US Teenagers' Perceptions and Awareness of Digital Technology: A Focus Group Approach -Hundley & Shyles
The purpose of this article is to determine the impact newer technologies, like the internet, cell phones, mp3 devices and video games, have on the media landscape. The focus is on teenagers from ages 12 to 16. They discuss how these teens access the internet, what they do with it, and how much time the devote to it daily. They found that many of these students use the internet to access social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Most of the students were aware of the potential dangers of the internet, invasion of privacy and personal information. As a solution, many of the students stated that they do not provide any real or important information online, and that they do not add strangers to their profiles. Most participants however, were unaware of how many hours a day they use the internet. Also, when they were using the internet, they typically use some other form of technology at the same time. According to their study, “80% percent of teenagers use more than one medium at a time” they usually have music or television playing in the background. According to La Ferle social media sites are currently an effective way for teens to “gain social skills” and to “satisfy their social needs”. Teens use the number of friends they have on social media sites as a way to gauge their popularity in real life.