Relational Autonomy. Texts, Chats, and Instant Messaging

By Céline Metton
English

Unlike the family phone, the mobile phone and Internet are individualized, personalized tools, and thus multiply young teenagers possibilities for communicating. How do these media relate to older communication tools ? How do they participate in the socialization of young teenagers’ and in the construction of their identity ?These tools enable them to establish an autonomy vis-à-vis their family and peer group at an early age. Since mediated communication is more neutral and less engaging, it enables them to communicate with peers of the opposite sex more easily than at school, especially for their first love relationship. This article is based on a fieldwork research where 76 teenagers were interviewed.

Keywords

  • teenagers
  • internet
  • mobile phone
  • identity
  • gender relationships
  • adolescence
Go to the article on Cairn-int.info