Teens digital expressions are among their most cherished artifacts, says CMU study

Virtual stuff is gaining a powerful and sentimental hold on teenagers today, Facebook images, email threads and immaterial artifacts of the online world, says a new study by Carnegie Mellon University.

So much so, that social network profiles and Foursquare badges may be more precious to a teen than a tattered childhood book or favorite tee. The “placelessness” of virtual possessions stored online tends to enhance their value because they are always available, compared to a treasure box that is hidden under a bed.

There is value in these virtual connections, says John Zimmerman, lead researcher and associate professor of human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) and School of Design.

For the study, researchers interviewed nine girls and 12 boys, ages 12-17, from middle and upper-middle class families who are active on the Internet, mobile phones and other technology.

“What I think is fascinating is teens are tremendously inventive in the way they are discovering how to value digital things, which no one has shown them how to do,” says Zimmerman. “It’s human behavior to invest meaning in the things we surround ourselves with; they are finding new ways to do this.”

The virtual world gives teens a powerful way to explore meaning in their lives, understand themselves and who they are. When people share and tag photos or conversations online, it allows them to reflect and investigate who they are in the relationship with that person.

It gives friends an opportunity to share experiences. A picture of a favorite t-shirt or treasured memento, shared with others, becomes much more real than something sitting on a shelf or in a drawer, he says.

The CMU team plans to continue investigating how to provide new products and services that help to fulfill people on a virtual level so they can begin to move away from more material things, says Zimmerman.

How can we help children create a sense of place as they move between places, such as children of divorce? Or give people who are homeless or incarcerated a sense of security in relationship to themselves and others to promote a better self image as they transition back into the real world?

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and by Google.

Writer: Deb Smit

Source: John Zimmerman, CMU