CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
4.4 U NITY AND E XCLUSION A MONG P EERS
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這樣的相片會有比較多人來看，我的人氣就會變很高，但是如果沒有，人氣 就不高，大家也比較不會想看。
Figure 4.14: Betty’s Edited Photo 1 Figure 4.15: Betty’s Edited Photo
4.4 Unity and Exclusion Among Peers
It’s important to connect and share with friends in blogs. The blog can provide a space for kids to unite a small group. The space can be open or confidential as they wish. The kids express their feelings by writing journals, mostly about school life.
Now and then the exclusion of someone may be written in a journal.
4.4.1 Unity Among Peer Groups
Some kids set up a blog for their peer groups as their own secret garden, managed by members of peer groups. They will add photos about school life or share school things in the day. The group members would like to response to each journal to express their approval or encouragement. Occasionally they will give some advice to the journal poster.
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We saw friends in another school set up a group blog named eight … We discussed a lot and decided to call our own as “Nine Lollipops”. We like to share more photos than words in this blog. I write more journals in my own blog.
However, we can share our own secrets here. (Betty, November 17th, 2009) 就是之前看到有朋友在別的學校成立八個什麼的，我們想了很久決定要叫
「九支棒棒糖」，不過我們的部落格放相片比較多一點。我的文章還是寫在 我的部落格多一些。不過在這裡，我們可以講我們自己的祕密。
This is the first journal of “Nine Lollipops” (Figure 4.16), introducing group members and welcoming others to visit their home. Obviously this is a common space for the nine persons.
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Figure 4.16: Nine Lollipops 1
On the home page of Nine Lollipop’s blog (Figure 4.17), there was a journal entitled “Happy Birthday to Huahua”, reminding their members and visitors that one of their members Huahua would celebrate her birthday. It was implied to leave messages or send gifts. In the classifications in the right side, “603” is about various affairs in their class; “Nine Lollipops” is about interactions of the peer group; “We Are Together Forever” is about the feelings for the coming graduation after six years;
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“Sad. So What” contains various sad things. They are not only about group interaction, but also every member’s sadness in daily life. It is a place for warmth; “Don’t Care About Anger” records unhappiness in the group; “Smile for Long” is written about all the happiness in the group.
Figure 4.17: Nine Lollipops 2
4.4.2 Exclusion Among Peer Groups
By writing journals, one can push out someone in the peer group and strive for friendship from other members. Betty said that one day she was irritated by one of her classmates at school. She felt unhappy and recorded the incident in the blog. Many people went to provoke that person who irritated Betty.
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If I posted a journal which may drive attention from others, they would discuss it at school and spread to others. I got offended and many others provoked the one who offended me. (Betty, November 17th, 2009)
我打一篇文章，然後讓大家很關注的話，大家會帶到學校來討論，讓大家都 知道，然後可能的話，被人嗆，就會有很多人跑去嗆那個嗆我的人。
Figure 4.18 is a journal by Betty after she had a quarrel with her friend in her small group. She pointed out directly the reason for this quarrel: “Why did you mark me as a fool? Did you do nothing wrong?” She showed her weakness: “How useless to repair our friendship!” and “During the past six years, we have always been through ups and downs. Even for once. I hope to realize my dream of being happy without any quarrel”. She used a lot of extreme words to express her anger and despair, “What we repair is a broken friendship”, “Let me delightedly live through my last days in primary school without any quarrel” and “You would never care even if I died now, right? If only I died right away.”
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Figure 4.18: Article on Betty’s Blog
A child can use some functions of the blog to exclude the person he doesn’t like.
In the blog of the Wretch, some of the journals can be set only for good friends to read.
In order to exclude a particular person, he can first remove the name of this person from the friends’ list; or set a password for the journal, and gives it to all the people except his exclusion. In this way, he can give his exclusion the pressure of being marginalized, without conflicts face to face. In such a case, after the restoration of their friendship, other friends would remind him to delete that journal.
For example, OOO is very …, then, I can put it into the blog of the Wretch, and
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do not add OOO as a good friend first, or lock the journal; next, modify the journal as the one, which can only be read by good friends. She will wonder why everybody has responses except herself. Then, she will ask others why. They would say they have no idea, either. They keep secret this way. The journal would not be deleted until OOO and I restore our friendship. They (the members of a small group) would remind me, “OOO and you restore your friendship now.
Should you delete that journal?” (Betty, November 17th, 2009)
例如，OOO 很…，然後就可以打在無名文章，然後把 OOO 先不要加為好 友，或者鎖起來，然後把文章改為只有好友能夠閱讀，然後呢，她就覺得很 奇怪，然後大家都有回應，只有她沒有回應，她就會問其他人，其他人就會 說我也不知道，其他人就會保住這個祕密不會說出去，等到我跟 OOO 比較 好，就會把文章刪掉，他們（小團體成員）就會說，現在變好了，文章是不 是該刪掉，他們會提醒我。