http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/facebook-sexualizing-young-girls-183300178.html
In this article posted above, the author poses the question of whether social media, namely Facebook, encourages tweens and teens to act more overtly sexual. From what we've covered thus far in our course, I am reminded about our discussions regarding social acceptance, sexual identity, and the effects of the media on the female body. I think that technology and Facebook, just like MySpace before it, all publicize and intimate the social circles of peer groups and the lives of adolescents. It's a space quite similar to the high school cafeteria, but with the advantage of publicizing only the aspects of your life, appearance, and person that you feel will increase your social status.
So, what do you all think? Does social media just create a space for teens and tweens to "express" themselves, sexual identity and all (the same way they would even without this avenue), or is there something about the way these websites are designed ("likes" or "pokes" on Facebook) that encourage sexual behavior from teens and tweens?
Hey Sonam,
ReplyDeleteI had no idea about such a TV show as "Dance Moms." That is just wrong for girls so young to be put in a burlesque scene. Unless the mothers themselves were prostitutes, how can they think doing that is okay, morally or socially?
In terms of your final question, I guess it would be the former of "normal expression." But then again, I am a little biased against such outward displays of pictures from last night's drunken escapade, or the latest lingerie from Victoria's Secret that your friends, your boss, and the creepy guy at the end of the street can all see.
Sonam,
ReplyDeleteI find this post very interesting as I have always been a believer that the social media plays an incredibly large role over adolescent behavior. Personally I am a fan of facebook, as I am a facebook user myself. However in the context of facebook encouraging young girls to try and make themselves appear a certain way particularly in a sexual manner I would have to agree. Although there are many facebook users who use facebook for nothing more than social purposes, i do often run across various images on my news feed of girls taking pictures of each other in which these pictures usually emphasize their breasts or other assets. I definitely believe that this encourages young teens (male and female) to become more sexually open and active, and definitely plays a large role in adolescent development as a whole.