Social Media in the Sexual Lives of African American and Latino Youth: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Neighborhood

Robin Stevens, Jamie Dunaev, Ellen Malven, Amy Bleakley and Shawnika Hull
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Robin Stevens: School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Jamie Dunaev: Department of Childhood Studies, Rutgers University-Camden, USA
Ellen Malven: Department of Childhood Studies, Rutgers University-Camden, USA
Amy Bleakley: Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Shawnika Hull: Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, USA

Media and Communication, 2016, vol. 4, issue 3, 60-70

Abstract: There has been significant interest in the role of social media in the lives of adolescents, particularly as it relates to sexual risk. Researchers have focused on understanding usage behaviors, quantifying effects of social media exposure and activity, and using social media to intervene. Much of this work has focused on college students and non-minority youth. In this paper, we examine the growing body of literature around social media use among US minority youth and its intersection with sexual risk behavior. We introduce the concept of the “digital neighborhood” and examine the intersection of social media and sexual health in two domains: 1) sexual content in social media and 2) evidence of social media effects on sexual behavior. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges for researchers and practitioners engaging youth of color.

Keywords: African-American; digital neighborhood; health disparities; Latino; sexual health; social media; youth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:meanco:v4:y:2016:i:3:p:60-70

DOI: 10.17645/mac.v4i3.524

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