blurbMore people have internet access nowadays and fast information and communication are features of the age we live in, but what exactly are youngsters being exposed to and what can be done to protect them? Abongile Sipondo reports on a talk given by a visiting British media expert.
blurbMore people have internet access nowadays and fast information and communication are features of the age we live in, but what exactly are youngsters being exposed to and what can be done to protect them? Abongile Sipondo reports on a talk given by a visiting British media expert.
The problem with increased access to the internet and technology is not what the thumb generation is exposed to, but how they use what they know. Also, despite a common belief that there's a huge technological generation gap, British media expert Prof David Buckingham says this isn't necessarily so.
Based on his research in developed countries like the United Kingdom, Buckingham criticised the common tendency of people to romanticise the younger generation's ability to use new technology. In his recent talk titled ‘Making sense of the digital generation’ at Rhodes University's School of Journalism and Media Studies, he argued that young people don't spontaneously know how to use new gadgets.
“The use of technology by young people is fairly mundane and not revolutionary at all,” Buckingham said. Referring to the youth as the thumb generation, digital natives or cyborg kids, he found that they aren't necessarily interested in technology itself but what it can do for them, like connecting them with their friends on social networks.
Buckingham argued that there are, however, issues that the use of technology raises in modern families and societies.
Firstly, as access to technology widens, our lives become more individualised. For example, cell phones undermine the parent’s role in knowing who their children are communicating with and what they content they can download.
Secondly, technology may allow people to participate in the political sphere, but it doesn't address the issue of youth apathy. “There is a problem of thinking that technology will solve the problem. Young people are not into formal politics; they think that politicians do not care about them. They are cynical about politicians,” Buckingham said.
“Politicians use technology to mobilise but for the people who are interested already. They need to be clever as to how they use technology with young people.”
Thirdly, technology raises questions about governmental regulation. “How far can government interfere with free flow of information? Do we just allow technology to just go without being regulated? Is regulation even possible?” Buckingham asked.
But looking at China, where the government regulates and censors citizens' online content and access, people have used technology to subvert their technological suppression by organising protests via online chat rooms and instant messaging services.
But purely regulating technology at national level is difficult and won't do much good, Buckingham argued, saying that it is more of an educational question. Like how can we prepare our children to live in a society with all the ills? “How do we encourage young people to take advantage of the positives of technology and stay away from negatives?” Buckingham said.
* Buckingham is a Professor at the University of London's Institute of Education and director of the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media. He is the author, co-author and editor of 26 books and over 200 journal articles and book chapters. He has taught and addressed conferences in over 30 countries.
