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It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens Hardcover – February 25, 2014
| danah boyd (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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“A fascinating, well-researched and (mostly) reassuring look at how today's tech-savvy teenagers are using social media.”—People
“The briefest possible summary? The kids are all right, but society isn’t.”—Andrew Leonard, Salon
What is new about how teenagers communicate through services such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Do social media affect the quality of teens’ lives? In this eye-opening book, youth culture and technology expert danah boyd uncovers some of the major myths regarding teens' use of social media. She explores tropes about identity, privacy, safety, danger, and bullying. Ultimately, boyd argues that society fails young people when paternalism and protectionism hinder teenagers’ ability to become informed, thoughtful, and engaged citizens through their online interactions. Yet despite an environment of rampant fear-mongering, boyd finds that teens often find ways to engage and to develop a sense of identity.
Boyd’s conclusions are essential reading not only for parents, teachers, and others who work with teens but also for anyone interested in the impact of emerging technologies on society, culture, and commerce in years to come. Offering insights gleaned from more than a decade of original fieldwork interviewing teenagers across the United States, boyd concludes reassuringly that the kids are all right. At the same time, she acknowledges that coming to terms with life in a networked era is not easy or obvious. In a technologically mediated world, life is bound to be complicated.
- Print length296 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherYale University Press
- Publication dateFebruary 25, 2014
- Dimensions5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100300166311
- ISBN-13978-0300166316
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Based on a decade of research and interviews with adolescents from the suburbs to the inner city, It’s Complicated is a persuasive anti-alarmist polemic that should help ease parents’ concerns about all sorts of Internet bogeymen."―Randye Hoder, TIME Health & Family
"The key point is that social behaviour is adaptive, and people in power (i.e. parents) rarely understand the coping strategies being used by others. When adults start worrying about our children’s use of the internet, we should also ask what we can learn from our children—and then look in the mirror at our own behaviour too. And have the courage to give kids more freedom physically to roam in the 'real' world— alongside their travels in cyberspace."—Gillian Tett, Financial Times
"The book took a decade to complete, and cites sociologists including Michel Foucault and Erving Goffman, but it’s the voices of the 166 teenagers Boyd interviewed across America that make it a truly enlightening read."—Jane Mulkerrins, The Sunday Telegraph
"It’s Complicated, a new book about teenagers and digital technology by the media scholar danah boyd, places today’s smartphones, iPads and laptops in the context of this perennial power struggle between adolescents and parents. In doing so, it adds much to our understanding of a young generation of hyper-connected, hybrid consumer-producers–a cohort whose behaviour often unites parents, educators and investors in collective bewilderment."—Gautam Malkani, Financial Times
"[T]here is something marvellously sensible about Boyd’s resolutely academic style. . . . Boyd’s anatomy of teenage life is penetrating."—Jane Shilling, The Sunday Telegraph
"boyd’s new book is layered and smart . . . It’s Complicated will update your mind."—Alissa Quart, New York Times Book Review
"Students, parents, and educators will find this a comprehensive study of how technology impacts teens’ lives and how adults can help balance rather than vilify its inevitable use."—Publishers Weekly
"An exhaustively researched study of how teens use technology . . . and a manifesto on how parents as individuals and society as a whole let young people down when they insist on protection and paternalism over media literacy and critical thinking. Even readers who are not parents, or teens, may well find this one of the most interesting books of the year."―Amy Benfer, Los Angeles Times
"A passionate, scholarly, and vividly described account of the reality of young peoples' use of networked technologies in America today. Painstakingly researched through interviews and close study for more than a decade, boyd's book is the most important analysis of networked culture I've yet to read."—Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing
"It’s Complicated is both a report from the front lines and a larger social analysis. . . . It probes much deeper than just the latest fads in Twitter gossip or Snapchat goofiness . . . On one level it is designed to counter the paranoia and anxiety that many parents still feel about their children’s engagement in social media. . . . But on another level it is a poignant critique of contemporary civilization . . . The briefest possible summary? The kids are all right, but society isn’t."—Andrew Leonard, Salon
