Females' Perspectives on Emergence to Adulthood: The Role of Information Communication Technologies

Background:Young women ages 18-29 are the highest users of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the United States. As a group they curate and create more online content than any other adult user group (Duggan, 2014). Additionally, research has found women have unique responses to using ICT daily, including reports of decreased stress depending on the type(s) of online activity (Hampton et al., 2015. Throughout the research literature, scholars claim that the high rate of technology use among young people is related to their developmental stage (boyd, 2014; Kuper & Mustaki, 2014; Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008; Turkle, 2010). The primary developmental tasks of young adults include forming an adult identity, and sustaining intimate relationships. Developmental psychologists and sociologist hypothesize that ICT’s influence developmental trajectories and outcomes (Jensen & Arnett, 2012). Given the breadth of discussion in the literature about development, and ICT use, there is relatively little research focusing on how young women interpret and internalize these experiences. The primary purpose of this study was to understand the interaction between young adults frequent online use and developmental tasks — identity formation and intimate relationships.   

Methods: Interviews were conducted with young women (18-29) who qualified as high users (N=22). Each participant was interviewed two times. The initial interview used a structured schedule, providing uniformity across participants. The second interview was an informal conversation personalized to the participant’s’ interests, experiences, and opinions about the topic. Participants were recruited from across the country, and the diversity in the sample mirrors the heterogeneous nature of the emerging adult population.

Findings: Initial findings suggest online life can be a positive influence offering visibility for young women, and an opportunity for identity practices. (“I think in a way social media has helped me become that person that just - that says what’s on their heart in a genuine sort of way like I’m a lot more genuine.”) Individuals who experience marginalization relied on social media for support and understanding. (“I read this one post like it just showed like a photo set of trans people of color and just it showed their pronouns…it really was validating to me to know that I could be my size, my look, my skin color and still identify as A-gender. So it was reaffirming.”) Young women were also cognizant of negative influence. (“…like I said before, they put value or they give value to themselves with the amount of likes they get …compliments they get via the internet and you know, I feel like we really, really lack a sort of face to face recognition like “Hey! You look really nice today.” You know?”) Many social experiences influential for development can, and in many instances are, being carried out online.

Discussion: Findings show that online interaction provides an opportunity for young women to engage in identity work, and relationships experimentation. Many of the opportunities were an affordance of online space. To relate to contemporary relationships and development social work practitioners, need a greater understanding of these phenomena.