Young People, Sex and the Media by
Are children today growing up too soon? How do they - and their parents - feel about media portrayals of sex and personal relationships? Are the media a corrupting influence, or a potentially positive and useful resource for young people? Drawing on an extensive research project, which investigated children's interpretations of sexual content in films, TV and print media, this book considers how young people (aged 9-17) use such material to understand their experiences and build their identities, and how they and their parents respond to public concerns about these issues. The book offers a clearly written and entertaining insight into children's and parents' perspectives on these difficult issues - perspectives that are often ignored or trivialised in public debate.
Youth Cultures in the Age of Global Media by
This book explores the impact of globalisation and new technologies on youth cultures around the world, from the Birmingham School to the youthscapes of South Korea. In a timely reappraisal of youth cultures in contemporary times, this collection profiles the best of new research in youth studies written by leading scholars in the field.
Children and the Internet by
Is the internet really transforming children and young people?s lives? Is the so-called ?digital generation? genuinely benefiting from exciting new opportunities? And, worryingly, facing new risks? This major new book by a leading researcher addresses these pressing questions. It deliberately avoids a techno-celebratory approach and, instead, interprets children?s everyday practices of internet use in relation to the complex and changing historical and cultural conditions of childhood in late modernity. Uniquely, Children and the Internet reveals the complex dynamic between online opportunities and online risks, exploring this in relation to much debated issues such as: Digital in/exclusion Learning and literacy Peer networking and privacy Civic participation Risk and harm Drawing on current theories of identity, development, education and participation, this book includes a refreshingly critical account of the challenging realities undermining the great expectations held out for the internet - from governments, teachers, parents and children themselves. It concludes with a forward-looking framework for policy and regulation designed to advance children?s rights to expression, connection and play online as well as offline.
Children, Risk and Safety on the Internet by
With increasingly younger children using the Internet on their own, there is a growing need for research that examines both the risks and opportunities young children face on the web. Such information is critical for determining the ways in which children can navigate this wonderful—and dangerous— world. With expert contributions from a diverse range of disciplines and a cross-national breadth,Children, Risk and Safety on the Internetexamines the many online opportunities children have for learning, creativity, and communication and how they can safely access them amid the dangers of cyberbullying, pornography, and privacy invasion. Based on an impressive, in-depth survey of twenty-five thousand children carried out by the EU Kids Online network, this book presents wholly new findings that offer important counters to both the optimistic and pessimistic arguments surrounding child safety on the Internet. It finds compelling evidence that children are gaining important digital skills as well as strong strategies and social support for dealing with the Internet’s fast-changing terrain. At the same time, it identifies the many struggles children face, pinpointing important areas where harm can follow from risky online encounters. With a simultaneous breadth and depth of evidence and analysis,Children, Risk and Safety on the Internetprovides comprehensive and important information for anyone interested in safe and positive digital experiences for our youth.
Philosophy of Technology: An Introduction by
Ideal for undergraduate students in philosophy and science studies, Philosophy of Technology offers an engaging and comprehensive overview of a subject vital to our time. An up-to-date, accessible overview of the philosophy of technology, defining technology and its characteristics. Explores the issues that arise as technology becomes an integral part of our society. In addition to traditional topics in science and technology studies, the volume offers discussion of technocracy, the romantic rebellion against technology. Complements The Philosophy of Technology: The Technological Condition: An Anthology , edited by Robert C. Scharff and Val Dusek (Blackwell, 2003).
Screenplay by
What are young people really doing on computers at home? Computers feature heavily in the lives of today's young people, and this book sets out to question commonplace assumptions about the use of technology by children at home. Bringing together research from the perspective of psychology, sociology, education and media studies, the authors ask whether we are really witnessing the rise of a new 'digital generation'. Drawing upon the results of their in-depth research project, the authors filter and assess their findings accessibly, offering fascinating reading on: * how computers are used in the home * how parents and children negotiate access to and use of the computer * what role the computer plays in the day to day lives of families. This book makes use of illuminating case studies, and highlights key issues of concern around issues of equality and access in a wider social context. This truly interdisciplinary perspective will be instrumental in reshaping the understanding of teachers, ICT advisors, policy makers and all involved in ICT for children.
Reassembling the Social by
Reassembling the Social is a fundamental challenge from one of the world's leading social theorists to how we understand society and the 'social'.Bruno Latour's contention is that the word 'social', as used by Social Scientists, has become laden with assumptions to the point where it has become misnomer. When the adjective is applied to a phenomenon, it is used to indicate a stablilized state of affairs, a bundle of ties that in due coursemay be used to account for another phenomenon. But Latour also finds the word used as if it described a type of material, in a comparable way to an adjective such as 'wooden' or 'steely'. Rather than simply indicating what is already assembled together, it is now used in a way that makes assumptionsabout the nature of what is assembled. It has become a word that designates two distinct things: a process of assembling; and a type of material, distinct from others.Latour shows why 'the social' cannot be thought of as a kind of material or domain, and disputes attempts to provide a 'social explanations' of other states of affairs. While these attempts have been productive (and probably necessary) in the past, the very success of the social sciences mean thatthey are largely no longer so. At the present stage it is no longer possible to inspect the precise constituents entering the social domain. Latour returns to the original meaning of 'the social' to redefine the notion, and allow it to trace connections again. It will then be possible to resume the traditional goal of the social sciences, but using more refined tools. Drawing on his extensive work examining the 'assemblages' of nature,Latour finds it necessary to scrutinize thoroughly the exact content of what is assembled under the umbrella of Society. This approach, a 'sociology of associations', has become known as Actor-Network-Theory, and this book is an essential introduction both for those seeking to understand Actor-Network Theory, or the ideas of one of its most influential proponents.
