Shifting perceptions, shifting identities: Communication technologies and the altered social, cultural and linguistic ecology in a remote indigenous context

Abstract

While a digital divide remains evident in many remote Indigenous Australian communities, individual and collective information and communication technologies practices have developed in accordance with broadband, satellite or WiFi availability. This article examines the ways in which Indigenous youth in remote Australia are 'coming of age' in contexts where digitallymediated social interaction is a taken-for-granted aspect of social practice, communication and learning. While there are many positive aspects to this rapid development, it can also lead to intergenerational tensions as young people explore new patterns of behaviour, and older people come to terms with new cultural challenges. Drawing on long-term ethnographic observations in Central Australia, the impact of technology and the shift in perceptions, communication modes, and social and cultural practice across the generations in the Western Desert region are traced.

Social media and digital technology use among Indigenous young people in Australia: a literature review

“…The use of content-sharing platforms and user-generated content online, such as on Facebook and YouTube, provides opportunities for Indigenous young people to ‘perform’ their Indigenous identities online [ 1 , 13 , 16 , 17 , 20 , 21 ]. Sharing stories or videos online or being part of Indigenous Facebook groups provide ways for Indigenous young people to connect with, affirm and give voice to their Indigenous identities.…”

“…Indigenous young people can participate and use social media without any control or input from adults or from the non-Indigenous community that controls the larger, more conventional media forms [ 13 , 14 , 17 ]. This self-directed nature also means that Indigenous young people can seek out information for themselves, enabling new forms of agency [ 18 , 21 ] . Some health programs aim to harness this self-driven ability to access resources, as is discussed in the section on social marketing and health promotion.…”

Mobile Devices for Tertiary Study – Philosophy Meets Pragmatics for Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women

“…Six other key uses are (1) entertainment; (2) creating multimedia products; (3) using other Internet services; (4) emergency use; (5) work; and (6) study (ACMA, 2008;Brady et al, 2008;Kral, 2012Kral, , 2014Kral & Schwab, 2012). Mobile devices may be used for positive cultural purposes, but cyber bullying, teasing and gossiping have contributed to community violence Kral, 2014;Vaarzon-Morel, 2014). Regardless, it may be that the uptake of mobile phones is prompted by alignment with aspects of culture.…”

Virtual Sense of Community in a World of Warcraft® Storytelling Open Forum Thread

“…In their seminal study, McMillan & Chavis (1986) propose four examples of communities to illustrate how members make sense of the groups they belong to: I) The University -through a series of linear media communications, individuals satisfy their own needs through the integration of other individuals' needs; II) The Neighborhood -community organizers identify common concerns, channeling members' local involvement; III) The Youth Gang -shared values and influence over the environment allow individual needs to be met; and IV) The Kibbutz -idealism and immigration pave the way for new identities founded upon humanism and faith. These groups serve as foundations for storytelling communities committed to natural disasters (Goldstein, Wessells, Lejano, & Butler, 2015), news media (Scolari, 2013), indigenous populations (Kral, 2014), and cultural dissemination (Christopoulos, Mavridis, Andreadis, & Karigiannis, 2013). In this study, online storytelling thread members are part of an ecology (Jason, Stevens, & Ram, 2015) that both destabilizes their social cohesion while emphasizing their identity cohesion (Blommaert, 2017).…”