Samenvatting Youth in a digital World
Hoorcollege 1 – Youth Culture in a digital world
Definitions
Youth culture: A group's distinctive way of life, including its beliefs and values, its customs and
its art and technologies. Examples are: Geographical, Social and Temporal
Youth Culture refers to:
• Shared beliefs, behaviours, practices, and values of young people within a particular
society or subculture
• The way in which young individuals express themselves, interact with one another, and
distinguish themselves from older generations
• Is dynamic and can vary significantly across time and place, reflecting the cultural, social,
and historical context in which it emerges
→ Key aspect of youth culture is expression
Digital media, disrupting or enriching traditional culture?
Depends on how social media presence is, how users process information and their experience
with the platform. Theories about disrupting to enriching:
Theory Disrupting Effects Enriching Effects
Social Digital media often provide lower Media with higher social presence
Presence social presence than face-to-face (such as video or voice
Theory communication, which can lead to communication) can strengthen
misunderstandings and reduced relationships by creating a stronger
emotional connection. sense of “being together.”
Social Emotional and social cues are Users can adapt to digital
Information exchanged more slowly in digital communication over time and build
Processing communication, which may cause meaningful relationships if they
Theory (Sip) misinterpretations and disrupted invest sufficient effort. The effects
interactions. depend on how receivers process
social information.
Channel Inexperienced users may struggle to Experienced users develop better
Expansion use digital channels effectively, communication skills within digital
Theory leading to confusion, media, making online interaction
miscommunication, or conflict. more effective and enriching.
Why use social media
Lasswell (1948): four main reasons to use media
1. Surveillance of the environment / to get information
2. Affective need / to get a feeling what is going on
3. Cultural transmission: Learning and sharing values, norms, and social practices
4. Entertainment
,Also answering the question why do people use social media:
Uses & Gratifications theory
Core idea: People actively choose media to satisfy their needs (e.g., information,
entertainment, social connection, identity, escape)
Sheldon describes these as examples of the specific needs and motivations that users
try to satisfy through social media (Sheldon, 2017):
1. Self-promotion,
2. maintain existing relationships
3. need for creativity
4. escapism
5. expressing opinions
Approaches in youth development
Two frameworks to study media effects during adolescence
Developmental tasks approach
Accodring to Gentil & Sesma
Developmental Tasks Approach – Basic Idea: This normative approach suggests that
children must meet specific developmental tasks (skills or capacities) important for
adaptation, such as forming peer relationships or language acquisition. The tasks are
hierarchical → some tasks need to be mastered before others and they need to cumulative
→ succeeding at earlier tasks makes it easier to succeed at later ones.
Media effects (the influence media has on the adolescent) are expected to vary significantly
depending on the child's age and the specific developmental tasks they are currently
negotiating (e.g., self-control in early childhood, intimate relationships in adolescence)
→ The media effects are depending on the
age of the user
,Risk and resilience approach
The Risk and Resilience Approach looks at individual differences in development. It
focuses on:
1. Risk factors – things that increase the likelihood of negative outcomes (e.g.,
exposure to media violence, poverty, or peer conflict).
2. Protective factors – things that reduce risk and support positive development
(e.g., a stable family, good self-regulation, supportive friends).
According to the cumulative risk model, risks add up: the more risks someone faces, the
higher the likelihood of negative effects.
→ The snowball effect illustrates how risks can
reinforce each other and grow over time, fitting
the risk side of the model.
→ The turnaround model shows the resilience
side: strong protective factors can interrupt a
negative trajectory and lead to positive change.
Together, these applications demonstrate how
risk can accumulate but also how resilience can
reverse negative patterns.
Uitleg Van artikel Gentil & Sesma
Risk and Resilience Approach: This approach
focuses on individual differences, distinguishing
between risk factors (which increase the likelihood
of maladaptation, such as media violence
exposure) and protective factors (which counteract risk, such as a stable family
environment or good self-regulation). The cumulative risk model holds that the more risks a
child encounters, the greater the likelihood of problematic functioning. Media violence is a
risk factor, and while it is not powerful enough to cause extreme violence on its own, its
effects add up when other risk factors are present. This model helps explain why not all
children are affected identically
Bronfenbrenners - developmental ecological model → can be used to analyze
media effects during adolescence
- Micro: How do parents monitor and regulate their children’s media use (tracking
screentime, keeping media outside of the bedroom)
- Exo: is school offering classes on online safety and social media policies such as
banning the smartphone from the classroom
- Macro: what do we believe and value regarding social media. Is it entertainment
or dangerous?
, Identity development during adolescence
An identity is, at least in part, an explicit theory of oneself as a person (moshman, 2005)
Identity dimensions
- Personal
- Social: gender, ethnic, national
- Online identity
Two key components that are important in identity development
1. Self-Image: how young people perceive themselves
2. Self-esteem: the ability to appreciate this self-image
Online vs offline identity
Online and offline identity is Interconnected, but not
identical – Artikel Subrahmanyam
Constructing Identity Online: Identity Exploration and Self-Presentation
Digital technologies are used by adolescents for identity exploration and self-
presentation. Constructing a coherent and stable identity is described as a
fundamental adolescent developmental task.
Identity during Adolescence Identity is a sophisticated, multidimensional concept.
According to Erikson, developing an identity is an important task during adolescence. It
means putting together different roles (like student, friend, child, future worker) into one
clear sense of self.
James Marcia built on Erikson’s ideas. He said identity development depends on two
things:
Exploration: actively thinking, searching, and trying out different options (for example
different beliefs, careers, or lifestyles).
