Review of 'Living and Learning with New Media'

As part of my social media module I'm reviewing a paper published by the Macarthur Foundation that aims to examine the way that youth interact with new media.  In particular the paper aims to answer two key questions:

How are new media becoming integrated into youth practices and agendas?  How do these practices change the dynamics of youth-adult negotiations over literacy, learning, and authoritative knowledge? (Bittani et al. 2008, p1)

The conclusions that they reach are broadly:

• That to truly participate in what’s happening, young people need more than access to “serious” online information.
• That there are many potential barriers to somebody’s ability to participate, including economic, social, institutional and cultural barriers.
• That participating with peers in the world of new media allows youth to negotiate a set of online social norms.
• Youth are developing new forms of media literacy that are designed solely around youth-centred social ‘worlds’.  (excluding authority)
• That young people are able to learn about and participate in online activities with their peers, without requiring formal instruction from an ‘authority figure’ such as a parent or teacher.

To put this paper in context, it should be noted that it was first published in 2008, indicating that its information was gathered some time beforehand.  As such, it has to be assumed that the data used is approximately four years old.  This places it at a time when the original iPhone was new technology and smart-phones had not reached the mainstream in the way that they have now.  Even services such as Twitter were only just beginning to be recognised by the mainstream.

Nevertheless, this study does answer the two main questions that it set out to answer.  My two main observations regarding the report are as follows:

That due to the point in time at which the data was collected, it does not take into account the ‘mobile revolution’ that has occurred in some western societies.  A large proportion of the nation (44% of U.S. mobile subscribers – up from 18% two years ago) have smartphone's that remove the requirement for fixed-line broadband and a PC.  In particular, the number of 13-17 year olds that have a smartphone has jumped from 16% in 2009, to 40% in Q3 2011.  (Nielsen, 2011, p2)  I would only expect that number to grow over the coming years, as it gets harder to find a phone that isn't a smartphone, and greater acceptance of this technology filters through.

In addition, the report does not seem to engage those in authority as to their feelings regarding these technologies.  Do the youth feel that their parents and teachers are in favour of them spending time online?  Do the parents and teachers feel supportive towards those wanting to spend time online, or frustrated?  How do those in authority deal with those who are using technology in a manner that is disruptive?  Is there consistency in the policies of schools and other educational establishments?  I would have liked to see more information on how parents and educational establishments in particular approached these changes in how youth interact with new technology in general, and new media in particular.



Bibliography
Bittanti, M et al., 2008. Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project. The MacArthur Foundation Reports

. 2012. . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2011-Reports/state-of-mobile-Q3-2011.pdf. [Accessed 03 February 2012].