeverything.

Youngpeoplerecognizethatprivacyisntauniversalvalue,butsomethingthatsrootedinanunderstandingofcontext.Theissueforthemisnotaboutwhocan

physicallyaccessthecontent,butwhoshouldbepresentwiththemandwhatis

sociallyappropriategiventhosepeopleandgiventhatcontext.Toreinforcethisexpectation,teensuseabroadvarietyoflinguisticandstructuralsignals.While

earlyusersofMySpacetriedtosignalboundariesonsocialnetworksitesby

carefullychoosingwhotheyfriended,parentsoftenforcedtheirchildrenintofriendingthemasaconditionofusingtheservice,devaluingtheFriendslistasa

signaloftheintendedaudience.Facebookopeneduptocollegesandhighschoolsbeforethegeneralpublic,creatingastructuralboundarythatisnowdefunct.Today,

manyteensuselanguagetosignalboundaries,attemptingtoclearlymarkFacebook

asaspaceforfriendsbyusingcasuallanguage,socialphotos,in-jokes,cultural

34Solove,DanielJ.(2007).IveGotNothingtoHideandOtherMisunderstandingsofPrivacy. San

DiegoLawReview44:762.35Foramoredetaileddiscussionofcollapsedcontexts,seeMarwickandboyd(2011b).


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references,andotherstylesofsharingthatteensusewhentheyarewitheachother.

Unfortunately,manyadultsfailtorecognizethesestrategiesassignals,insteadprojectingtheirownvaluesontoteenspracticesandjudgingteensthroughtheir

worldview.

Hunterisageeky14-year-oldlivingininnercityWashingtonDC.Hismommoved

fromTrinidadwhenhisolderhalf-siblingswerequiteyoungbecausetheirfatherwasabusive.Huntersmotherandfatherarenottogether,butHunterhasa

relationshipwithhisfather,unlikehisolder(and,forthatmatter,younger)siblings.Hunterseeshimselfasverydifferentfromhissiblingsandcousins,whoheidentifies

asghetto.Inhiswords,thismeansnotreallycaringaboutwhatpeoplethinkabout

you[notcaring]aboutbeingsmartorhavinggoodgradesalwaysgettinginto

trouble,becauseyouwanttostarttrouble,notcauseyoucantavoidit.Todescribe

howhissisterbecameghetto,heexplains,herboyfriend,hedoesnttreatherwell,

andshehasababynow,and,everytimetheyhaveafight,shecutsoffherphone,she

disconnectsherphoneor,ifitsdisconnected,shedoesntwanttotalktomymom,Oh,Imnotfeelingwell,butshesalwaysonFacebookandalwayspostingallkindsofnonsenseonFacebookwhichisoneofthethingsmymomgetssoupsetabout.

AlthoughHunterlamentsherchoices,heverymuchloveshissisterandwantsherin

hislife,eventhoughhismotherworriesthatshesabadinfluenceonhim.Hunterfeelsconfidentaboutwhoheisageekwhoisproudofhisintellectualcuriosity

andprowessandwhoisgratifiedtobeanhonorstudentatacompetitivehigh

school.Ofcourse,healsorecognizesthatnoneofhisfamilymembers,otherthanhismom,valuehisacademicachievements,esoterictastes,orpassionforreading.

OnFacebook,Hunterisfriendswithhissisterandcousinsaswellashisfriends

fromschool;thecontextcollisionsthatoccuronthesiteareaconstantsourceoftensionforHunter.Hetriestomakeitclearthatcertainstatusupdatesaremeantforcertainpeople,buthisfamilymembersregularlymissthesesignals,makingit

hardforhimtomanagesocialboundariesonFacebook.

Hunter,14,DC:WhenImtalkingtomyfriendsonFacebookorIputupastatus,

somethingIhateiswhenpeoplewhoImnotaddressinginmystatusescommentonmystatuses.In[myoldschool],peoplealwaysusedtocallmenerdyandthatIwasthe

leastblackblackpersonthattheyveevermet,somepeoplesaythat,andIsaidon

Facebook,ShouldItakeoffensetothefactthatsomebodyputtheringtoneWhiteandNerdyforme?anditwasajoke.Iguessweweretalkingaboutitinschool,and[my

sister]comesoutofnowhere,Aw,babybro,andImlike,no,dontsaythat,Iwasn'ttalkingtoyou.

danah:HowdopeopleknowwhoisbeingtalkedtowithFacebookstatusupdates?

