Myspace is an attractive social option for many individuals, but it is a haven for young adolescents between the ages of 11 and 14 years. This audience is too mature for basic television and safety concerns keep many from being allowed to run and play outside without supervision. They, in essence, feel trapped at home, wanting to participate in “cool” activities that their slightly older counterparts have the freedom to do. The internet is the hangout that these youngsters cannot yet drive to – it is a virtual party.
Young adolescents of this age group are just beginning to show signs of maturing physically, which brings with it embarrassing pimples, awkward growth spurts, changing voices and other harrowing experience for a middle school child. On Myspace, the child can be as anonymous as he wants to be. He can adopt any persona, post any pictures and speak in ways that may be uncharacteristic – all for fun.
Finally, Myspace offers an artistic outlet for these students. They can decorate their home pages and practice their computer ingenuity in order to express themselves through art, arrangement and song choice. These kids will often change their home pages many time in order to keep it fresh and interesting.
Sadly, their intense desire for privacy may lend to their being deceitful and even reclusive while on the computer. Many hide their true identities from other users and their activities from their parents. This leaves them vulnerable to sexual predators who often troll online. Because these adolescents are still naïve, they may be too trusting and give out information too indiscriminately. For this reason, they can often get into trouble without proper supervision.
