Abstract
ABSTRACT This study investigates adolescents’ use of closed social networking site (SNS) stories, a popular but understudied feature where private interactions occur. Through research that included six focus group interviews with 32 adolescents (15–18 years old), this study explores the perceived group dynamics (i.e. perceptions about behaviors, motives, and norms) within closed stories and how riskier behaviors, like alcohol misuse, are shared. The results showed that adolescents had clear-cut perceptions of whom to include in and whom to exclude from their closed story based on shared interests, humor, and trust. Moreover, being included in someone’s story enhanced feelings of belonging but also ostracism when being excluded. Regarding the sharing of alcohol-related content, adolescents evaluated posters within the same story more positively, thereby pointing toward in-group versus out-group tendencies. Overall, by relying on youth’s perspectives, this study provides more insight into how adolescents navigate their peer relationships within closed stories that are difficult to access for researchers and under the radar of adult supervision.
Published Version
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