Hunter:Iguessthatisapoint.Sometimesitprobablyishard,butIthinkitsjustthe

certainwaythatyoutalk.IwilltalktomysisteradifferentwaythanIlltalktomy

friendsatschoolorfrommyfriendsfrommyoldschool,andImightsay,Oh,well,Ifell

asleepinMissKsclassbyaccident,andtheyllsay,Oh,yeah,MissKissoboring,and


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sheslike,Oh,well,youshouldntfallasleep.Youshouldpayattention.Imean,I

thinkyoucanfigureoutthatImnottalkingtoyouifImtalkingaboutacertain

teacher.

Huntersstoryhighlightshowteensattempttoassertsocialnorms,andfail.Unabletomanageboundariesthroughtheassertionofsocialnorms,teensoftenbegin

experimentingwithstructuralandsocialstrategiestoachieveprivacy.

StructuralStrategies

Frustratedbyhissisterandcousinsfailuretounderstandwhatheperceivedas

acceptablesocialnorms,HunterdecidedtotakeadifferenttactictomanagethecollapsingofcontextshestartedtouseFacebooksblockingfeatureasawayto

directlylimittheirparticipation.Forexample,hiscousinsmakefunofhis

preferenceforPokmonorLegendsofZeldaovershootergames.Sowhenheposts

aboutvideogames,heexplicitlyblockshiscousinssothattheywontpostnegativecommentsabouthisenthusiasmsthathewouldfindembarrassing.Byexplicitlyblockingpeople,hecansegmenthisaudiences.Buthealsoknowsthatthisisnot

foolproofandthat,ifhiscousinsweretofindout,theywouldbequiteupset.Inhis

mind,hisonlyotheralternativesaretode-friendthemordeletetheircontent;neitherapproachesappealtohim,soheshopingthattheywontaccidentallysee

thathespostingcontentthattheycantsee.Thesocialpressureagainstde-

friendingisacutetothepointwhereteenswillengageinelaboratestrategiestoavoidit.

Facebookhasnumeroustechnicalfeaturesthatcanbeusedtosegmentaudiences

andlimitthevisibilityofinformation.Whileteenagersdousethesefeatures36,theyoftenhavemixedunderstandingsandfaithinthem.Ononehand,teensgenerallybelievethattheycanuseFacebooksprivacysettingstokeepstrangersor

creepersout;thisisoftenwhatmotivatesthemtoactivelyconfiguretheirsettingsinthefirstplace.Ofcourse,asBrandimarte,Acquisti,andLoewenstein

havenoted,thisillusionofcontroliswhatmotivatesFacebookuserstosharemore

withtheserviceinthefirstplace;usersbelievethattheyhavekeptstrangersoutwhileremainingunawareofwhoelsemighthaveaccesstothatdata(suchas

Facebookthemselves).37Whileteensgenerallydonotaccountforinvisiblethird

parties,theydoaccountforeavesdroppersandgossipmongers.Fromthisperspective,mostyoungpeoplearenotconvincedthatFacebooksprivacysettings

willactuallyhelpthemcontrolhowinformationflows.Aseavesdroppersthemselves,theyvewitnessedcontentleakingwhensomeonesfriendpostsa

responseorreferencesapost.Andtheyrefullyawarethatfriendsandparentsare

36boyd,danahandEszterHargittai(2010)."FacebookPrivacySettings:WhoCares?" FirstMonday15

(8).37Brandimarte,L.,Acquisti,A.,andLoewenstein,G.(inreview)"PrivacyConcernsandInformation

Disclosure:AnIllusionofControlHypothesis."


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lookingoverpeoplesshoulders,accessinginformationinwaysthatcannotbe

controlledthroughFacebooksprivacysettings.Thus,teenshavestarteddevelopinginnovativestructuralstrategiesforachievingprivacythatdontrelyonFacebooks

privacysettings.