Cultural Change and Ordinary Life by
This book explores conceptualisations and the social patterning of ordinary and everyday life in the context of the implications of recent theories and accounts of social and cultural change. It suggests that a new understanding of ordinary life, as opposed to a critique or celebration of it, which combines consideration of routine and points of high emotional investment, can be produced from a variety of sources that have not yet been brought together in any systematic fashion. These resources include: theories of social and cultural capital; theories and evidence of cultural omnivorousness and univoreness; arguments concerning postmodernity and globalisation; theories and accounts of everyday enthusiasm; and participation in voluntary associations. The book develops the arguments concerning the nature of cultural and social life that were deployed by the author in his co-authored book, Audiences: a Sociological Theory of Performance and Imagination (Sage, 1998, with N. Abercrombie). It suggests that the understanding of everyday life has to be considered in the contexts of attention to audience processes, spectacle, performance and imagination. This draws attention to the complex interaction of moments of 'extraordinary' emotional attachment to particular cultural practices and consumption and the ordinary processes of routinised social and cultural life.
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Childhood, Mobile Technologies and Everyday Experiences by
This timely volume offers an in-depth theoretical analysis of children's experiences growing up with mobile internet technologies. Drawing on up-to-date research, it explores the relationship between childhood as a social and cultural construction and the plethora of mobile internet technologies which have become ubiquitous in everyday life.
Youth, Identity, and Digital Media by
Contributors discuss how growing up in a world saturated with digital media affects the development of young people's individual and social identities. As young people today grow up in a world saturated with digital media, how does it affect their sense of self and others? As they define and redefine their identities through engagements with technology, what are the implications for their experiences as learners, citizens, consumers, and family and community members? This addresses the consequences of digital media use for young people's individual and social identities. The contributors explore how young people use digital media to share ideas and creativity and to participate in networks that are small and large, local and global, intimate and anonymous. They look at the emergence of new genres and forms, from SMS and instant messaging to home pages, blogs, and social networking sites. They discuss such topics as "girl power" online, the generational digital divide, young people and mobile communication, and the appeal of the "digital publics" of MySpace, considering whether these media offer young people genuinely new forms of engagement, interaction, and communication. Contributors Angela Booker, danah boyd, Kirsten Drotner, Shelley Goldman, Susan C. Herring, Meghan McDermott, Claudia Mitchell, Gitte Stald, Susannah Stern, Sandra Weber, Rebekah Willett
After the Death of Childhood by
What will be the fate of childhood in the twenty-first century? Will children increasingly be living 'media childhoods', dominated by the electronic screen? Will their growing access to adult media help to abolish the distinctions between childhood and adulthood? Or will the advent of new media technologies widen the gaps between the generations still further? In this book, David Buckingham provides a lucid and accessible overview of recent changes both in childhood and in the media environment. He refutes simplistic moral panics about the negative influence of the media, and the exaggerated optimism about the 'electronic generation'. In the process, he points to the challenges that are posed by the proliferation of new technologies, the privatization of the media and of public space, and the polarization between media-rich and media-poor. He argues that children can no longer be excluded or protected from the adult world of violence, commercialism and politics; and that new strategies and policies are needed in order to protect their rights as citizens and as consumers. Based on extensive research, After the Death of Childhood takes a fresh look at well-established concerns about the effects of the media on children. It offers a challenging and refreshing approach to the perennial concerns of researchers, parents, educators, media producers and policy-makers.
Media and Society by
′This is the media and society text that critical scholars have been waiting for′.- Professor Mark Andrejevic, Pomona College This book unpacks the role of the media in social, cultural and political contexts and encourages you to reflect on the power relationships that are formed as a result. Structured around the three cornerstones of media studies; production, content and participation, this is an ideal introduction to your studies in media, culture and society. The book: Evaluates recent developments in media production, industries and platforms brought about the emergence of interactive media technologies. Examines the shifting relationship between media production and consumption instigated by the rise of social and mobile media, recasting consumption as 'participation'. Explores the construction of texts and meanings via media representations, consumer culture and popular culture, as well as the relationship between politics and public relations. Assesses the debates around the creative and cultural labour involved in meaning-making. Includes a companion website featuring exercise and discussion questions, links to relevant blogs and web material, lists of further reading and free access to key journal articles.
