Summary of "It's Complicated" by Danah Boyd, Chapters 2-5

Internet Addiction

In chapters 2-4 of It's Complicated, a novel that helps parents to understand the social lives of networked teens, Danah Boyd discusses three different major topics, including online privacy, internet addiction, and cyber-safety. Each chapter revolves around a different topic. In chapter 2, Boyd points out that teens tend to blur the lines between privacy and publicity. This means that teens often aren't concious of what should and shouldn't be posted online. She also mentions how there are a lot of teens who don't know how to control or access privacy settings on social media sites. Boyd concludes her chapter on privacy with the statement that parents should communicate with their teens, and create online goals and guidlines to help them find the balance between privacy and publicity. In chapter 3, Boyd adresses internet addiction. She states that most teens who suffer from internet addiction, aren't even aware of it. When teens think of online addiction, they think of the stereotypical scenario of a luminescent computer screen shoved in a teens face at three-o-clock in the morning. However, Boyd points out that that internet addiction can be as simple as the need to check a social media site once a day, everyday. In Boyd's fourth chapter, she discusses a variety of topics within online safety. Boyd explains how the internet isn't as dangerous of a place as parents think. In most cases, talking in an online chatroom with a stranger does not put teens in any danger. Boyd also points out that the internet is sometimes blamed for harmful behavior in teens today. In conclusion, Boyd argues that teens aren't entirely responsible enough to tackle the difficulties of online privacy on their own. Also, most teens today suffer from internet addiction. Boyd's final point is that the internet isn't as dangerous as parents make it out to be for teens today.