Oneofthemostcommonstrategiesthatbothteenagersandadultsuseistoseparate

socialcontextsbysocialtool.Forinstance,someteensusedFacebookandMySpacetotalktodifferentsocialcohorts.Forawhile,teenswouldcreateseparateMySpace

profilesforseparatepurposes;thispracticewasrenderedobsoletebyFacebooksinsistenceononeaccountperuserand,moreimportantly,bytherecommended

FriendsfeatureonFacebookthatregularlyouttedpeoplessecondprofiles.

Mostoftheteensweinterviewedusedmultiplecommunicationchannelsand

consideredthemashavingdifferentpurposes.Forexample,teenswouldarguethat

Facebookwasmorepublic-facing,whiletextmessagingwasmoreintimate.These

distinctionswerenotalwaysdrivenbythetechnicalaffordancesofthemodalitiesasmuchasthesocialpracticesthathadgrownuparoundthem.When17-year-oldManufromNorthCarolinaexplainedthat,Facebookislikeyellingouttoacrowd

whileTwitterisjustliketalkinginaroom,itwasnotbecauseTwitterisinherently

moreprivatethanFacebook,butbecausehispeers,parentsandcommunityhadnotbroadlyadoptedit.TwitterservedamoreintimateroleforManuthanFacebook,at

leastforthepresenttime.Segmentingfriendgroupsbyserviceisrelatively

common,butthisisdifficulttomaintain,especiallygiventhedominanceofFacebookinthelivesoftheteensweinterviewed.

Twoofthemoreuniquestrategieswefoundforachievingprivacyweredescribed

by18-year-oldMikalahand17-year-oldShamikainWashingtonDC.Bothgirlshavelimitedliteracy,butextensivestreetsmarts.Althoughunwillingtotalktousaboutit,ShamikahadMikalahsnametattooedonherarmandherFacebookprofilemade

itclearthattheywereinarelationship.Bothgirlswereextremelycageyandnervoustotalkwithus;ShamikaopenedupmoreaboutherselfthanMikalah.But

eachdescribeduniquestrategiesfordealingwithFacebook.

ToAlice,MikalahdescribedthatshedeactivatedherFacebookaccounteveryday

aftershewasdonelookingatthesite.DeactivationwasintroducedbyFacebookas

analternativetodeletion;userscoulddeactivatetheircontentandforallintentsandpurposeswoulddisappearfromthesite,butiftheylaterregretteditcould

reactivetheiraccountandretrieveallofthecontent,connections,andmessages.Mikalahdidthiseveryday,whichineffectmadeitsothatherfriendscouldonly

sendmessagesorleavecommentswhenshewasloggedin.Throughthis

mechanism,MikalahturnedFacebookintoareal-timeservice,obliteratingboththebenefitsaswellastheconsequencesofasynchronicity.Sheknewthatadultswould

trytolookatherprofileduringthedaytimeandshedidntwanttobesearchable;

sheregularlyhadtodealwiththestateanddidnttrustadults.Butshereasonably


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assumedthatmostadultswouldbelesslikelytobelookingforheratnightwhen

shegotonline.Thus,ineffect,shecreatedaninvisibilitycloakforherFacebookusagelettingherstayvisibletothosethatcouldseeherwhenshewasaroundand

beinginvisibletothepryingeyesofthoseinpowerwhowerelookingforherwhen

shewasntaround.

Shamikatookadifferentapproach.Assheexplainedtodanah,shefoundthatFacebookcontributedtodramabyprovidingaplethoraofpastcommentsthatcould

beusedagainstpeoplewheneverafriendshiporrelationshipturnedsour.Thus,shepreferredtominimizeherriskbydeletingeverycommentshereceivedaftershe

readit.Furthermore,shedwriteacommentonsomeoneelsespageandthen

deleteitthenextday,presumablyaftertheyhadseenit.ShamikasconstantdeletionturnedFacebookintoamoreephemeralspace,destabilizingthepersistent

natureofthespace.WhileShamikafullyunderstoodthatpeoplecouldsaveher

posts,shefeltthattheextrahurdlewasthedifferencebetweennormalandcreepy.

