Youth Culture and New Technologies

We live today in an ever-increasingly hyper-interconnected world, a global society of communicative interactions and exchanges that stimulates profound cultural transformations and realignments; a society epitomised by the advent of globalisation paralleled by the arrival of new technologies. The global village, coined in the 1960's (Breit, 2001, p.214), has come to represent and perhaps link technological progress with better global human relations that in turn has unearthed and defined a specific youth culture. In essence, the changing global media landscape – the arrival of a powerful global media-driven culture – is shaping the socialisation processes, values, and beliefs of young people, and influencing young people’s decisions, in areas such as educational choice, employment, leisure, and life in general.

New technologies offer a culture of information, pleasure and relative autonomy, all of which are of particular appeal to society's youth. This has implications not only for young people themselves but also for their relationships within the family and between generations. The advent of globalisation has meant, for many young people, the sphere of experience has become global and local at once. Young people are often among the first to take advantage of their introduction. Subsequently, the challenge is to give culturally valid meaning to the use of new technologies.

New technologies have continued to make significant inroads into the inner workings of society, this holds true for youth as well. "As new technology becomes increasingly embedded in everyday niches, it is common for youth to interact with dozens of digital devices throughout a typical day, and many spend hour-upon-hour learning about and manipulating computer devices such as laptop computers, handheld computers, game consoles, cell phones, pagers, and audio players" (Bell, 2005).
Contents
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* 1 History of Youth Culture and New Technologies
* 2 The importance of youth culture and new technologies
* 3 Central Issues
* 4 Related Issues
* 5 Further Information
o 5.1 See Also:
o 5.2 Reference
o 5.3 Contributors to This Entry Include:

History of Youth Culture and New Technologies


The concept of youth culture and new technologies is a relatively new term, however the rate at which technology has moved into the lives of the young as stated by Seel (1997, p.2) 'is historically unprecedented’. Growth within this area began in August 1981 when IBM released the IBM PC (personal computer) (Bellis, 2005). From here the industry continued to grow with Apple in 1983 releasing ‘Lisa’ their then latest project. ‘Lisa’ contained many ground-breaking functions such as a mouse, drop down menus, icons, folders, windows and copy and paste abilities among other features (Bellis, 2005).

Following the establishment of home PC's the 1980's also bought with it the introduction of video games; items which were soon to dominate the toy market. Video games were one of the first mediums to combine visuals and active participation for children and youths, as defined by the Wikipedia, they are a form interactive multimedia used as entertainment (Wikimedia, 1997).

As stated in Seel (1997, p.3) by 1989 out of 20 of the best selling toys on the market 16 were video games or video-game-related. The next major development following this was the internet, which was established in the 1990’s. It has been described as the combination of “the interactivity of video games, the information of computers, and the images of MTV�? and thus the internet “created an entirely new means of social interaction�? (Seel, 1997, p.5).

In countries where there are high rates of boradband connectivity many of their youth are able to play online games together. The players are not physically located in the space, they are often involed in socialising together by connecting domestic spaces and time zones through online gaming communities. These activities can have a large impact on the broader youth culture (Flew, 2005, pp.108-109).


Presently computers, the internet, mobile phones, television and VCR’s are competing with one and other in the ever growing electronic arena (Seel, 1997, p.2). More recently as a result of considerable technological advances there has been the convergence of individual technologies. An example of this is the convergence of mobile phone technologies with that of the internet. Young people today can now communicate to other youths around the world as well as access information from the internet via their mobile phone.

The importance of youth culture and new technologies


According to Roy Morgan Research, almost 80 per cent of Australians aged 14-24 access the internet at least once a month, more than a third said they cannot live without a mobile phone and 44 per cent believed computers and technology have given them more control over their lives (Aust. Youth Facts and Stats 2005). The networked generation’s trend towards online activities and interactive media has also resulted in a dramatic decline in traditional activities such as newspaper readership. More than half of all Australians aged 18-29 read the newspaper 30 years ago, now the figure barely tops 20 per cent (AYFS 2005). The digital revolution means the world is literally at your fingertips.

