'Youth instinctively understands the present environment - the electric drama. It lives it mythically and in depth. This is the reason for the great alienation between generations - Discuss.
'Youth instinctively understands the present environment - the electric drama. It lives it mythically and in depth. This is the reason for the great alienation between generations. Wars, revolutions, civil uprisings are interfaces within the new environments created by electric informational media'.
Marshall McLuhan (1967) The Medium is the Massage p. 9.
Discuss in relation to new media today.
In the contemporary world, young people have been the subjects or concern of an enormous amount of research which assumes that they constitute a separate and significant category from the adults. Sociologists have come to recognise "youth as a transitional period between dependence and independence" (Ewen, 1983, p. 23) as well as a period for reshaping values and exploring one's relationship with the outside world. Frith mentioned that 'youth' no longer describes a specific type of viewer but rather, describes an attitude and style of viewing behaviour (1993, p. 75). They are a distinctive social group of people, engaging in the use of media, particularly the new media of today.
New media, also known as the second media age, are technologically developed forms of communication systems that allow a wide distribution of messages from one point to another, conquering space and time through digitalisation. They unite and bring people closer together, creating what theorist; Marshall McLuhan has called a 'global village', a world turned into a single community through the annihilation of space in time (O'Shaughnessy, 1999, p. 7). Unlike the first media age, second media age is a decentred and two-way communication, emphasising on interactivity. More than merely offering vast information and entertainment to the audiences, new media provide youths a self-identity, a sense of individuality and a way to think differently from the others. With new media today, youths' thinking and attitudes towards life may be manoeuvred in one way or another. Given these factors, it can be seen that new media are relatively important in the lives of young people.
In the essay, I will be discussing on the new media in relation to youth utilisation, with focus on electronic media, comprising of the computer, Internet and mobile phone. In addition, I will also be looking into the various effects new media might have on both the youth and the society.
Are new media changing the nature and lives of young people's leisure and sociability? The answer is 'Yes'. With new mediums brought into their lives, one's patterns of behaviour, modes of accessing information and entertainment as well as ways of seeing the world and interacting with one another have changed in some ways or other. Without doubt, new media do have an impact on youths' lives as they are said to be "selling young people an element of identity" (Anderson & Miles, 1999, p. 108). Also, because of the existing new media, many youths are seeking an identity through media exposure.
Today, youths are actively engaged in new media, particularly the electronic media for their own needs and purposes. They may utilize it as a means of escaping from the unpleasantness and stress from the world they live in or alternatively as a source of information, relaxation or social contact. Being able to be engaged in the new media, youths foresee the opportunities for creativity, self expression, independence, greater flexibility and sociability as well as gaining a vast knowledge through explorations. It also allows for greater mobility where they have the ability to 'move' from one place to another without having to travel physically (Steven, 1995, p. 17).
Electronic media comprise of mediums such as the computer, Internet and mobile phone used for the transmission of information and experience to everyone in everyplace. With the existence of such mediums, physical distance is no longer regarded as a barrier in the communication process. The electronic media have shaped the youth culture by changing their patterns of communication and redefining their community life (Schultze, 1991, p. 50). It presents youths with more and broader cultural options in terms of dressing, hairstyles, fashion and behaviour patterns.
Computer distinguishes itself as one of the electronic mediums which is of great importance to the young generation. The rising of the computer to youths' leisure activities is bringing about many changes. In some ways, the computer is a hybrid of the book and television. It provides information and entertainment in one's private space without having to leave the home setting, thus presenting a new platform of engagement in social lives. Youths get addicted to the computer and a close bond between youths and the computer is eventually fostered.
One of the major uses of computer ...
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Computer distinguishes itself as one of the electronic mediums which is of great importance to the young generation. The rising of the computer to youths' leisure activities is bringing about many changes. In some ways, the computer is a hybrid of the book and television. It provides information and entertainment in one's private space without having to leave the home setting, thus presenting a new platform of engagement in social lives. Youths get addicted to the computer and a close bond between youths and the computer is eventually fostered.
One of the major uses of computer is for the playing of computer or video games, which occupies a considerable proportion of young people's time. In the Young People New Media (YPNM) survey conducted in 1999 in United Kingdom, it was found that one-third of young people use a computer for purposes other than studies during their leisure time (Livingstone, 2002, p. 62). With personal computers, teenagers that frequent games arcades are now able to play the games in front of their computer screens in their own bedrooms. Also, with the introduction of RealAudio and other streaming audio softwares, videos and music are now easily accessible on one's computer. To some youths, they engage in computers, seeing that it is a convenient way to kill time as well as having a certain degree of freedom from adult supervision.
The computer medium offers youths the chance of creating identities for one's self. They can take on multiple identities, switch genders, appearances and other aspects of the public self as a means to invent new personas. This can be seen in the virtual reality technology and computer games such as Nintendo, GameBoy, PlayStation and Sega that provide arenas for communication and interaction. It was said that learning how to play a computer game is a "process of learning a distinct semiotic structure" (Steven, 1995, p. 74). When one is playing the game, he or she takes on the role of an explorer and explores the game with his or her control. The game thus offers youths the image of personal autonomy, a space to explore and role play.