Forher,thisactofdeletionmeantareductioninconflict,andshewastryingtostayoutoftroublebecauseshehadreceivedseveralschoolsuspensionsalready.Thelessinformationthatwasoutthereforjealouspeerstomisinterpret,thebetter.For

Shamika,Facebookisalighttouchcommunicationstructure,meaningthatshecan

checkinwithwhatshappeningwithhercommunitywithouthavingtohaveadeepemotionalinvestment;thisisveryimportanttoher.Butitdoesntneedtobe

persistenttobeuseful.Whiletechnicalstrategiestolimitaccesscanbehelpful,thesetechniquesarenotfoolproof.Theaffordancesofnetworkedpublicscreateslippages.Manyteenshave

storiesofwhensomethingthoughttoberelativelyprivateonFacebookleaked

beyonditsintendedcontext.Whetherduetoparentswatchingovertheshoulderorfriendscopyingandpastingstatusmessages,thetechnologiesdonotprovide

accurateindicatorsofwhatisvisibletowhom,highlightinghowcontrollingaccessisnotalwaysthebestcourse.

SocialStrategies

Recognizingthatsocialnormsandstructurallimitationsareoftenineffective,manyteenstakeadifferenttactictoachievesocialprivacy:theylimitthemeaningoftheir

messages.Thisisnotanewstrategyforthedigitalera,norisitsomethingreserved

solelyforteens,butthecomplexityofachievingprivacyinnetworkedpublicshas

motivatedcountlessteenstoactassumingthattheyarebeingsurveilled.InMassachusetts,17-year-oldCarmenregularlystrugglestomanagehermothers

misinterpretationsofeverythingshesaysonFacebook.Inshort,Carmensmotherhasatendencytooverreact.Furthermore,shehasatendencytorevealher

overreactionsintheformofFacebookcomments.

Carmen,17,MA:[Mymother]tendstocommentoneverything.Imlike,goaway.

danah:Doyoueverdeletehercomments?


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Carmen:No,becausethenIfeelbad.Idontwanttofeelbad.Shesgottenbetter,now

shejustsendsmemessages.

danah:Whydon'tyouwanthercommenting?

Carmen:Becausethenitscareseveryoneaway.Everyonekindofdisappearsafterthe

mompost....Anditsjustuncoolhavingyourmomalloveryourwall,thatsjustlame.

Carmenloveshermotherandlikesthathermothercaresaboutwhatshappeninginherlife,buttheseoverreactionscanbestifling.WhenCarmenbrokeupwithher

boyfriend,therelationshipwasn'tworkingbutshewasstillsad.Shewantedherfriendstoknowhowshewasfeeling,butshewasafraidthatifshepostedamoody

messagetoFacebook,hermotherwouldassumeshewassuicidal.Shedidntwant

toupsethermother,soratherthanpostingasappymessage,shechosetopostlyricsfrom"AlwaysLookontheBrightSideofLife."Hergeekyfriendsimmediately

recognizedthesongfrom"LifeofBrian"andknewthatthesongwassungwhenthe

maincharacterwasabouttobeexecuted.Hermother,ontheotherhand,didnot

realizethatthewordswereasonglyric,letalonerecognizetheMontyPythonreference.ShetookthewordsliterallyandcommentedonCarmen'spost,notingthatsheseemedtobedoingreallywell.Herfriends,familiarwiththeMontyPython

referenceandwitnessingCarmensmothersmisinterpretationinhercomment

textedhertogetthefullstory.

Byencodinghermessagesothatonlyherfriendscandecodethemeaningofit,

Carmenisengagedinanactofsocialsteganography.Steganographyisanage-oldtacticofhidinginformationinplainsight,drivenbythenotionofsecuritythrough

obscurity.38Stegnographicmessagesaresentthroughchannelswherenooneisevenawarethatamessageishidden.Forexample,intheancientGreektextThe

Histories,DemaratushidamessageinthewoodbeneaththewaxofawaxtabletwhileHistiaeustattooedamessageonaslave'sheadthatwasrenderedinvisiblewhenhishairgrew.Inbothcases,themessagewaseasilyaccessiblebutrequired

knowingthatamessageexistedinthefirstplace.39Suchtechniquesarealsopartofcontemporarychildrensplaywithtoyslikeinvisibleinkpens.Steganographyisn't

powerfulbecauseofstrongencryption;it'spowerfulbecausepeopledon'tthinkto

lookforahiddenmessage.ThemeaningbehindCarmenssonglyricspostis,forallintentsandpurposes,invisible.Toanyonereadingthemessage,itsimplylookslike

ahappypost.Andevenifthereaderrecognizesitassonglyricsandunderstands

theMontyPythonreference,theydontunderstandthefullimplicationsunlesstheyrecloseenoughtoCarmentoknowthatshejustendedtherelationshipwith

herboyfriend.Unlockingthemeaningofthatpostrequiresrecognizingmultiplereferents.