Commitment: making choices and sticking to them (acceptance of a role or goal)
Hoorcollege 1 – Youth Culture in a digital world
Definitions
Youth culture: A group's distinctive way of life, including its beliefs and values, its customs and
its art and technologies. Examples are: Geographical, Social and Temporal
Youth Culture refers to:
• Shared beliefs, behaviours, practices, and values of young people within a particular
society or subculture
• The way in which young individuals express themselves, interact with one another, and
distinguish themselves from older generations
• Is dynamic and can vary significantly across time and place, reflecting the cultural, social,
and historical context in which it emerges
→ Key aspect of youth culture is expression
Digital media, disrupting or enriching traditional culture?
Depends on how social media presence is, how users process information and their experience
with the platform. Theories about disrupting to enriching:
Theory Disrupting Effects Enriching Effects
Social Digital media often provide lower Media with higher social presence
Presence social presence than face-to-face (such as video or voice
Theory communication, which can lead to communication) can strengthen
misunderstandings and reduced relationships by creating a stronger
emotional connection. sense of “being together.”
Social Emotional and social cues are Users can adapt to digital
Information exchanged more slowly in digital communication over time and build
Processing communication, which may cause meaningful relationships if they
Theory (Sip) misinterpretations and disrupted invest sufficient effort. The effects
interactions. depend on how receivers process
social information.
Channel Inexperienced users may struggle to Experienced users develop better
Expansion use digital channels effectively, communication skills within digital
Theory leading to confusion, media, making online interaction
miscommunication, or conflict. more effective and enriching.
Why use social media
Lasswell (1948): four main reasons to use media
1. Surveillance of the environment / to get information
2. Affective need / to get a feeling what is going on
3. Cultural transmission: Learning and sharing values, norms, and social practices
4. Entertainment
,Also answering the question why do people use social media:
Uses & Gratifications theory
Core idea: People actively choose media to satisfy their needs (e.g., information,
entertainment, social connection, identity, escape)
Sheldon describes these as examples of the specific needs and motivations that users
try to satisfy through social media (Sheldon, 2017):
1. Self-promotion,
2. maintain existing relationships
3. need for creativity
4. escapism
5. expressing opinions
Approaches in youth development
Two frameworks to study media effects during adolescence
Developmental tasks approach
Accodring to Gentil & Sesma
Developmental Tasks Approach – Basic Idea: This normative approach suggests that
children must meet specific developmental tasks (skills or capacities) important for
adaptation, such as forming peer relationships or language acquisition. The tasks are
hierarchical → some tasks need to be mastered before others and they need to cumulative
→ succeeding at earlier tasks makes it easier to succeed at later ones.
Media effects (the influence media has on the adolescent) are expected to vary significantly
depending on the child's age and the specific developmental tasks they are currently
negotiating (e.g., self-control in early childhood, intimate relationships in adolescence)
→ The media effects are depending on the
age of the user
,Risk and resilience approach
The Risk and Resilience Approach looks at individual differences in development. It
focuses on:
1. Risk factors – things that increase the likelihood of negative outcomes (e.g.,
exposure to media violence, poverty, or peer conflict).
2. Protective factors – things that reduce risk and support positive development
(e.g., a stable family, good self-regulation, supportive friends).
According to the cumulative risk model, risks add up: the more risks someone faces, the
higher the likelihood of negative effects.
→ The snowball effect illustrates how risks can
reinforce each other and grow over time, fitting
the risk side of the model.
→ The turnaround model shows the resilience
side: strong protective factors can interrupt a
negative trajectory and lead to positive change.
Together, these applications demonstrate how
risk can accumulate but also how resilience can
reverse negative patterns.
Uitleg Van artikel Gentil & Sesma
Risk and Resilience Approach: This approach
focuses on individual differences, distinguishing
between risk factors (which increase the likelihood
of maladaptation, such as media violence
exposure) and protective factors (which counteract risk, such as a stable family
environment or good self-regulation). The cumulative risk model holds that the more risks a
child encounters, the greater the likelihood of problematic functioning. Media violence is a
risk factor, and while it is not powerful enough to cause extreme violence on its own, its
effects add up when other risk factors are present. This model helps explain why not all
children are affected identically
Bronfenbrenners - developmental ecological model → can be used to analyze
media effects during adolescence
- Micro: How do parents monitor and regulate their children’s media use (tracking
screentime, keeping media outside of the bedroom)
- Exo: is school offering classes on online safety and social media policies such as
banning the smartphone from the classroom
- Macro: what do we believe and value regarding social media. Is it entertainment
or dangerous?
, Identity development during adolescence
An identity is, at least in part, an explicit theory of oneself as a person (moshman, 2005)
Identity dimensions
- Personal
- Social: gender, ethnic, national
- Online identity
Two key components that are important in identity development
1. Self-Image: how young people perceive themselves
2. Self-esteem: the ability to appreciate this self-image
Online vs offline identity
Online and offline identity is Interconnected, but not
identical – Artikel Subrahmanyam
Constructing Identity Online: Identity Exploration and Self-Presentation
Digital technologies are used by adolescents for identity exploration and self-
presentation. Constructing a coherent and stable identity is described as a
fundamental adolescent developmental task.
Identity during Adolescence Identity is a sophisticated, multidimensional concept.
According to Erikson, developing an identity is an important task during adolescence. It
means putting together different roles (like student, friend, child, future worker) into one
clear sense of self.
James Marcia built on Erikson’s ideas. He said identity development depends on two
things:
Exploration: actively thinking, searching, and trying out different options (for example
different beliefs, careers, or lifestyles).
Commitment: making choices and sticking to them (acceptance of a role or goal)
