2. http://www.debaird.net/.a/6a00d8341c007953ef013480083a5d970c-pi
Teens & Texting
Image retrieved from http://www.debaird.net/.a/6a00d8341c007953ef013480083a5d970c-pi
Teens use their cell phones to text their friends and their
significant others; In the chapter almost every teen used a cell
phone to communicate with each other.
The chapter mentioned how significant others may pay for
their girlfriend/boyfriend’s cell phone; however that usually
comes with rules for the phone usage, as it does with parents
paying the bill.
One of the boyfriends mentioned in the book who paid the
bill, reportedly wanted his girlfriend to answer his calls at all
times, even if she was busy and explain either that she was
busy or that she could talk. He also expected her to tell him
who she was texting whenever they were hanging out.
To me, that seems borderline controlling, but luckily most
teens just use their phones to communicate with each other
and it doesn’t cause many issues.

3. TEENS & TEXTING
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Sometimes however, bad things
can happen with cell phones. The
teens talked about how
occasionally an embarrassing
photo of them at a party or
something would get around
school through the use of cell
phones.
http://admintell.napco.co
m/ee/images/uploads/g
adgetell/teens_cell_phon
e_3_thumb.jpg
Image retrieved: http://blog.dialaphone.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2008/02/seduce4_26_02_08.jpg
Teens use their phone to communicate with each
other. Whether through texting or voice conversations.

4. FLIRTING ONLINE
Many teens would flirt online, however many
expressed hesitancy doing so in person.
Upon reaching University, Bob stated “you actually
saw them and didn't say anything... the game was
over.” (pg. 126 - 127)
Image retrieved from: http://images.askmen.com/dating/doclove_400/468_doc-
love-shes-flirting-online_flash.jpg
"It's a lot easier to flirt digitally than it is in person
'cause there's no awkward silence. You can't say
something you don't mean 'cause you could sit there
at one comment on a person's profile and spend a
half an hour making sure that everything is right.
Like some words are lowercase on purpose. The
punctuation's just the way... I want it to look sloppy,
but it really has this, you know, acute meaning to it.
(Sims, Rural, and Urban Youth)" Bob, (pg. 143).
http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/4/42/Flirt-With-a-Girl-on-
Facebook-Step-1.jpg/550px-Flirt-With-a-Girl-on-Facebook-Step-1.jpg

5. CONFIRMING RELATIONSHIPS ONLINE
To confirm a relationship some teens would put the date of the start of their relationship on
their online profile; things like 11/2/10 <3 or 4.5.2012 forever, baby, or even things like
6.24.2013 J.C. + R. W. sometimes even in their name or headline on MySpace.
Some teens would put their significant other’s picture on their profile (in the days of
MySpace & HTML). Or perhaps they would take a picture together and have it as their
default picture on their respective social media site.
Other teens would sometimes just post silly things in comments on MySpace or wall posts
on Facebook. Things to make them smile, think about them, or just so others know that
they are in a relationship, therefore they are taken and not interested in anyone else.
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tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbulaXl2HCjhcQUcWOiNj4zhqRkZIieo8RyOvXVCeWayAH7DHn_w
Will Ferrell image retrieved from:
http://img.pandawhale.com/post-3297-
Facebook-relationship-status-W-16dr.png

6. CONFIRMING RELATIONSHIPS ONLINE
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http://womencyclists.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/ready-
change-facebook-flirting-ecard-someecards.jpg
“Joan, a first-year student at
the University of California, Berkeley, said,
“Yeah, I have friends [who] have
confirmed they have gone official with
their boyfriends through Facebook, which
is ridiculous. I have known people that are
dating and they’ll get a request “so and so
said that you are their girlfriend.” They
pushed the button and they are like, “Oh
my God, we’re official.” (Finn,
Freshquest)” (pg. 131).
Image retrieved from:
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pg/ku-xlarge.jpg
http://blogs-images.forbes.com/kashmirhill/files/2011/03/Mark-Zuckerberg-in-a-
relationship.jpg

7. ENDING A RELATIONSHIP ONLINE
Retrieved from: http://i.qkme.me/3581yv.jpg
The interview done by Danah Boyd outlining Amy & Michael’s
relationship, in Box 3.1 pages 133 – 135. She briefed that in the
beginning of the interview, Amy was in a relationship with Michael.
However only a week later, she was dating a new guy named Scott.
One month later, Amy was dating yet another new person. Not to say
that this is necessarily bad, but it is obviously frequent. Danah Boyd
also mentioned how Michael had deleted all of the information
about her and if anything replaced it with offensive things. A month
later, when Amy was dating yet another new person, and Michael
had deleted his friends and all of his information.
Image retrieved from:
http://sepiabrown.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/facebook-relationship-
status2.jpg
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http://thesouthernnews.files.wordpress.co
m/2011/10/facebook-relationship-
status.jpg