38Petitcolas,FabianA.P.,RossJ.Anderson,andMarkusG.Kuhn.(1999,July)."InformationHiding:A

survey."ProceedingsoftheIEEE(specialissueonprotectionofmultimediacontent)87(7):1062

78.39Ibid.


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Whilesometeenschoosetohideinplainsight,otherspostencodedmessages

intendedasvisibledisplaysofin-jokesorobscurereferents,oraremeanttoencouragecertainpeopletorespondwhileisolatingothers.InNorthCarolina,17-

year-oldJacquelynpostedasimplemessageonherFacebook:Yes!Asapremier

ballerina,shewasregularlycompetingforroleswithanotherballerinawhoshedidnotparticularlylike.Sheregularlycomplainedaboutthistoherclosefriends.

Whenthesecondballerinadecidedtoleavethecompany,JacquelynimmediatelywroteYes!onherWall.Sheunderstoodthatherclosestfriendswouldprobably

guesswhathadjusthappenedandthatanyonewhowasclosetoherwouldapproachherin-personorviatextmessagetoaskherwhatthegoodnewswas.She

alsoknewthatifshewasaskedaboutthemessagebyanyoneshedidntwantto

sharethegossipwith,shecouldofferanalternativeexplanationtotheseeminglyinnocuousmessage.Plausibledeniabilityisanimportantpartofthisstrategy.

Jacquelyndidntwanttostartanydrama,whichiswhyshewasintentionally

opaqueabouthermessage,butotherteensusethisstrategytocreateconflict.AsCamilleexplains:

Camille,17,NC:Ifyou'retalkingaboutsomebodyonFacebook,theycanseeitnot

directlytalkingaboutsomebody,buttalkingaboutthemwithoutusingtheirnames,andthen,they'llstarttalkingaboutthemwithoutusingtheirname,andit'sobviously

theyknowthey'remakingfunofeachother.

Alice:Howwouldyoutalkaboutsomeonewithoutusingtheirname?

Camille:Likeeverybodywilluseaquotethatsomebodysaid,andthenthey'llbelike,

that'ssostupidorsomething,whoisshe,andthenanotherpersonwillsayit,andthen

they'll,like,respondtosomethingelse,andkindofmakingfunofthemindirectly,

fighting.Alice:Sowhydoyouthinksomeonewoulddothat?

Camille:Idon'tknow,it'sdrama,kindofentertaining.

InNorthCarolina,danahwasgoingthroughFacebookwith17-yearoldSerenawhen

shestumbledonastatusupdatewrittenbyKristy.Kristy'supdatesaid:"I'msick

andtiredofallofthis"andwasalready"Liked"bymorethan30people.Unabletointerpretthepost,danahaskedSerenatoexplain.Serenabeganalengthystoryof

howKristywasfightingwithanothergirl,Cathy,overaboy.Cathyhadwritten

"She'ssuchabitch"onherFacebookwall,whichwaslikedbyawholehostofCathy'sfriends.Kristyhadpostedthismessageinresponse,andnowKristy'sfriends

hadbackedherbylikingtheupdate.Serenawasabystanderinthisargument,butsheknewhowtointerpreteachmessage;danah,asanoutsider,didnot.Cathyand

Kristyareperformingforotherstosee,buttheyarealsolimitingthemeaningto

thosewhoareintheknow.Indoingso,theycanexcludepeoplewhoarenotpartofthecycleofgossipatschool,namelyparents,teachers,andpeersoutsideoftheir

immediatesocialsphere.


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Whenteenagerspostencodedmessages,theyknowthatpeopleoutsideoftheir

intendedaudiencewillbecurious.Somewillinvestigate,whileotherswillbeupset.Stillothersfindtheuninterpretablecontentfrustratingbecauseitclogsup

Facebook.

danah:Andhowdoyoufeelaboutthingsthatyoudontunderstand?

