Wk 11

Teen Voices: Dating in the Digital Age

I have absolutely used Facebook as a way to find out a guys age, relationship status, and get a feel of what his character is like. Do his photos show a rowdy party guy stuck in his frat glory days? Does his past work experience stop at “Starbuck barista from 2007-2008”? Social media can act as a résumé for relationships or a background check on the guy. It is interesting that the teens in the research consider “liking” a status or photo as flirting. When I like a photo or a status I’m just trying to get my name in front of your face so you’ll be more inclined to remember I’m there. Simply exposing you to my name occasionally is a subtle form of persuasion that could increase the likeliness that you’ll remember me.

The article states that “a number of teens in these focus groups said they are more at ease when talking to the object of their affection face to face”. This makes sense since many verbal cue and non-verbal cues are lost online. It is also hard to joke via text since the tone of your voice isn’t translated online. Also, text messaging can be asynchronous which makes it difficult to maintain a “flirty” conversation or attitude over a long period of time.

This article is interesting. It discusses dating and online interactions with teens. Thinking back on the way I used to “flirt” or attempt to communicate online with a boy I was interested in, my intentions were very near-sighted. I didn’t have long-term goals in mind or a firm grasp on what a relationship is supposed to be. As I’ve gotten older, learned from my community, and experienced dating (or lack of) I’ve come to understand that effective communication and flirtation happens off-line.


Photographer documents the death of real-life conversation

I love being critical of photography and I love being equally critical of society. I appreciate that the article acknowledges “it is very possible that people could be receiving an urgent message or checking a map on their phone in that one snippet of time in which their photo was taken”. Since photos capture a fraction of a moment in time, we can’t know exactly what was going on before, during, or after the photo was taken. True, people do retreat into their phones when a situation becomes uncomfortable. However, people are able to use their phones and still interact and communication with those around them. Many times I’ve gotten my phone out to look something up for a friend or to find a photo or a song to show them.  I appreciate what this series is attempting to show but I disagree with it’s blanket assumption that these people are disconnected from those around them.