Self-presentation and interaction in blogs of adolescents and young emerging adults

This article analyzed 124 blogs, chronological, journal-type entries published on public hosting Web sites, as new and popular places for adolescents and emerging adults aged 15 to 19 to play openly with their self-presentation, an important aspect of identity exploration. Findings indicate that most young persons write emotionally toned entries; focus on their daily activities, friends, and romantic relationships; and describe themselves, but less frequently their experiences, positively. Bloggers often alter content and appearance of their Web pages, most commonly with photographs of themselves. Number of friends ranges widely, and most blog entries receive no or one comment, most of which are supportive. The article also describes and discusses gender and age differences and concludes that blogs written by adolescents and young emerging adults are less about direct interaction with others than about careful self-presentation.