#online environments

...how are multiple realities experienced and conceptualized, when they are simultaneously complemented by experiences in virtual spaces?

One could surmise that when onground experiences do not allow for a young person to feel powerful, respected and accepted with all of her or his identities, the online virtual environment provides for a further life space in which young people’s interests, self and identities can be explored in interaction with others.

However, On the internet, I feel that I can explore his [my] ideas and thoughts to a fuller extent, I can write what I want and if I want to leave someone or just not want to talk to someone, I can ignore them, a nifty function that life does not have to offer. Back to my point on how I can explore who I am, through my experiances [sic] on the internet, I have found out that people tend to be more onest [sic] with what they are feeling. They tend to express their feelings and emotions in a way that I find to be very freeing. I mean, how often do people just tell you what is really on their mind and I have noticed that I tend to do the same myself. However, that sort of attitude tends to leak into my daily life more and more often. For example, today I got into a discussion on Affirmative Action with one of the more articulate speakers at my school and I pressed my case very well because I told him what I was feeling and I was very vocal on my opinion. Reality is what you make it, to me reality is both dark and ugly as well as beautiful. Who knows, that reality might not be real to anyone else, however, to me that is what it is, the internet is just another aspect of my reality and is almost as important as the “real” world. (S. 1999)

For participation online to be meaningful for Fg. and Ky. it to enhance an existing onground interest (additional free music lyrics) or offer something that was not available in their onground communities (opportunities for youth political activism with people she enjoyed).