In Our Own Voices: Black Adolescent Girls’ Facebook and Blog Usage

• In Event: Roundtable Session 84
  In Roundtable Session: Negotiating Adolescent Development

Abstract

This research focuses on how adolescent black girls 14-18 conceptualize their identities using social media by exploring identity development, the intersectional development of black girls’ selves and how they use Facebook and Blog Sites to resist marginalization and maintain their voices Five themes emerged from focus group data which were expression, self-images, advocacy, race/racism, and twitter. This research highlights the need for expanded studies on black girls and mixed race girls’ identity construction through the use of social media. This research found that the use of multiple social networking media has empowered black girls to resist the margins by raising their collective voices.

Authors

• Ming Shi Trammel, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Monica L. Dillihunt, The University of Alabama - Huntsville