Description:
Cyberspace has been regarded as an ideal site for adolescents' identity exploration since it is socially mediated. Liberal cyberfeminists argue that virtual spaces promote gender equality, fluidity, and unity through body-free interactions. This study investigated the cybersites frequented by two adolescent girls who eschewed typical representations of gender in their online and offline worlds. The purpose of the study was to describe how these young women constructed and consumed dynamic websites in their formations and representations of their identities as ‘Do-It-Yourselfers’ and punk rock fans. In situ observations, online interviews, and screen printouts were collected and analysed to describe how these textual creations in cyberspace facilitated or impeded identity construction. The cases illustrate how these adolescent girls made use of websites for affirmation, reflection, reinforcement, and negotiation in the process of staking claims about their selves, and demonstrate how the online environment may provide safe spaces for girls that are not found offline.