"A fascinating, well-researched and (mostly) reassuring look at how today's tech-savvy teenagers are using social media."—People
"boyd’s extensive research illuminates the oft-misunderstood world of teens today, where social media is an extension of life. . . . Thorough information interwoven with common-sense advice from teens and the author enable readers, particularly parents, to relax a bit regarding this new media age. . . . Comprehensive new research that illuminates why and how social media is important to teens."—Kirkus Reviews
Winner of the 2015 Educators Book Award given by the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
"In explaining the networked realm of teens, boyd has the insights of a sociologist, the eye of a reporter, and the savvy of a technologist. For parents puzzled about what their kids are doing online, this is an indispensable book."―Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute, author of Steve Jobs
"If you want to understand the digital worlds inhabited by today's young people, this is the book to read."―Howard Gardner, coauthor of The App Generation
"I want to get this publication into the hands of every teacher, parent, policy maker, and journalist. Thoughtful in her analysis and adept at skewering the most common misunderstandings and anxieties about teens' online lives, boyd is the best possible person to write a book like this, and this book does not disappoint in any way."―Henry Jenkins, coauthor of Spreadable Media: Creating Meaning and Value in a Networked Culture
"Astute, nuanced, provocative and hopeful, boyd does it all in this must-read treatise on teens and their digital lives."—Stephen Balkam, Founder and CEO, Family Online Safety Institute
"danah boyd is one of the smartest people thinking about how teenagers use the Internet―a topic of enormous importance to parents, me included. Her book is smart, sophisticated, and imbued throughout with a rare and wonderful sensitivity to the real, lived experiences of teenagers. Read it to understand what they're doing online, and why―you'll come away enlightened!"―Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Yale University Press; 1st edition (February 25, 2014)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 296 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0300166311
- ISBN-13 : 978-0300166316
- Item Weight : 1.06 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #945,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #539 in Medical Adolescent Psychology
- #654 in Social Media Guides
- #663 in Popular Adolescent Psychology
- Customer Reviews:
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The ways that Boyd constructed her arguments throughout the book were honest and open-minded. In the ‘Danger’ chapter, Boyd stated: “As always happens whenever adults obsess over child safety, restrictions emerge and fearful rhetoric abounds (pg. 103).” I did notice how Boyd used absolutes like this throughout the book that weren’t always accurate. To say that something ‘always happens’ is an unrealistic extreme. I know parents who are overbearing when it comes to the safety of their children and they focus their fears by having healthy conversations, not automatically imposing restriction. Overall, the ways that Boyd argued were very fair in addressing both sides of the issue and giving teens a fair say in what was expressed. I found her stories to be engaging and accurate.
One thing that I wished Boyd touched on more throughout the book was the issue of safety from a privacy standpoint for teens on the internet. A fear that I have for young people comes from the horror stories of young girls or boys getting involved with adults online and getting taken advantage of in vulnerable ways. I admit that this is an aspect of the digital world that I do not fully understand so I do want to know how I can better equip young people to not fall into those traps. I found it interesting when Boyd said: “When parents choose to hover, lurk, and track, they implicitly try to regulate teens’ practices. Parents often engage in these acts out of love but fail to realize how surveillance is a form of oppression that limits teens’ ability to make independent choices (pg. 74).” I see what Boyd is talking about here, but I do wonder how to achieve the balance of having some sort of surveillance without making teens feel limited. It would have been nice for Boyd to elaborate on this more.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and appreciated Boyd’s refreshing style of writing that provided clarity and perspective on a prevalent topic in our society today. I would recommend this book to be read by educator’s and parents who desire a holistic understanding on the social lives of networked teens. Boyd creates awareness about many aspects of the online world while also helping eliminate misconceptions that adults might have. If we are to better reach our students today, I think we need to be more like Boyd and try to understand their desire for an online presence from their point of view.





