Parents the world over worry about their kids spending too much time hunched in front of their computers, rather than doing 'normal' things like playing outside.
However, as reported in The San Francisco Chronicle yesterday, not only does spending time online enhance certain social and digital literacy skills, kids who are barred from computer use are actually at a social disadvantage versus their peers.
This is according to The Digital Youth Project, released by The MacArthur Foundation. From 2005-2008, researchers interviewed 800+ kids and observed teens online for 5000+ hours. The goal was "to provide an ethnographical view of how children use social media - an umbrella term for social-networking and video-sharing sites and multiplayer video games - to socialize, relax and learn."
The conclusions show that 'always on' communication is taking the place of hanging out in the shopping mall or school hallway. The mobile phone, social network, instant messaging application and virtual world is now how - and where - they interact.
In fact, a report last year by MTV, Nickelodeon and Microsoft called "Circuits of Cool", teens have an average of 20 online friends they haven't even met face to face.
As a result, according to academic Mizuko Ito who led the study, kids who don't have the means to foster friendships online risk being social outsiders, unable to function in the Internet age:
"There is this generational gap in thinking about the value that social networking brings."
And despite understandable concerns from parents about who kids may meet online, letting children to (a certain extent) roam around on the Internet fosters learning skills.
As the report says:"Young people acquire various forms of technical and media literacy by exploring new interests, tinkering, and “messing around” with new forms of media. They may start with a Google search or “lurk” in chat rooms to learn more about their burgeoning interest.
"Through trial and error, youth add new media skills to their repertoire, such as how to create a video or customize games or their MySpace page. Teens then share their creations and receive feedback from others online. By its immediacy and breadth of information, the digital world lowers barriers to self-directed learning."
Though the report makes recommendations for teachers and the public sector, there is a lot of resonance for brands trying to connect with teens, in particular the importance of the peer group in directing each other to networks, social media and websites:
"Youth using new media often learn from their peers, not teachers or adults, and notions of expertise and authority have been turned on their heads. Such learning differs fundamentally from traditional instruction and is often framed negatively by adults as a means of “peer pressure.”"
The white paper and two page summary is here as a PDF download (with thanks to Kelpenhagen who sent it to me)
Image - Robotpolisher
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