The Virtual Party Line

For scores of children and adolescents, communicating via the Internet is akin to dancing in the dark -- there's the freedom of expression without the fear of looking goofy. The Internet has delivered on its promise to turn traditional communication on its ear, handing those with a keyboard and a connection the thrill of social inclusiveness and interaction. 
The Internet's offspring -- e-mail and instant messaging (IM) -- are among the most popular pastimes, and, according to a report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project (www.pewinternet.org), approximately 13 million teens use IM, with girls using it slightly more than boys (78 percent to 71 percent). As such, this new virtual safe haven has become a cyber place to converse and disclose, all the while retooling some youngsters' communicative skills and social development. 
Making friends, dissing enemies, flirting with the "cuties" -- this is the stuff of young life. And looking good, literally and socially, is what it's all about. For adolescents dealing with growing pains, the mask of the Internet fits quite nicely. With IMs, each person is a part of a virtual party line, carrying on several conversations at once. 
Thanks to the Net's protective barrier, social wallflowers -- those shy, quiet, somewhat insecure youngsters -- have the opportunity to branch out without the fear of rejection that can come with telephone or face-to-face interaction. That perceived safety of IM communication allows youth to reap the rewards of self-disclosure, an important component of developing interpersonal relationships.
"It provides a sense of security and safety and almost invulnerability," says Dr. Mark Morman, Baylor assistant professor of communication studies. "You can be whoever you want, say whatever you want, without much of a risk. It allows us to socially construct a favorable image of ourselves." 
Navigating the tumultuous terrain of elementary and high school is, at times, harder than making it through a foreign country without knowing the language. But youngsters have found common ground on the Net. Users have code names, shorthand and icons that represent emotions or phrases. 
"You've got to make sure you know how to be articulate, that you know how to say what you mean, because you don't have nonverbal communication," Dr. Morman says.
The Internet is not without its downside. In addition to the absence of nonverbal communication (eye contact, body language and tone of voice, etc.), which makes up approximately 65 percent of a message, Dr. Morman cites a loss of intimacy and civility as negatives to online communication. 
"The irony is that simultaneously we have increased the amount of communication we share yet decreased the level of intimacy between the communicators," he says. "It seems ironic that this increase in communication has actually created a decrease in human connection."
Dr. Wade Rowatt, Baylor assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience, notes an overall transition in social discourse and style.
"It seems like we've gone from a front porch to almost a Caller ID way of communication," he says. "That's the shift -- from face-to-face norm of communicating to a cyber norm for communicating."
Like it or not, the Internet has provided a novel, convenient way for youth to stay in touch, providing infinite value because peer interaction remains a key to a person's overall development. 
"When you have online communication like IM, there are actually beneficial effects that come from self-disclosure," Dr. Rowatt says. "I see online communication not as a substitute for real life conversation, but as an important alternative."
 

Kline has a master's degree from the University of North Texas. She is a Dallas-based editor who writes on a variety of topics, including technology, lifestyle, home and garden, business and pets.