Digital Media and the Generation Gap

Abstract

In many parts of the developed world, families engage with a wide range of communication media as a part of their daily lives. Parents often express mixed feelings about this engagement on the part of young people, however. Employing Baumberg's narrative-in-interaction analysis to interviews with 55 parents and 125 young people, this article explores both the discursive strategies parents employ when discussing their rules and regulations regarding digital technologies, and the strategies employed by their teenage young people in response. It considers how parents attempt to articulate authority in relation to digital media use among their teenage children, and how the ways in which teens interpret those parental attempts to express authority influence the strategies they themselves embrace regarding digital media. The article argues that although economically disadvantaged families experience the digital generation gap with particular intensity, their strategies reveal that they and their teenage children are able to deal with these challenges in creative and effective ways.

Do the rich get digitally richer? Quantity and quality of support for digital engagement

“…Learning from family might not always be evident, efficient, or preferential since family members might be unavailable, be reluctant and impatient to help, or even refuse support (Courtois & Verdegem, in press). Furthermore, although some scholars argue that young people can support adults' uses of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by explaining and thus increasing their skills, others argue that such attempts are not always effective; the position of the child as the Internet expert is challengeable (Clark, 2009;Holloway & Valentine, 2003;Kent & Facer, 2004;Kiesler, Zdaniuk, Lundmark, & Kraut, 2000). It seems logical to conclude that having access to more support sources is related to an increased variety of support and that this combination of quantity and quality of support should lead to better help.…”

Latvija. Pārskats par tautas attīstību 2015/2016. Dzīves meistarība un informācijpratība

“…Bērni un jaunieši ir dzimuši un auguši pasaulē, kas piesātināta ar komunikācijas tehnoloģijām, tāpēc tos mēdz dēvēt par "digitālajiem iedzimtajiem". Viņu dzīvē modernajās tehnoloģijās pieejamajiem medijiem ir daudz lielāka loma nekā vecāku paaudžu cilvēkiem, kurus apzīmē ar jēdzienu "digitālie imigranti" (Clark, 2009;Westlund & Bjur, 2014;Taipele, 2016;Rubene, 2016). Latvijas Drošāka interneta centrs sadarbībā ar citām organizācijām kopš 2007. gada informē un izglī-to bērnus, jauniešus, skolotājus un vecākus interneta satura drošības jomā un rīko pasākumus, piemēram, atzīmē Pasaules drošāka interneta dienu.…”

Entre el mensaje romántico y el etnorock en YouTube: repertorios identitarios en los paisajes virtuales de jóvenes mayas tsotsiles

“…Estos bajos índices se concentran en las generaciones mayores y contribuyen a la existencia de una marcada brecha digital entre generaciones que ha sido documentada en varios estudios como un fenómeno general (Clark, 2009). En comunidades indígenas esta brecha digital representa una profunda reconfiguración de las identidades jóvenes con respecto a las generaciones mayores, en términos, sobre todo, de la relación con la comunidad histórica y la lengua.…”