For our children's sake, it's more important than ever that we not "black box" our media, whether as researchers or as parents and educators. An essay from psychologist and media professor Sonia Livingstone in the new scholarly journal Social Media + Society got me thinking about this. Dr. Livingstone observes that scholars in disciplines other than media and communications are doing that … [Read more...] about For kids’ sake, don’t ‘black box’ social media
online safety
At the IGF: Youth participation = greater youth e-safety
One of the best things about participating in the Internet Governance Forum is seeing the growing youth participation in sessions about their online protection. And one of the best things I've heard so far, after just 1.5 days of the IGF here in Istanbul this week came from Danish 15-year-old Olivia in a session about "Child Online Protection" where there was much discussion about technical, legal … [Read more...] about At the IGF: Youth participation = greater youth e-safety
Proposed ‘rightful’ framework for Internet safety
Internet safety is a basic right of Internet users. But it's not the only one. There are other fundamental rights that Net users of all ages have, and I propose that Internet safety will actually serve all Internet users better – and have much more relevance to the younger ones in our homes and schools – when we put it in context, in a framework of online rights. It's a framework for all users' … [Read more...] about Proposed ‘rightful’ framework for Internet safety
Social media reality check from Canadian youth: Key study
Before releasing its report on online conflict, MediaSmarts presented a much broader picture of young Canadians' experiences in social media: "Life Online." This is important context for any discussion about cyberbullying and other negative aspects of digitally informed life, whether we're setting policy at the household, school or national levels. "There are a lot of assumptions out there … [Read more...] about Social media reality check from Canadian youth: Key study
Whisper’s popularity no longer a secret
It's being said that the preference pendulum in social media culture is swinging back from transparency (as in Facebook) to anonymity (as in Whisper). And the growing popularity of the Whisper app – where users' posts are Internet meme-style photos overlaid with text (the app makes posting easy by offering up photos it "thinks" match your text, and you get to pick one). People can respond by … [Read more...] about Whisper’s popularity no longer a secret