Adolescents and Instant Messaging: Literacy, Language, and Identity Development in the 21st Century

What are the language and literacy practices of adolescents as they engage in instant messaging in the 21st century? The research described in this book works to build an understanding of what youth are doing when they are online. To do so, Jacobs draws on two years of ethnographic data, including videotapes of the actual in-the-moment construction of instant messages as well as what was happening in the room doing those online sessions. She uses Critical Discourse Analysis and Cultural Historical Activity Theory to make sense of the data and argues that instant messaging is a dynamic and fluid activity consisting of a mix of conventions. Macro-analysis indicates that the outcome of engagement in instant messaging is the construction of a person who is adept at developing the skills, attributes, and achievements necessary for success in the 21st century economy.