Digital Generations: Children, Young People and New Media

Citation

Srisa‐ard, S. (2007), "Digital Generations: Children, Young People and New Media", Online Information Review, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 706-707. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520710832379

This book looks into the future on how our world is changing with technology and entertainment and the effects it will have on us and society as a whole. It also seeks to find the new opportunities for creativity and self‐determination from these computer technologies, and the mindset of different people and cultures from around the world. The book draws on selected papers presented at an international conference held at the Institute of Education, London University, in July 2004, which brought together researchers from a range of academic disciplines including media and cultural studies, anthropology, sociology, psychology and education.

The book is organized into 17 chapters under four key themes. The first chapter, “Is there a digital generation?”, is an introduction addressing the concept of the digital generation, the social history of generations, accounting for media and technology, the generational hypothesis, and other arguments. Following Chapter 1 are Parts 1 to 4 containing four chapters under each key theme. Part 1, Play and gaming, focuses on different aspects of young people's play‐related engagements with digital culture, the negative effects and educational potential of computer games, approaches to analyzing gaming experiences, and the multimedia nature of young people's fan productions.

Part 2, The internet, presents research on parents' regulation of the internet at home, uses of the internet for political communication and its role in promoting civic participation, and the political economy of internet regulation. Part 3, Identities and online communities, addresses the experience of girls, gay and lesbian youth, blogging, and informal learning in online communities. This section gives evidence that the internet is providing valuable purpose for many different audiences, as well as developing communities for encouragement, entertainment, advice and support.

Part 4, Learning and education, presents research on the use of new technologies in youth and community projects and schools, and discussions of the role of education with respect to the digital divide from rural South Africa to the United Kingdom and the USA. This section focuses on initiatives that involve more‐or‐less explicit teaching via the use of digital media. This section concludes by arguing that we need to look beyond technology and focus on the socio‐cultural context in which it is used. It is clear that technology cannot teach, but it can make a significant difference to learning, and to young people's identities and life chances depending on the motivations of those who use it.

This book presents a variety of interesting and provocative findings from a range of projects on children, young people and new digital media. It provides valuable insights for researchers in this field, as well as for educators, students, parents, and practitioners in digital media.