Perceptions of girls and young women on the role of gender and social media conflict implicated in violence

ABSTRACT

Social media has changed the landscape of adolescence, altering how young people communicate and connect with peers. This study explores how young women of color living in marginalized neighborhoods perceive, manage, and make meaning of social media threats and conflict. Previous research shows that social media narratives tend to reify gender differences and devalue the experiences of conflict among girls and young women. Focus group discussions among 41 youth, living in a disinvested neighborhood of Hartford, CT, and participating in a development program for adolescents at risk for violence involvement, suggest that girls use social media platforms to define, negotiate, and meet their developmental needs and enhance their wellbeing. These adolescents are intentional in their choices to enter the social media world; they use social media to cultivate their identity, protect their reputation, manage relationships, or simply be seen and heard. While corroborating previous findings concerning perceptions of social media conflicts, these girls were not passive consumers of social media; they had a nuanced sense of this tool and used it to resist violence and benefit their image. Identifying adolescent insights about how particular social media features influence conflict is critical to creating effective interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• Youth of color
• perceptions of girls and young women
• identity
• gender
• social media
• conflict

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the staff at COMPASS for their dedication to the youth they serve and for their participation in and support of this research. The authors also acknowledge the young people who actively participated in this research for their candidness and openness, thus making this project possible and meaningful.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Office of the Vice President for Research and the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention and Policy at the University of Connecticut awarded to Caitlin Elsaesser, Principal Investigator.