Citation

Eek-Karlsson L. Young 2019; 27(1): 1-17.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Tidskriftforeningen Young, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1103308818761413

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article examines young people's argumentation about their communication in social media. The purpose is to uncover what is taken for granted in their experiences and illuminate discursive patterns in their representation of everyday life online. Thirty-two youths (14-15 years old) were interviewed. The result shows that there are three discourses involved that in different ways condition the youths' acting space online. The discourses are called 'taking responsibility', 'saving face' and 'social positioning'. There is a struggle between the discourses and they take on different power positions depending on the relation between three parameters: with whom the interaction takes place, the content that is to be published and the online characteristics. The discourse 'taking responsibility' is superior in interactions with close friends, unlike interactions with peripheral friends, where 'social positioning' is superior. The discourse 'saving face' is found in interactions with both close and peripheral friends.

Language: en