Stern...

Producing Sites, Exploring Identities: Youth Online Authorship

With her definitions of Sites: blogs, websites, and Social Networking Sites (SNS), Stern clearly describes the technological aspects of on-line communication. In my reaction to Susannah Stern’s article, I am most interested in two key terms: identity and authorship and how they interweave. 

This article reminded me of Zines. Back when I was in high school (20 years ago), I had several friends who self-published or helped in creating Zines.  These were underground magazine/ pamphlet type publications that included poetry, artwork, fictional short stories, non-fiction essays, political propaganda, and often directions to the next underground party. Often the authors were anonymous.  These Zines were dark, roughly printed, often mocking societal constraints and full of cuss words. The alternative to these Zines was the Literary Club who published similar components (save the propaganda and party directions) in a more formal, “respectable” format in which no anonymity was present. All authors were proudly presented.  The difference between these two forms of authorship related to the identity of the kids at hand.  Clearly, the Literary Club was for kids who were “academic," traditional and most often White (in a Eurocentric sense). My friends who came from either alternative/Hippie backgrounds or were Hispanic punks produced the Zines. 

I am also reminded of a film that spoke largely of similar ideas and came out the year I graduated – Pump Up the Volume. It was largely about Teen anonymity and identity, pirate radio, suicide and disconnect with the elder generation, particularly in education. I remember loving the movie.

The difference between anonymous work and “named” work used to rely more heavily on someone else’s judgment – a teacher, a parent, a principal, executives, etc. One important component that I see with the authorship that is occurring on-line is the presence of true, authentic identity with any work.  This is not clearly positive or negative, as Stern explores, and as Kevin adamantly states in his Blog posting regarding frightening self-expression.  Even as we play around with false identity or unconventional identities, we are exploring self-expression. Writing is a dialogic process, creative, reflective or both. That being stated, I believe it is also important to recognize that a factor of Site Production is also the need to belong.  This is their generation

It is crucial to allow Youth (all of us, really) to explore the multiple nuances of identities. Particularly as we recognize the complexities of Discourse and the integration of cultural shift, we must recognize that identity is never a solid concept.  It is ever changing.  For instance, as Jill aptly described on a discussion board, we have now added the Discourse of doctoral student onto our individual identities. In addition, we are a cohort, supporting each other’s intellectual and spiritual well-being.  As Youth explore these nuances and are provided a more useful forum to do this (on-line) perhaps the recognition of adults is particularly crucial in respect to safety. The wisdom of media literacy and critical thinking skills become much more than a simple lesson to be taught and notched away.

In reflecting on identity and authorship, I wonder if the same trend follows on-line as it did 20 years ago; are the anonymous publishers largely of a particular race or socioeconomic status? If not, how is access to particular sites measured? What about other boundaries Youth begin to explore, such as Ana sites? How do traditionally marginalized students explore the benefits of on-line publication? Are they able to explore the intricacies of their identities? When a family is struggling to survive (for a number of given reasons -- immigration, poverty, language, illness, ghetto, environment, cultural disconnect,) how do these ideals that Stern is talking about -- technological challenge, catharsis, self-documentation, conceptualizing the audience, self-presentation --  fit in? Are students from these families even participating in Online Authorship? If so, how could it or does it transcend into social justice?