Harm and Offence in Media Content by
In today's media and communications environment, pressing questions arise regarding the media's potential for harm, especially in relation to children. This fully revised edition offers a unique and comprehensive analysis of the latest research on content-related media harm and offence. For the first time, a balanced, critical account brings together findings on both established and newer, interactive media. Arguing against asking simple questions about media effects, the case is made for contextualising media content and use within a multi-factor, risk-based framework in order to guide future research and policy formation.
Cyberkids by
As Tony Blair has said,"Technology has revolutionised the way we work and is now set to transform education. Children cannot be effective in tomorrow's world if they are trained in yesterday's skills." Cyberkidsdraws together research in the sociology of childhood and social studies of technology to explore children's experiences in the Information Age. The book addresses key policy debates about social inclusion and exclusion, children's identities and friendships in on-line and off-line worlds and their relationships with families and teachers. It counters contemporary moral panics about children's risk from dangerous strangers on-line, about corruption and lost innocence from adult-centred material on the web and about the addiction to life on the screen. Instead, by showing how children use ICT in balanced and sophisticated ways, the book draws out the importance of everyday uses of technology and the ways in which children's local experiences are embedded within, and in part, constitute the global.
Children, Technology and Culture by
Childhood is increasingly saturated by technology: from television to the Internet, video games to 'video nasties', camcorders to personal computers. Children, Technology and Culturelooks at the interplay of children and technology which poses critical questions for how we understand the nature of childhood in late modern society. This collection brings together researchers from a range of disciplines to address the following four aspects of this relationship between children and technology: *children's access to technologies and the implications for social relationships *the structural contexts of children's engagement with technologies with a focus on gender and the family *the situatedness of children's interactions with technological objects *the constitution of children and childhood through the mediations of technology _ This book represents a substantial contribution to contemporary social scientific thinking both about the nature of children and childhood, the social impacts of technologies and the various relationships between the two.
Kids Online by
As the internet and new online technologies are becoming embedded in everyday life, there are increasing questions about their social implications and consequences. Children, young people and their families tend to be at the forefront of new media adoption but they also encounter a range of risky or negative experiences for which they may be unprepared, which are subject to continual change.This book captures the diverse, topical and timely expertise generated by the EU Kids Online project, which brings together 70 researchers in 21 countries across Europe. Each chapter has a distinct pan-European focus resulting in a uniquely comparative approach.
Young People and New Media by
Combining a comprehensive literature review with original empirical research on young people's use of new media, this book provides a fresh and in-depth discussion of the increasingly complex relationship between the media and childhood, the family and the home. We can no longer imagine our daily lives without media and communication technologies. At the start of the 21st century, the home is being transformed into the site of a multimedia culture. This book looks at the discussions around the potential benefits of this new media and asks: What impact are the new media having on childhood and adolescence? Are these technologies changing the nature of young people's leisure and sociability? and has the participation of children in private and public life changed?
Understanding Digital Culture by
"This is an outstanding book. It is one of only a few scholarly texts that successfully combine a nuanced theoretical understanding of the digital age with empirical case studies of contemporary media culture. The scope is impressive, ranging from questions of digital inequality to emergent forms of cyberpolitics."- Nick Gane, York University"Well written, very up-to-date with a good balance of examples and theory. It′s good to have all the major issues covered in one book." - Peter Millard, Portsmouth University"This is just the text I was looking for to enable first year undergraduates to develop their critical understanding of the technologies they have embedded so completely in their lives." - Chris Simpson, University College of St Mark & St JohnThis is more than just another book on Internet studies. Tracing the pervasive influence of ′digital culture′ throughout contemporary life, this text integrates socio-economic understandings of the ′information society′ with the cultural studies approach to production, use, and consumption of digital media and multimedia. Refreshingly readable and packed with examples from profiling databases and mashups to cybersex and the truth about social networking, Understanding Digital Culture: Crosses disciplines to give a balanced account of the social, economic and cultural dimensions of the information society. Illuminates the increasing importance of mobile, wireless and converged media technologies in everyday life. Unpacks how the information society is transforming and challenging traditional notions of crime, resistance, war and protest, community, intimacy and belonging. Charts the changing cultural forms associated with new media and its consumption, including music, gaming, microblogging and online identity. Illustrates the above through a series of contemporary, in-depth case studies of digital culture. This is the perfect text for students looking for a full account of the information society, virtual cultures, sociology of the Internet and new media.
Digital Ethnography by
Lecturers, request your electronic inspection copy This sharp, innovative book champions the rising significance of ethnographic research on the use of digital resources around the world. It contextualises digital and pre-digital ethnographic research and demonstrates how the methodological, practical and theoretical dimensions are increasingly intertwined. Digital ethnography is central to our understanding of the social world; it can shape methodology and methods, and provides the technological tools needed to research society. The authoritative team of authors clearly set out how to research localities, objects and events as well as providing insights into exploring individuals' or communities' lived experiences, practices and relationships. The book: Defines a series of central concepts in this new branch of social and cultural research Challenges existing conceptual and analytical categories Showcases new and innovative methods Theorises the digital world in new ways Encourages us to rethink pre-digital practices, media and environments This is the ideal introduction for anyone intending to conduct ethnographic research in today's digital society.