C HILDREN AS B LOGGERS

國

立 政 治 大 學

‧

N a tio na

l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y

for Internet users who were unfamiliar or uncomfortable with using hypertext markup language and the principles of web design for coding and designing their own weblogs. Setting up a blog now simply involved going to a website, signing up for a blog account, following a few fairly straightforward instructions, and in less than 30 minutes one would have some ‘copy’ up on the Web that was automatically formatted and laid out to the tune of your choice by means of whichever off- the-shelf template you had chosen (Stuffer, 2002).

A blog is a website that’s designed to be updated with items in a linear, time-based fashion, similar to a personal journal or diary, expect that the contents are meant specifically for public consumption. Often implemented using special software, weblogs contain articles or entries that are grouped primarily by the date and time they are posted (Stuffer, 2002).

A blog is a frequently modified web site that allows updating with items that are grouped primarily by the time and/ or date of posting. Entries usually appear in reverse chronological order. Contents of the weblog may be available publicly or through restricted access. Blogs may also utilize special software designed for this implementation.

2.3 Children as Bloggers

Nardi, Schiano, Gumbrecht, and Swartz (2004b) interviewed 23 bloggers in the California and New York areas, and found that people blog to document their lives; to express opinions or to comment; as catharsis; to use these writing areas to express opinions or to comment; as catharsis; to use these writing areas to express ideas; or to

‧ 國

立 政 治 大 學

‧

N a tio na

l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y

12 

build community forums. Nardi, Schiano and Gumbrecht (2004a) further nuanced these reasons according to “object-oriented activities” – to keep others informed about personal activities; to express opinions in order to influence; to seek feedback; to use the exercise of writing for an audience to stimulate more cognitive input; and outlet for emotional release.

Blogging is also frequently characterized as socially interactive and community-like in nature. Not only do blogs link to one another, but some blogs allow readers to post comments to individual entries, giving rise to “conversational”

exchanges on the blog itself. Blood claims that social interactivity is highest in journal-type blogs (Blood, 2002b).

Children develop a sense of accomplishment and empowerment when they can create and control the objects around them (Cassell and Ryokai, 2001). Feeling of self-efficacy, or the ability to control one’s environment, may have a direct impact on a child’s attention or motivation, and in effect control and regulate behaviors (Calvert, 1999). Some scholars see digital technologies as a way to enable children to have more control and navigation in their learning, mostly through direct exploration of the world around them, ways to design and express their own idea, and ways to communicate and collaborate on a global level (Negroponte, Resnick & Cassell, 1997).

Like homepages before them, blogs are prominent venues for adolescents to present themselves in textual and multimedia fashion. Weblogs give adolescents the opportunity to “exercise their voices in personal, informal ways, and indirectly promote digital fluency” (Huffaker, 2004). Authors of blogs, like authors of webpages, use the space to communicate and reach an audience (Stern, 2004).

‧ 國

立 政 治 大 學

‧

N a tio na

l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y

Adolescents may be particularly drawn to diary weblogs because of their growing self-consciousness and self-awareness (Steinberg, 2002). During adolescence, individuals may have the egocentric feeling that they are always being watched by an imaginary audience (Elkind, 1967). As Steinberg (2002) said, “The imaginary audience involves having such a heightened sense of self-consciousness that the teenager imagines that his or her behavior is the focus of everyone else’s concern”.

Electronic communication exhibits characteristics of both written and informal oral communication. Langellier and Peterson (2004) pointed to blogs as “sort of like”

conversation with an approximation of audience feedback. These articles suggest that there is a continuum ranging from historically familiar forms of communication (such as memoranda or performances) to those that are characteristic of new communication media. Langellier (1998) presented five types of audience for personal narrative performance. In this typology, the audience acts as (a) witness testifying to the experience; (b) a therapist unconditionally supporting emotions; (c) a cultural theorist assessing the contestation of meanings, values, and identities in the performance; (d) a narrative analyst examining genre, truth, or strategy; or (e) a critic appraising the display of performance knowledge and skill.

A lot of young people spend time meeting their friends after school in cyberspace.

Instant messaging services, blogs, chat rooms, e-mail and mobile phones provide many ways to keep in contact and share thoughts and opinions regardless of time and space. But these places sometimes were used to intimidate, offend and harass someone, and parents and educators have little or no idea of what is going on. Just like any other form of bullying, this causes suffering and sadness among the victims.

Campbell (2005) research about cyber bully in Australia, found among 120

‧ 國

立 政 治 大 學

‧

N a tio na

l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y

14 

victims of electronic bullying and 11 percent admitted to harassing others online or by mobile phone. According to this research, the harassed teenagers feel ashamed and avoid telling their parents if they fear they would be denied use of the computer or lose their mobile phone.

Li (2006) found significant gender differences in cyber bullying. In her survey of 264 Canadian high school students, she found male students more likely to be cyber bullies than female students, 22 compared to 12 percent of the students in the survey.

Methods include texting derogatory messages on mobile phones, with students showing the message to other before sending it to the victim; sending threatening e-mails; and forwarding a confidential e-mail to all address book contacts, thus publicly humiliating the first sender. Another way to cyber bully is to set up a derogatory web site dedicated to a targeted student and e-mail others the address, inviting their comments. In addition, websites can be set up for others to vote on the biggest geek, or sluttiest girl in the school (Snider & Borel, 2004).