8. UTILIZING INSTANT MESSAGING
(IM’ING) PROGRAMS
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messenger-2001726.jpg
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http://screenshots.en.sftcdn.net/en/scrn/
28000/28067/msn-messenger-3.jpg
Image retrieved from:
http://pennalumniblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/
05/aim-chat.gif
“I get out of the shower, get
dressed, go to my PC, log on to
MSN, and talk
to Alice,” said Jesse about his
girlfriend Alice and is morning
routine. (pg. 117).
“John, for instance, likes to flirt
over IM because it is “easy to get
a message across without having
to phrase it perfectly” and
“because I can think about things
more. You can deliberate and
answer however you want.”” (pg.
124).
“Joan, the Berkeley freshman, claims that she and her first boyfriend
would talk online all the time, all the time. Like, we talked on the
phone but then sometimes we talked on the phone and IMed at the
same time . . . especially it’s like our parents was in the room and
then we would talk to them and then if there is something that you
don’t want your mom to hear you could type it and then you could
talk about it. (Finn, Freshquest)” (pg. 138).

9. THE PROBLEM WITH GROUP
CHATS
Robert's story exemplifies that the great part of instant messaging and group chats can also
be very bad (pg. 144 - 145). He was starting to go on chat rooms after his parents went to
bed, a gay chat room where he would talk and express himself to others. Eventually he said
that he started to privately converse with others he met on the online chat group, and perhaps
exchanging pictures or webcam chats. However, one day an adult sent him a picture he did
not want at all and it scarred him a lot- he ended up deleting his MSN account and smashed
his computer camera.
Image retrieved from:
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content/uploads/2012/12/internet-
predators-are-real-ipredators.png
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/bab/fat-man-eating-hamburger-1babbe4.jpg
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http://www5.pcmag.com/media/images/281354-
imo-network-group-chat.jpg

10. MEETING PEOPLE ONLINE
Dana said she met her boyfriend online through mutual friends, stating "he requested me
'cause he liked what he seen, and then my best friend talked to him about me and then
because of MySpace we were goin' out... 'Cause if MySpace wasn't there, then I woulda not
had him as a boyfriend. We talked on AIM and then we exchange the numbers, and then I met
him. I seen him before, but I got him noticed on MySpace and now we're together. (Sims, Rural
and Urban Youth)." (pg. 126). Dana eventually met him in a group setting with other friends,
after conversing online for a while.
Image retrieved from: http://www.iheartyu.com/images/online-
dating.gif
Image retrieved from:
http://www.momlogic.com/
images/hugging_translator
_pm-thumb-270x270.jpg
However, some people like Grady
say: "I'm not going to start a
conversation with a girl on MySpace
or text messaging. I'm going to start
in person first. Then it's kind of like
weird and geeky, you know?" (pg.
125-126). Some people find it geeky
and would never do it.

11. MEETING PEOPLE ONLINE
Personally for me, I meet almost everyone I know currently online. I didn’t have many friends in high school,
and my parents were great about driving me where-ever; so I made friends a few towns away. This started
around the time I was 12-13 years old. My first friends online were Mikey and Zech, lived in Gardiner (I
lived in Sidney, so at most 15 miles away), who then introduced me to my friends Josh (on the phone,
and we then chose to meet in person), Rob, and Scott. I’m still friends with them and actually keep in
good contact with them to this day.
My very best friend Michelle whom I’ve been friends since I was 12, I met entirely online and met in person
the summer of turning 14. I did not tell my parents this…. But it all went well! I went all the way to
California to meet her (with family). I’ve ‘met’ her 3 times now and I try to visit her every other summer.
My best friend Maiko I also met online; and I met him randomly when we were both in the same town and I
thought he was my friend Mikey! I hang out with Maiko almost every weekend now, and I’m friends with
nearly all of his friends, and he’s friends with nearly all of my friends.
I’ve had really good experiences meeting people online, but I understand that not everyone does. When I was
younger and more naive I definitely could have made a lot of mistakes, but luckily my parents didn’t let
me meet them. I still don’t meet everyone I know online; only the ones I have a real connection with. I
think it all really depends on both people involved in the communication and the time they’ve spent
getting to know eachother.
Me & my best
friend Michelle
last summer at a
concert 

12. CONCLUSION
This was a really interesting chapter and book, and it was funny how some things
were explained as if it was written by an alien or written to explain these things to
very, very old people. It was all in a very “scientific” and “research” type format. It
was a great research and interview book regarding communication and teens. I
think I learned a lot and it reminded me of various things I did when I was younger
on MySpace: post pictures of meaningful people on my profile, top friends, ‘about
me’, how so many people would be in and out of relationships. How there are
things I would never personally do, like control my significant other’s phone use or
ask for their password.
The chapter laid out the communication and media habits of teens in relationships. It
did not mention sex or sex-related things much, as the researchers thought they
were talked about too much in main-stream media and other research paper, and
yet their communication habits online and through the phone were never talked
about that much. This chapter fixed that problem with interviews and research,
and really made the research worthy and well-founded. Now, there is research
regarding teen’s communication habits.