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ResponsetoBu ckingham’sIntroduc tionto:Youth,Ide ntityAndDigitalMe dia (McArthurFoundati onSeries,edite dbyDavidBuckingha m) Buckingham’sint roductiontothisseriesofarticle smapsoutmany oftheemerging theoreticalthemesinrelation todigitalmedia withaspecialemphasisonaspectsof identityandyoungpe ople.Heexplore sthetension thatexists betweenthet wo facetsofidentitybetween whatwemightregardas consistent ,‘ouruniqueself’ (thoughthisfluct uatesdepending oncontexts/sit uations)andwhat weseeas similar  toothers,eg.ou rnational,regiona l,cultural,gende ridentity.It’s notjustaquest ion ofidentitythrough introspectionor“personalgrowth”;the conditionsof‘late modernity’(Gidde ns)havespawned muchglobalconflict aroundidentityan dself- determination.It isagreedthatthere’snothingnewinidentifying thisdualmeaning inidentityalthough Buckinghamnote sthat“questions ofidentityha (ve) undoubtedlytaken onanewurgency inthecontemporaryworld”.Thekeypoint beingthatitisonlywhenidentityis threatened thatitbecomesanissue:de- stabilisingsocio-ec onomicconditionssu rrounding‘identityt ensions’further fuel“a senseoffragmentationanduncertainty”. Keepingsocialand individualrestlessnessinmind,ide ntityisoffered asausefullens throughwhichtostudyyoungpeople’sne gotiationswithdigit almediafocussingon continuitiesand challengesinre lationtothefor mationofsocialre lationshipsand personaldevelopment. Psychologists willhaveusviewa dolescenceas adefined periodoftransitio nwithastarta ndafinish,a  processpunctuatedwithvarious recognisedstagesofpersonaldevelopment.Hence SusannahStern looksathowthe processof bloggingcanfacilitate youthexperime ntationwithmultiple ,fluid,digital identities;while d.boydhighlightsthe importanceofsocialmediaasa placewhere youthcansocialise inarelatively safeenvironment andnegotiatet heiridentities and socialstatusgiventhatoutside space,shec laims,isincreasinglydeniedthem. Similarlysociological accountschar acteriseadolescenceasa formof“becoming” ratherthan“be ing”,aprocessof socialisationinto theadultworld,a twhichpoint identityisdeemedasattained.Youthappropriationofnewtechnologiesoften polarisesadultpe rspectives,on theonehandce lebratedlike somemagical,c reative panaceaorontheothervilifiedalongwiththeiruns toppable, natural urgetotake controlandsubvert authoritativein fluence.Manyoft hearticleshowe ver,remindus ofsimpler,moreanodynemotivationsand continuitiesratherthandramatic trajectoriesin youthfulendeavours .Theseremindersdefusethe moralpanicsso oftenassociatedwithnewmedia riskfactorswhile reassigningen ergiestothe less visible,colossal commercial forcesthatp rovidetheinfrast ructureandpre sideover theparametersforonlineinteractions. Buckinghamtalk saboutchangingidentitiesandhow identityformationi sasocially constructed,ongo ingpractice.Th euseofsocial mediaisparticul arlysalienthere as althoughitmakesthisprocess highlyvisibleinoner espect,wec an’trelyon traditionalvisual cuestomak eaclaimona particularidentit y.Wemustther efore “writeourselvesintobeing”(d.boyd)in onlineinteractions.Itisnotsurprisingthat Goffman’s1950’swork onfront-stageand back-stagepe rformancehasresurfacedin thisconnection:weare  front-stageinsocialgatheringsand back-stageotherwise.

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

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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)?