Response to Buckingham’s Introduction to: Youth, Identity & Digital Media

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

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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

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whetherthehistoryofsocialrelationsandexperiencewillbecomeincreasingly

irrelevantinthisour post-traditional society,our“runawayworld”(Giddens)?