Jenna,17,NC:Itdependswhoitis.IfitssomeonethatIwanttoknowwhattheyre

talkingaboutthenIlltrytoinvestigateit.Illlookatthewall,aconversationor

something.ButifitslikethatIdontreallycarewhatso-and-soisdoing.Ihavefriends

fromwhenIwenttoMalaysia.TheywereallaboutFacebook.SoIhave50friendsfrom

Malaysianow.AndsometimesIhidethembecausewhatevertheyretalkingaboutis

confusingtomebecauseIdontknowwhattheyretalkingaboutorIgetstufffrom

themthatIdontreallywant.

Someteensviewencodedmessagesassecretsmeanttobedecoded;theyrelishthe

opportunitytoeavesdrop.Yet,forthemostpart,manyyoungpeopleseesuchmessagesasnoneoftheirbusiness,choosingtoignorethem.Similarly,plentyofteensbelievethatjustbecauseamessagecanbeseendoesntmeanthatothers

shouldbelooking.Theyexpectpeopletoignorewhatsnotmeantforthem.

Theseactsofencodingmessagesareawayofassertingcontroloverasocial

situation,buttheydonotalwaysachievetheirintendedeffect,particularlywhen

peersarecuriousandnosy.InMassachusetts,17-yearoldKellywasunhappyaboutherrelationshipbutdidn'thavethenervetobreakupwithherseriouslydepressed

boyfriend.Tosetthestagefordoingso,shestartedpostingmorbidmessagesandunhappy"emo"lyricstoherFacebook.Herfriendsknewwhatshewasuptoand

didn'tconfrontheraboutit,butagirlinherclassthatshedidn'tknowverywelltookthesemessagesseriouslyandnotifiedtheirguidancecounselorthatKellymightbesuicidal.Kellywasirritatedbecauseshefeltthatthosemessageswere

meantforthoseclosesttoher,notpeopleshebarelyknew.

Manyteenshavestartedtorealizethatlimitingaccesstomeaningcanbeamore

powerfultoolforprivacythantryingtolimitaccesstocontentitself.Thesestrategiesallowthemtorestrictinformationbasedonsocialknowledge,not

structuralaccess.Whilenotallteenagersarecarefullycraftingcontenttobe

understoodbyalimitedaudience,manyareexploringtechniquestoexpressthemselvesprivatelyinsituationswheretheyassumethatothersarewatching.

Theyarenotalwayspreparedforhowtheircontentgetsmisinterpretedandtheystillbelievethattheyshouldhavetherighttobeletalonebuttheyareactively

creatingcounterpublicsinfullview.

PrivacyinPublic


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Byusingdifferentstrategiestoachieveprivacyinnetworkedpublics,teensare

simultaneouslyrevealingtheimportanceofprivacyandpubliclife.Theywanttoparticipateinnetworkedpublics,buttheyalsowanttohavecontroloverthesocial

situationsthattakeplacethere.Theywanttobevisible,butonlytocertainpeople.

Theywanttoberecognizedandvalidated,butonlybycertainpeople.Thisisnotacontradictorystance;itparallelshowpeoplehavealwaysengagedinpublicspaces.

Examiningthepracticesofurbanlife,sociologistErvingGoffmanrecognizedthat

peopleregularlygooutoftheirwaytoignoreeachotherinbusyenvironments.Inrestaurants,peopleoftendinecloseenoughtooverheareveryconversation,but

theypretendtonotlistenin.Thisactofgivingsomeonespaceisagiftofprivacy.

Goffmancallsitcivilinattention.40Civilinattentionisasocialnorm,drivenbyanidealofrespect.Staringatsomeoneoropenlylisteninginontheirconversationsis

aviolationofsocialnormswhichmakespeopleuneasybecauseitisexperiencedas

aninvasionofprivacy.Forteens,thesameholdstrueonline;theyexpectpeople

mostnotably,thosewhoholdpoweroverthemtorespecttheirspace.Teensoftenusethelanguageofsurveillanceormonitoringtohighlightthe

differencebetweenpeoplelookingatthemforsociablepurposesratherthana

power-ladengaze.Forexample,inIowa,17-year-oldSamexplains: IjustthinkitsacompleteinvasionofyourprivacytolookatyourkidsFacebookunlessyoureallyfeel

liketheyreindanger.ButIknowthatthereareparentsthatmonitortheirkids

Facebook.Samrecognizesthatmostparentsengageinactsofsurveillancebecausetheyareworried,buthestilldoesntagreewiththis.Inotherwords,justbecause

peoplehaveaccessdoesntmeanthattheyrewelcome.Thisisarefrainthatunderscoresteensgeneralattitudestowardsprivacyinnetworkedpublics.

