Abstract

This chapter expresses that a similar ideological trend is emerging in young adult (YA) fiction, where a number of recent novels are actively involved in dismantling popular assumptions about the negative impact of cyberspace on children and adolescents. While media reports often concentrate on the vulnerability of children and teens when using the Internet and/or social media, the narratives depict female protagonists as possessing sophisticated digital communication skills. Significantly, they also emphasize the positive social and developmental aspects of online social networking for young women and construct cyberspace as a collective and liberating space. The chapter discusses the relationship between femininity and digital technology as represented in a selection of works of YA fiction. Historically, YA fiction has advocated sexual abstinence for young readers, in that teen characters are frequently punished for expressing or acting upon their sexual desires. As a result, the portrayal of adolescent sexuality within the genre of YA literature has been overwhelmingly conservative.

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