response to buckingham’s introduction to: youth, identity & digital media
TRANSCRIPT
8/6/2019 Response to Buckingham’s Introduction to: Youth, Identity & Digital Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/response-to-buckinghams-introduction-to-youth-identity-digital-media 1/3
ResponsetoBuckingham’sIntroductionto:Youth,IdentityAndDigitalMedia
(McArthurFoundationSeries,editedbyDavidBuckingham)
Buckingham’sintroductiontothisseriesofarticlesmapsoutmanyoftheemerging
theoreticalthemesinrelationtodigitalmediawithaspecialemphasisonaspectsof
identityandyoungpeople.Heexploresthetensionthatexistsbetweenthetwofacetsofidentity–betweenwhatwemightregardasconsistent ,‘ouruniqueself’
(thoughthisfluctuatesdependingoncontexts/situations)andwhatweseeassimilar
toothers,eg.ournational,regional,cultural,genderidentity.It’snotjustaquestion
ofidentitythroughintrospectionor“personalgrowth”;theconditionsof‘late
modernity’(Giddens)havespawnedmuchglobalconflictaroundidentityandself-
determination.Itisagreedthatthere’snothingnewinidentifyingthisdualmeaning
inidentityalthoughBuckinghamnotesthat“questionsofidentity…ha(ve)
undoubtedlytakenonanewurgencyinthecontemporaryworld”.Thekeypoint
beingthatitisonlywhenidentityisthreatened thatitbecomesanissue:de-
stabilisingsocio-economicconditionssurrounding‘identitytensions’furtherfuel“asenseoffragmentationanduncertainty”.
Keepingsocialandindividualrestlessnessinmind,identityisofferedasausefullens
throughwhichtostudyyoungpeople’snegotiationswithdigitalmediafocussingon
continuitiesandchallengesinrelationtotheformationofsocialrelationshipsand
personaldevelopment.Psychologistswillhaveusviewadolescenceasadefined
periodoftransitionwithastartandafinish,a processpunctuatedwithvarious
recognisedstagesofpersonaldevelopment.HenceSusannahSternlooksathowthe
processofbloggingcanfacilitateyouthexperimentationwithmultiple,fluid,digital
identities;whiled.boydhighlightstheimportanceofsocialmediaasaplacewhere
youthcansocialiseinarelativelysafeenvironmentandnegotiatetheiridentitiesand
socialstatusgiventhatoutsidespace,sheclaims,isincreasinglydeniedthem.
Similarlysociological accountscharacteriseadolescenceasaformof“becoming”
ratherthan“being”,aprocessofsocialisationintotheadultworld,atwhichpoint
identityisdeemedasattained.Youthappropriationofnewtechnologiesoften
polarisesadultperspectives,ontheonehandcelebratedlikesomemagical,creative
panaceaorontheothervilifiedalongwiththeirunstoppable,natural urgetotake
controlandsubvertauthoritativeinfluence.Manyofthearticleshowever,remindus
ofsimpler,moreanodynemotivationsandcontinuitiesratherthandramatic
trajectoriesinyouthfulendeavours.Theseremindersdefusethemoralpanicssooftenassociatedwithnewmediariskfactorswhilereassigningenergiestotheless
visible,colossalcommercial forcesthatprovidetheinfrastructureandpresideover
theparametersforonlineinteractions.
Buckinghamtalksaboutchangingidentitiesandhowidentityformationisasocially
constructed,ongoingpractice.Theuseofsocialmediaisparticularlysalienthereas
althoughitmakesthisprocesshighlyvisibleinonerespect,wecan’trelyon
traditionalvisual cuestomakeaclaimonaparticularidentity.Wemusttherefore
“writeourselvesintobeing”(d.boyd)inonlineinteractions.Itisnotsurprisingthat
Goffman’s1950’sworkonfront-stageandback-stageperformancehasresurfacedin
thisconnection:weare front-stageinsocialgatheringsandback-stageotherwise.
