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technology background and
context for SnS use
conducted to triangulate survey data. Students who
participated in this research were from thirteen
urban high schools (56% female) and were all
participating in an after-school program, Admis-
sion Possible, aimed at improving college access
for low-income students. These students were
from families whose incomes were at or below
the county median income (at or below $25,000)
(Greenhow, Walker, & Kim, 2008).
To investigate students' use of online social
network sites, specifically, we conducted follow-
up in-depth interviews, talk-alouds, and content
analysis of MySpace profiles with a randomly
selected sub-group of eleven students (all frequent
MySpace users). The case study that follows draws
from this larger research effort.
We met Theresa in the spring of 2008 when we
interviewed MySpace-using teens in order to
begin to understand whether and how online
social networks might be utilized to support
educational and social goals. Theresa was 18
years old and from a low-income family living
in a Midwestern city. Like many of the students
in our study, Theresa had access to high speed
Internet at home. However, unlike others, she had
her own laptop and did not have to share time on
the Internet with siblings or parents. Theresa was
a relatively experienced SNS user, having used
MySpace for three years and Facebook.com for
1.5 years. Thus, she maintained two SNS accounts:
her MySpace account, for its connections to high
school friends, musicians, artists, politicians, and
entertainment or school-related groups and her
Facebook account as part of her journey toward
college access and enrollment. In fact, she used
Facebook to “network” with students currently
enrolled in colleges she was considering, and she
believed these online interactions had factored into
her college decision. Theresa used her MySpace
several times per week for about one hour, which
was slightly less than the majority of students we
interviewed who visited daily or every other day.
However, her time on SNSs also varied depend-
ing on her workload and purposes; she used her
SNSs most intensely in the time leading up to
submitting her college application, wanting not
only to network with current college students
but to keep her contacts updated on her college
search process.
tHe caSe of tHereSa SommerS
[You learn] different things about different people.
. . . you get afforded different opportunities from
the social network like with the [political] caucus
invitation. I wouldn't have been able to go there; I
wouldn't have known how to get there otherwise.
(Theresa, age 21)
Theresa Sommers grinned as she talked about
getting to know different sides to her “friends”
within MySpace.com. She talked excitedly about
friending the Democratic nominee for United
States president, Barak Obama, and the oppor-
tunities to get involved in the 2008 presidential
election that had come her way through her online
social network. A young woman from a Chinese-
American family, Theresa spoke animatedly of
her plans to attend a university next year. In just
a few short weeks, she would graduate from her
large urban high school and transition to the next
phase of her life.
patterns and purpose for SnS use
As Theresa sat down in front of MySpace, she
talked us through her most common activities and
strategies when logging in. Like many online teens
who prefer communicating through the multiple
channels offered by SNSs rather than through
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