Another Social Media Source to Check Out

The Young and the Digital: website for book of the same name. I like the author’s (Craig Watkins’) video for his about page:

As I think about how to expand/revamp by blog site this summer, I’m considering adding some sort of podcast to explain the project. Not sure if I would like something as polished as what Watkins offers….

I’m particularly interested in checking out Watkins’ critical interrogation of the “digital divide” and his discussion about youth of color and their use of mobile devices. Great stuff. I especially like this statement:

Some of my work is also trying to explore the creation of applications, platforms, and online experiences that empower young people to use their devices to enhance their heath, self-image, and social networks. In other words, to see their mobile not only as a source of entertainment but also as a tool for personal growth, life-style enrichment, and social engagement.

He also has a category on the site for digital divides.

I found Watkins’ book and site via DMLcentral. Other links/sources to check out:
dannah boyd’s apophenia
Howard Rheingold’s Smart Mobs (put into conversation with Flash Mobs)
monika hardy and Disrupting and redefining school and learning

3 thoughts on “Another Social Media Source to Check Out”

  1. I’m reading the transcript of an interview that Watkins did on NPR about some negative consequences for black and Latino youth in their use of mobile devices. I was struck by Watkins’ thoughts about What it might mean to only have access via mobile devices (and not via a laptop) :

    given that the mobile device is something that’s considered more personal, something more social, something more entertainment driven, when you don’t have access to other means of the Internet, other means of a sort of digital media environment, I think it does create limited opportunities for black and Latino youth who are going online primarily via their mobile device.

    And if I could maybe make one other point. I think what’s also happening is that black and Latino youth are going online at a time where if they’re living in households without laptops, without computers, that oftentimes means that maybe their parents or their guardians aren’t as active online as they possibly could be.

    So what you see is a kind of generational disconnect within black and Latino youth households where they aren’t necessarily getting the guidance. Where they aren’t necessarily able to have conversations or meaningful conversations with their parents or guardians about what’s happening on Facebook, about the kinds of images, about the kinds of messages that friends are sharing with each other.

    And I think those kinds of conversations, that lack of guidance, that lack of mentoring is something that I think is quite crucial in young people’s digital lives and how they navigate these experiences.

    An important discussion here. I have frequently referred to the pew research study on how communities of color are gaining access to online technologies through mobile devices. I appreciate Watkins’ complicating of that access and how it differs from other forms of access. This will be helpful for me as I think through the limits and possibilities for twitter and moral/ethical selfhood.

Comments are closed.