8/6/2019 Response to Buckingham’s Introduction to: Youth, Identity & Digital Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/response-to-buckinghams-introduction-to-youth-identity-digital-media 2/3
Theproblemherebeingthatthismodelimpliesthatback-stageismoreauthentic
and‘un-performed’whichisquestionable.,don’tweallbuyintoacertainviewof
ourselvesthatservesourneedsanddesiresinanyonemomentandmakesusfeel
stable?Thiscouldbeviewedasaseriesoftemporary,non-essentialised,
dramaturgicalmonologues.
Staldandboyddrawattentiontonewandintenseformsof“socialconnectedness”
thatmobiletechnologiesofferandthatalthoughthisisnotparticularlynewinthe
teenrealm,itisthecauseofparticularanxietiesforparents,whoreviewtheirown
teenexperiencesandseethemasentirelyother ,ratherthanjustthecontextand
toolsbeingdifferent.Thereisthereforeaperceivedgreaterthan‘normal’riftin
generationalrelationsandasearchforblame;oftentheblamefallssquarelyonthe
shouldersof‘thetechnologythatdidn’tusetobe’ratherthanthefocusbeingon
thosesocialagentsresponsibleformediatingmoralpanics.
Identitypoliticsreferstothestruggleforrepresentationandtheupholdingof
identitywithincertainsocialgroupswhofeelstigmatisedintheexistingsocialorder.
Theinternetcanbeseenasausefulmediumforpreviouslymarginalised,‘genuine’
self-expression–indiscoursesofrace,ethnicity,sexuality,gender,disability–but
alsoanarenaforthepublicsubversionoftheseidentities.InthisconnectionWillett,
forexample,looksattheidentitypoliticsinherentinwebsitesaimedatyounggirls
anddressingupdolls.Sheexaminesthecommodificationoftheonlineenvironment
anddebatesaroundconsumerculturethatpervadechildren’sexperiencesonline.
Researchsuggeststhatmanychildrenareawareofnegativebodyimageissues,but
towhatextentisthisameasureoftheirown‘free’judgementasopposedtoan
attitudewhichissociallyconstructedandthereforeconstrained?
SomearticleslookatidentityandsocialpowerwithanexaminationofGiddens’
morecelebratoryviewofthe‘late-modern’self-reflexivesocietyanditsempowering
democratisingopportunitiesversusFoucault’smoresinisterassessment,whereit’sa
questionofindividualsbeingcoercedintoself-monitoringand‘speakingthetruth’
aboutthemselves.Inthesamevein,Willett,forexample,challengesthe
“compulsoryindividuality”thatenvelopesourwesternconsumerculturewithits
illusorysenseoffreedomandchoice.
Intermsoflearning,Drotnerrecognisesthatthereisanewsetofsocial
competencesatplayout oftheschoolcontextandthatmediaeducatorsshouldbeaddressinghowtobuildonthatandhowbesttoencouragecriticalengagement
therein.Herringmakesthepointthatwe’ddowelltostudynotonlyamore
representativecross-sectionofyoungpeople’sonlineinteractions(i.e.beyondthe
privilegedearlyadoptersandintothoseamong‘themargins’)buttodoitnow ,while
digital,mediatedidentitiesarerelativelynewandnotsopervasively‘secondnature’.
Onabroaderlevelthisconceptmakesmethinkofhoweasyitis,forthemore
privilegedinthedevelopedworld,toassimilatenewcommunicationtechnologies
andincorporatethemintoeverydayliving.Consideringthespeedandconsistency
withwhichtheyemergeandourintense focusontheimmediatesatisfactionofwhat
weconstrueasour(media&consumer)needs,isittooapocalyptictodebate
8/6/2019 Response to Buckingham’s Introduction to: Youth, Identity & Digital Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/response-to-buckinghams-introduction-to-youth-identity-digital-media 3/3
whetherthehistoryofsocialrelationsandexperiencewillbecomeincreasingly
irrelevantinthisour post-traditional society,our“runawayworld”(Giddens)?