Full Circle Associates

Wendy March, Constance Fleuriot
The Worst Technology for Girls
Piece of research looking at how teenage girls use technology in everyday life to protect privacy. How useful the silent nature of text and IM was for their privacy. What are the differences between the US and UK? What be the worst technology they can imagine?

Participants were 24 girls, set up with a shared blog with pairs or trios of girls. Used blogs because Wendy had experienced with photo journals. We saw ways of making it much more immediate, get feedback and ask questions, in a tighter time frame. Don’t have to wait for the journal. The girls had a private blog space with a new question each day and researchers comment on the blogs. Space for photos. Asked to photos of certain things plus anything they wanted. After blogging period each girl individually interviewed, they draw their house and the technology around their house. Mappings of their social networks, how they relate to each other. And mapping the places they go to.

We explicitly asked about how they view privacy. They wanted some privacy, not because they did not want parents to know, but principle that they should have some privacy in their lives, difficult in family setting. They would talk about how they would retreat from family rooms as soon as parents came home from work in rooms or out. Houses where parents work late, that is where the teens hang out. The bedroom was a private space, even if shared with siblings. There was always the chance that parents would come in. Always an issue.

When we talked about the technology and where it was - computers usually in a shared area. They would retreat to cars for really private space in the US. Conversational privacy, evening room they might be overheard. Finding places to talk without being overheard. Cell/mobile/wireless. Tended not to use IM as computer shared. They didn’t want people to know where they were going, not that it was bad. Needed the privacy. Complexity of social networks.

Asking teens to describe the worst technology Not just truckers who are monitored when they drive. 1-877-dadseyes . There was some surprise that the teens were a bit lukewarm about people knowing where they were, including parents. It was quite rare they were somewhere that their parent’s would not know about. General location known, not always details.

There is a lot in the press about electronic monitoring, cell phone tracking. Used this to prompt them to talk about what they would really hate. When talking about the worst, they got more talkative, bigger ideas. “I think it would be a little camera that was on me all the time. “ We translated these into imaginary products, and then posted these to a separate blog and the girls gave feedback.

Family video example: (See the quote – it is fantastic!) Response: super awkward
Teen monitor: used to have baby monitor, now teen monitor. Simultaneous broadcast of tall their conversations. Response: definitely up there on the creepy scale. Only good for an extremely problematic teen, not me.

Ticker text: converts all communication to easy to read text format. Response: this got my sister grounded.

Constant connection: constant open connection to your mother. Response: worst possible thing

Ideas highlighted their main concern which was revealing the everyday content of their lives, rather than their location.
Want some control
Want to protect their parents from their realities
Need space
Parents have their own lives
Relationship of trust
Think about Life log and MyLifebits etc which are positioned to continually capture daily life. But who watches?

Categories: EPIC2005, BlogHer, womenintechnology