May 2003
Charles M. Slem, Shawn M. Burn, and Ned W. Schultz
Psychology and Human Development Department
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Link here

While the public health implications of home video cameras in the hands of adolescents are important, the phenomenon as an unique social catalyst is also of great interest. Like adolescent risky behavior in general, preliminary analysis on sensation seeking and social influences suggest that the activity of videotaping risky behavior can be explained at both the personal and social levels of analysis. For example, like other kinds of adolescent risky behavior, those students who are high in sensation seeking are more likely to engage in the videotaping of the risky behavior and that literature can be helpful in understanding some of the personality characteristics that predispose adolescents to engage in such behaviors.

The social influence analysis, which is in its preliminary phase, also holds promise in understanding the role of the video camera in risk taking as well as understanding the nature of the group processes within which adolescent risk taking is imbedded. For example, when viewed as an integral part of the facilitation of social group functioning, videotaping risky behavior may well be a catalyst in forming and maintaining group cohesion. Participants reported that the groups they were in were very important to their social identity, and that their behavior in the video tape was consistent with what others expected. This suggests that this apparent antinormative risky behavior was considered normative for their social group. Participants looked forward to viewing the behaviors with their group members in the future. The significance of this process is underscored by the high percentage of participants who were “proud to show I had the guts to do what I did” and indicates additional normative social group pressure to exaggerate the extremeness of their risky behavior.

Since the videotape is something that can be preserved and would be viewed at a later date by the group attests to its important role in the maintenance of the group. Mutual sharing of this relived experience, with discussions about the planning, execution and outcome of the videotaping are rich areas for further investigation about the nature of these adolescent groups.