Teens just wanna have fun? Adolescents’ construction of desirability on SNS in Spain

Abstract

This paper presents a qualitative study on teens’ self-representational strategies on social networking sites (SNS) in Spain, focusing on the gender bias in identity construction work. We looked at which representational strategies teenagers used in order to attract their peers and how they negotiated meanings of desirability. The research was conducted with 32 Spanish teenagers who participated in discussion groups and individual home interviews. Results show how participants used sexualization and playfulness as two intertwined strategies for negotiating their identities and managing relationships on Facebook and Tuenti. The participants constantly displayed themselves, testing their image on peers, even if this put their privacy and sexual reputation at risk. Findings also show that both boys and girls handled a (sexual) double standard when judging each other’s displays.

KEYWORDS: social networking sites, teenagers, sexualization, desirability, sexual double standard, playfulness.