Bothonlineandoffline,teenshavebeenexcludedfrompublicspacesortoldthattheyarentwelcome.AsGillValentinehasdocumented,moralpanicssuchas

strangerdangerareoftenusedtojustifyyoungpeoplesexclusionfrompublicplaces.41Inexamininghowpublicparkswentfromchild-friendlytodangerous

throughtheuseofstrangerdangermessaging,shearguedthatbyreproducinga

misleadingmessageaboutthegeographyofdanger,stranger-dangereducationalcampaignscontributetowardsproducingpublicspaceasnaturallyornormallyan

adultspacewherechildrenareatriskfromdeviantothers.42Thesesamemoral

panicshavebeenusedtoexplainwhyteensshouldnotbeusingsocialnetworksites.43Yetteenscontinuetoflocktonetworkedpublicspreciselybecausetheyare

40Goffman,E.1966.Behaviorinpublicplaces:notesonthesocialorganizationofgatherings .New

York:SimonandSchuster.41Valentine,Gill.2004.PublicSpaceandtheCultureofChildhood.Hants,UK:Ashgate.42Ibid,p.27.43Marwick,Alice.2008.ToCatchaPredator?TheMySpaceMoralPanic.FirstMonday13(6):article

3.RetrievedDecember3,2008

(http://www.uic.edu/htbin.cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2152/1966).


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someoftheonlyspacestowhichtheyhaveaccess.44Intryingtocreateaplacefor

themselvesinthesespaces,theyarenottryingtobepublic,butrather,tobeinapublic.Theywantaspacewheretheycansocializewithpeersandmakesenseof

publiclifemoregenerally.

Publiclifehasvaluebeyondpoliticalideals;itisthroughparticipationinpubliclife

thatpeopledevelopasenseofsocialnorms,learntonavigatesocialrelations,andbegintounderstandsocietywritlarge.Thepoliticizedpublicspherecannotexist

withoutthesocialpublicsphere.Byengaginginnetworkedpublics,teensaretakingthefirststeptowardsbeingpubliccitizens;theyaretryingtounderstandwhothey

areinrelationtolargersociety.Engaginginpubliclifedoesnotentailthrowing

privacyoutthewindow.

Privacyisinastateoffluxnotbecausethevaluessurroundingithaveradically

changed,butbecausetheinfrastructurethroughwhichpeopleengagewitheach

otherhas.Networkedtechnologiesintroducenewchallenges,particularlyinenvironmentsthatarepublic-by-default.Privacycannotbeassumed,especiallywhenpowerfulindividualsorentitiesareinterestedinleveragingnewfound

opportunitiesforaccesstounderminesocialnorms.Whenparentsassertthatthey

havetherighttoknowsimplybecauseinformationisaccessible,theyunderminetheirchildrensagency.Andagencyisessentialtobeingabletoachieveprivacy.

Fundamentally,privacyisasocialnorm.Legalregulationislegislatedtoprotectindividualsfromharm.Themarketcompetesinoppositedirections,tryingtowin

bothbyenhancingprivacyandleveragingopportunitiestoinvadepeoplesprivacyforfinancialgains.Likewise,technologieswillbebuiltbothtoprotectanderode

privacy.Butwhenitcomestosocialprivacy,thebiggestbattleswillbearoundthesocialnormsthatregulateit.Inotherwords,whatissociallyappropriateinnetworkedpublics?Howarenormssignaledandviolationsrecognized?What

socialsanctionscanbeusedtocurbviolations?Therearenoclearanswerstothis,butwhatisclearisthatteenagersareworkinghardtobringsocialnormsintothe

equation.Theyredevelopingstrategiesformanagingprivacyinpublicspacesas

theytrytoassertcontroloversocialsituations.Theymaynotalwaysbesuccessful,andtheymayconsistentlyfaceviolationsoftheirprivacy,buttheyarenot

discardingprivacyasaresult.

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