Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2002, Page 5
increasing their use of the Web. A study of college freshmen, for example, found that 70%
believe their Internet use will increase in the near future (Lubans, 1999, Introduction
section, para. 1).
Given the current breathtaking pace of social and technical change (young people
graduating from college today are expected to change careers an average of seven times in
their lifetime), it would seem impossible, and indeed, foolhardy to make a claim about the
shape of the future for today‘s teens. And yet today‘s young adults, who have first-hand
experience of the fleeting nature of trends, are sure of at least one thing: they believe that
they will use the Internet for the rest of their lives (La Ferle, 2000).
What is the relationship between the growing teenage population, its growing interest in
religion, and its growing Internet use? In order to answer this question, it is important first
to understand how young people are using the Net.
How Often Do Teens Go Online and What Do They Do?
If the Internet is exerting such a growing—and potentially permanent—influence on young
adults‘ lives, it would seem important to know how often teens go online and what they do
when they are connected to the Web. Surprisingly, few parents know how often their teens
are online and what sites they visit on the Internet. In a recent survey, 50% of parents
reported having no idea how much time their children spend online each week (Hickman,
Levin, Rupley, &Willmott, 1998). As for parents knowing what sites teens visit, a 1997 poll
showed that 62% of teenagers say their parents know nothing or little about the Web sites
their teens visit (Buechner et al., 1999).
Often it is not parents who keep track of adolescent Internet use, but rather market
research firms. By understanding the patterns of young adults who are online, marketers
can more effectively tap into this lucrative market. After all, youth are often impressionable
and have a relatively high proportion of disposable income.
Yankelovich Partners, a market research firm, has attempted to track teen Internet use. It
found that 75% of young people aged 12-17 surf the Web at least once a week, and 41%
are going online every day (Overton, 2000). A study for the Journal of Advertising Research
suggests that when teens are online, it is most frequently for fun (La Ferle, 2000).
Compared with other forms of media such as magazines, newspapers, television, and radio,
the Internet, according to La Ferle, is consulted more frequently by teens who are doing
research or homework, a particularly impressive finding given that the Web is such a
relatively new source of information. La Ferle also found that when seeking information,
teens turn first to their peers, then to their parents, and then to the Internet, followed by
counselors and teachers. Yet La Ferle cites a study done by Simmons Teen Research who
found that 25% of teens find Web sites via word-of-mouth, 19% via advertising, and 17%
via online browsing (Business Wire as cited in La Ferle, 2000). La Ferle reconciles these
conflicting findings by saying that they demonstrate the need, when trying to make teens
aware of a particular Web site, to use many different channels, for example, a wide variety
of media and word-of-mouth communication.
Media have also shown an interest in studying teen Internet use. In the wake of the 1999
Columbine High School shooting, in which the aggressors used the Internet to find out how
to make pipe bombs, popular news media surveyed teen Internet use as part of their
reporting on the tragedy and its cultural repercussions. These organizations sought to find
out how often young people used the Web to access harmful information. The Columbine
High School shooting took place on April 20, 1999. One week later, on April 27, Time/CNN
commissioned a telephone poll of American 13- to 17-year-old teens to ascertain what
American adolescents find when they go online. The survey, however, asked only about
harmful Web sites. Forty-four percent of the teens surveyed reported seeing Web sites that
increasing their use of the Web. A study of college freshmen, for example, found that 70%
believe their Internet use will increase in the near future (Lubans, 1999, Introduction
section, para. 1).
Given the current breathtaking pace of social and technical change (young people
graduating from college today are expected to change careers an average of seven times in
their lifetime), it would seem impossible, and indeed, foolhardy to make a claim about the
shape of the future for today‘s teens. And yet today‘s young adults, who have first-hand
experience of the fleeting nature of trends, are sure of at least one thing: they believe that
they will use the Internet for the rest of their lives (La Ferle, 2000).
What is the relationship between the growing teenage population, its growing interest in
religion, and its growing Internet use? In order to answer this question, it is important first
to understand how young people are using the Net.
How Often Do Teens Go Online and What Do They Do?
If the Internet is exerting such a growing—and potentially permanent—influence on young
adults‘ lives, it would seem important to know how often teens go online and what they do
when they are connected to the Web. Surprisingly, few parents know how often their teens
are online and what sites they visit on the Internet. In a recent survey, 50% of parents
reported having no idea how much time their children spend online each week (Hickman,
Levin, Rupley, &Willmott, 1998). As for parents knowing what sites teens visit, a 1997 poll
showed that 62% of teenagers say their parents know nothing or little about the Web sites
their teens visit (Buechner et al., 1999).
Often it is not parents who keep track of adolescent Internet use, but rather market
research firms. By understanding the patterns of young adults who are online, marketers
can more effectively tap into this lucrative market. After all, youth are often impressionable
and have a relatively high proportion of disposable income.
Yankelovich Partners, a market research firm, has attempted to track teen Internet use. It
found that 75% of young people aged 12-17 surf the Web at least once a week, and 41%
are going online every day (Overton, 2000). A study for the Journal of Advertising Research
suggests that when teens are online, it is most frequently for fun (La Ferle, 2000).
Compared with other forms of media such as magazines, newspapers, television, and radio,
the Internet, according to La Ferle, is consulted more frequently by teens who are doing
research or homework, a particularly impressive finding given that the Web is such a
relatively new source of information. La Ferle also found that when seeking information,
teens turn first to their peers, then to their parents, and then to the Internet, followed by
counselors and teachers. Yet La Ferle cites a study done by Simmons Teen Research who
found that 25% of teens find Web sites via word-of-mouth, 19% via advertising, and 17%
via online browsing (Business Wire as cited in La Ferle, 2000). La Ferle reconciles these
conflicting findings by saying that they demonstrate the need, when trying to make teens
aware of a particular Web site, to use many different channels, for example, a wide variety
of media and word-of-mouth communication.
Media have also shown an interest in studying teen Internet use. In the wake of the 1999
Columbine High School shooting, in which the aggressors used the Internet to find out how
to make pipe bombs, popular news media surveyed teen Internet use as part of their
reporting on the tragedy and its cultural repercussions. These organizations sought to find
out how often young people used the Web to access harmful information. The Columbine
High School shooting took place on April 20, 1999. One week later, on April 27, Time/CNN
commissioned a telephone poll of American 13- to 17-year-old teens to ascertain what
American adolescents find when they go online. The survey, however, asked only about
harmful Web sites. Forty-four percent of the teens surveyed reported seeing Web sites that
