Includes bibliographical references (pages [135]-144).
Acknowledgments -- Understanding the world of adolescent girls and instant messaging -- "how many peeps R on 4U?": IM as a space for identity articulation -- "i got to intercept that mail before the parental gets home": instant messaging as a private space -- "Lol- i'm gonna make out w/ so many ppl tomrw~": negotiating gender identity through IM -- Marketing to youth: the commodification of identity in the new media landscape -- Private space or cultural vacuum? Implications of instant messaging as a site of girls' gender identity negotiation -- Notes -- References