New media technologies are increasingly becoming more than just a simple way to pass the time. In fact, some academics suggest that technology is at the very cultural heart of the current generation of young people. “For the new culture, a trip into virtual reality is far more significant than remembering Proust,�? (Kelly, 1998). Technology, such as the internet, mobile phones, PDA’s and iPods to name a bare few, provide young people with unlimited access to opportunity. It has revolutionised the way we communicate and interact with each other. “Technology generates opportunities: new things to explain; new ways of expression; new media of communications; and creates new forms of destruction,�? (Kelly, 1998).

Young people’s access to new technologies at home, at school, in the work place, even at the local McDonald’s restaurant, allows for constant connectivity to the networked world. Youth are plugged into every possible outlet, 100 per cent of the time, partly because they want to be and partly because they need to be in order to be competitive and play participatory role in today’s world. As youth use the new technologies, they produce the substance of every day and making the meaning of their culture (Trend, 1997).

However, the technical and social convergence brought about as a result of developments in technology is already creating interaction problems, in particular in the younger users. Cyberbullying is a disturbing new trend among young people abusing the technology. The implication is that in an arena where the law is largely not applicable, socially agreed upon values and boundaries must be upheld and respected in order for us to make full use of the technology available.

Central Issues


New technologies have had an influencing impact within society, affecting the way in which people, largely the younger populace, interact, socialize and work. Though since the introduction of new technologies there has been many issues that have arisen by the public and the scholars as to the impact new technologies has over youths of society.

One of the key issues that have arisen from youth culture and new technologies is the growing dependency of such technologies as the Internet among the youth of society. Arguments have arisen over the addiction and over reliance some youths have towards new technologies especially the Internet and the various online communities it provides, particularly online chat and online gaming programs. Among the issues that have been addressed are the adverse impacts of Cyberspace addiction, and the displacement between reality and virtual reality, and its impacts on real world social relationships, Health and communication skills. Further more issues have stirred over privacy issues of Internet content as well as the unrestricted filtering of information that youths are able to gain access to.

New technologies have over time branched into the various spheres in society and have been implicated within the educational systems of many nations. The development of technologies and the innovation of communication tools have enhanced various learning aspects. Advancements in particular ICT’s have improved the standards of vocational education and Distance_Education for youth within various sections of the globe. “ICT crept through the side door into education with promises of time saving, efficiency and improvements in learning�? (Kompf, 2005, p.221). Many see new technologies as a deconstruction of barriers between the physical spaces, as communication technologies have enabled users to communicate directly from various sections across the globe.

The increase in new technologies has made way for industrial convergence, leading to the deconstruction of local centers of powers, as industries move towards a global market place. This has created several central issues for youths, including the ability to adapt to the emerging technological advancements and the global market place, "information can now be obtained from several points and young people must know how to access this information if they are to enter the workplace and communicate effectively" (M/Cyclopedia of New Media) The loss of national identity through youths due to a global presence is also another issue raised by academics.

Related Issues


What exactly is Digital Divide? It refers to political or societal issues that shows the socio-economic gap between the publics that have accesss to computers and internet as well as comparing them with people who does not have the access. In addition, it also refers to people who are able to use ICTs (Information and Communications technologies) effectively (Wikipedia, 2001).

Furthermore,there are vast differences between levels of information and communication techonology in different countries, which also includes rural areas. For example, there are youths who benefited from practical digital radio journalism apprenticeships, additionally some of them had their first experience in using technologies (Lester, 2002).

Computer technologies have developed into more and more important tools in everyday niches. It is common today for children to interact with different types of digital devices throughout a day, additionally many of them spend hours and hours in learning about and operating computer devices such as laptop computers, handheld computers, game consoles and other digital devices (Bell, 2005).

It is also known world widely that Black Youth in theMass Media are being an influence to people, especially youths. For example, the black youth and media effects paradigm, media socialization and quality of life issues, the cultural studies paradigm, and also the media technologies (Watkins, 2005).

People who plays violent video games such as Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Kombat can increase a person's aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior both in laboratory settings and in actual life. Furthermore, violent video games may be more harmful than violent television and movies because they are interactive and very engrossing as well. It shows how technologies influence an individual, especially the youth. Moreover, there are negative and positive values in playing video games. While there are violent fantasy games out there many youths play video games as it helps them to relieve stress when they are under pressure in their studies (Zumtreamm, 2005).

http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/Youth_Culture_and_New_Technologies