Another illustration of virtual reality is Multi-User Domain (MUD) seen in the computer environments. In the early 1970s, a role playing game called Dungeons and Dragons was popular among the youths. It is where people are able to create characters and role play complex adventures. MUDs are social virtual realities where players logged on from all over the world at their individual computer, joining communities that only exist in the computer (Turkle, 1996, p. 156). They act as tools for the expression of players' imagination where players could communicate with one another, fight against each other or create new objects that others could interact with in the game.
Beyond character creation and role playing, players have the opportunity to build their virtual world where they can find comfort with no constrains. Using simple programming languages, they can make 'rooms' in the game where they are able to position the stage and define rules. An example shown was in an 11 years old player who built a room that she called "the condo" which is beautifully furnished and friends are invited to the house for parties and chats (Turkle, 1996, p. 157). This may not be possible at all in real life. With this, it can be seen that MUDs offer youths the possibility of becoming masters of self-presentation and creation in which they can take on new roles and experiences that are hard to come by in the real world. Not only so, analysing electronic games can also allow youths to develop fruitful insights about the meaning of interactivity.
The most significant and extensive use of the computer is that of the Internet. By the mid 1990s, the Internet, said to be the "new era of the contemporary society" (Holmes, 1997, p. 33) emerged as the global computer network. In Australia, data shows that 57% of households with children have an Internet connection and people aged 18-24 years old are the largest group of Internet users (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2000, p. 3). Young people are characterised as Internet users, using it to build identities.
The Internet is a primary source of how youths perceive the world. Take for example; most of them have minimal idea of how a place looks like or what the culture is for a certain country. Such information is most likely to be gained through the Internet where information and pictures are available for one's access. On top of that, young people can now stay at home and get entertained with online movies, videos and music instead of going to the pubs and cinemas.
Perhaps the most important and fastest growing part of the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW). The idea of a WWW suggests a global network communication, bringing people from all over the world close together virtually. With the electronic mail, messages can be sent and received faster as compared to the traditional form of postal service. Research suggests that the use of the Internet will accelerate the creation of new cultures and new ways to view the world (Synder, 1997, p. 224). Hence, the Internet allows youths to experience a national exposure.
Youths are virtually growing up with the Internet and seeing its role as an extension to their everyday life activities, where information and ideas are exchanged and conversations are developed. They engage in online conversations with friends and family in processing and building their social worlds as well as forming their identities. Youths engage in interactive media such as the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) where they can express and experiment with aspects of their personality. The creation of emoticons or smileys on computer networks is interesting for the youths. These are computer graphical iconic language of their own to represent a whole range of emotions (Pavlik, 1998, p. 13) which can be used in their chat conversations. Simultaneously, they can also foster relationships with other participants from the chat networks. In addition, forums and discussion groups allow youths to participate, giving them an opportunity to express their feelings, thoughts and perceptions on issues without the fear of facing the crowd.
Anyone who has access to the Internet can become an author, expressing their own sense of identity to other users around the world. The Internet offers a space for young people to try out new personalities and ideas. It creates a place through which individuals may be able to construct their identity, formulate their ideas and build a community of support. New media technologies also allow young consumers to become a producer as well. For example, writable compact disc and Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) technologies are easily available and youths have the power to reproduce exact copies of audio, video or text (Poster, 2001, p. 48). The Internet also offers the youths a vast domain of information for easy reproduction. Web surfers can now think of themselves as producers as digitised music is available on the Internet where they can be downloaded and played on one's personal computer or transferred into digital form to a portable player.
Youths have the concept that participating in computer networks will increase their chances for learning and engaging in online discussions, forums and chats. They may see the Internet as a communication medium where they can search for information through search engines and create their own content, distribute and share it with the world. Hence, there is a correlation between new media and creativity where creative youngsters can expose themselves to more opportunities for different ideas (Kline & Clarke, 1971, p. 43). Without doubt, the appearance of the Internet has a significant impact on youths' personal lives.
Mobile phone is another form of electronic medium where youths become very much attached to and begin to relate to it rather than to other people. The popularity of the mobile phone among youths may be associated with the "trends in modernity and individualisation of youth cultures" (Skog, 2001, p. 270).
With the integration of various facilities including the ability to download ring tones, logos, pictures and games, youths are not only seen as consumers of the electronic media but also producers as they possess the aptitude to create unique features with their mobile phones. Functions such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and Short Message Service (SMS) present them with the opportunity of not only being able to connect and interact with friends and family, but also to access the Internet with wireless devices.
In Norway, two-thirds of teenagers own or have access to mobile phones (Skog, 2001, p. 255). A data obtained from an October 2000 self-selection sample survey in Norway on 67 teenage girls and 53 boys were analysed with questions concerning the importance and their use of mobile phones. From the results, there were minor differences in the ways both genders use the mobile phones. 55% of girls and 45% of boys stressed the importance of mobile design and boys use the WAP function more often as compared to girls (Skog, 2001, p. 259). This goes to show that boys emphasise more on the technical aspects of the phone while girls stress on the performance facilities. With this, it can draw on the masculine and feminine natures of boys and girls respectively, where boys are regarded as the 'hard masters' of the mobile phone and girls as the 'soft masters' (Skog, 2001, p. 268). It also showed that a majority of the youths who own a mobile phone come from a working class background. Hence, possessing a mobile phone can allow people to know or guess a youth's social class background.
With the mobile phone, young people can be easily reached by friends and family as well as being informed and updated with the latest trends. Thus, mobile phone which is seen as a perfect tool for modernity, serves as a convenience and necessity for the youths too.
Despite the opportunities for greater efficiency and exploring one's self-identity, there are significant consequences that the new media of today present. One of which is post modern fragmentation. Instead of supporting a stable identity, new media can fragment and result in portraying multiple identities. Many post modern theorists argued that the society has become a "mere mass" (Miles, 2000, p. 50), where individuals and social classes are no longer composed. As media spread throughout each household, the time spent at home is mostly with the media rather than with family members. Hence, family togetherness and ties may be disrupted. In short, it can be said that new media are "crumbling down the walls of distance" (Pool, 1990, p. 34) where social relationships can slowly diminish as communication is no longer restricted to face-to-face interactions. It is also said that new media have the ability of controlling youths' consciousness, thereby controlling who they are and how they think.
There are also fears that new media will be an industry corrupting youths' values in life as they get exposed to inappropriate and controversial content such as drug abuse, sex and violence on the Internet, thus leading to "moral panics and devaluation of a society's culture" (O'Shaughnessy, 1999, p. 9). More radically, new media of today may pose a danger to the traditional forms of media such as the print and television industries. This can eventually signal the slow death of the first media age.
Lastly, globalisation understood as a "process in which complex interconnections are rapidly developing between societies, institutions, cultures and individuals worldwide" (Barr, 2000, p. 31) can result from the new media and create a stressful world where people may not be able to cope efficiently with rapid changes that new media has brought about. With the world simply out of one's control, the society can be in turmoil, threatened by nuclear war or catastrophes and civil uprisings.
To conclude, I have discussed on the new media of today in relation to youth utilisation and the various adverse effects new media may have on youths and the society. Indeed, the new media play a pivotal role in youths' lives, helping the young population to see and identify themselves differently. With the introduction of new technological innovations, the lives of many young people have changed. To a remarkable degree, they plan their personal schedules to accommodate the new media of today. Truly, youths live in an electronically mediated environment whereby their society is constituted by the media.
To end off my essay, I have asked myself this question: Are youths controlled by the new media or do they have the freedom and choice on how to utilize them? Having done much reading, I generally see that youths are controlled by the new media but through one's rationality and consciousness, they do have the ability to change things by making choices themselves. After all, they are the leading generation who will be engaging in the use of new media today.
References:
Anderson, A. & Miles, S. (1999) '"Just Do It" Young People, the Global Media and the Construction of Consumer Meanings' in Youth and the Global Media, Ralph, S. (ed.), Luton: University of Luton Press.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2000), Household Use of Information Technology, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra.
Barr, T. (2000), Newmedia.com.au: The Changing Face of Australia's Media and Communications, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
Ewen, J. (1983) Youth in Australia - A New Deal & A New Role, Melbourne: Philip Institute of Technology.
Frith, S. (1993) 'Youth/Music/Television' in Sound and Vision: The Music Reader, Frith, S., Goodwin, A. & Grossberg, L. (Eds.), London: Routledge.
Holmes, D. (1997) 'Virtual Identity: Communities of Broadcast, Communities of Interactivity' in Virtual Politics: Identity and Community in Cyberspace, London: Sage Publications.
Kline, F. & Clarke, P. (Eds.) (1971) Mass Communications and Youth: Some Current Perspectives, London: Sage.
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Miles, S. (2000) Youth Lifestyles in a Changing World, Buckingham: Open University Press.
O'Shaughnessy, M. (1999) Media and Society: An Introduction, Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Pavlik, J. V. (1998) New Media Technology: Cultural and Commercial Perspectives, Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Pool, I. (1990) Technologies without Boundaries, London: Harvard University Press.
Poster, M. (2001) What's the Matter with the Internet?, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Schultze, Q. J. (1991) Dancing in the Dark: Youth, Popular Culture and the Electronic Media, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans.
Skog, B. (2001) 'Mobiles and the Norwegian teen: identity, gender and class' in Perpetual Contact: Mobile Communication, Private Talk, Public Performance, Katz, J. E. & Aakhus, M. A. (Eds.), London: Cambridge.
Steven, G. J. (ed.) (1995) CyberSociety: Computer-mediated Communication and Community, London: Sage.
Synder, I. (1997) Page to Screen: Taking Literacy into the Electronic Era, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
Turkle, S. (1996) 'Parallel Lives: Working on Identity in Virtual Space' in Constructing the Self in a Mediated World, Grodin, D. & Lindlof, T. (Eds.), London: Sage.
COM2080 - Youth Media Major Essay
