Youth culture in a Digital world () Lecture notes

Youth culture in a digital world
Hoorcollege 1: Introduction

Digital (binary) Media (way to spread information)


“Digital media has disrupted/enriched traditional communication”
Disrupted  Social presence theory: “sense of being together” lower in digital media.
Neutral  Social information processing theory: communicators interpersonal needs prompts them
to try their best. Gebrek aan non verbale signalen bij communicatie.
Enrichment  Channel expansion theory: Users with experience will strive to develop necessary
skills. Zorgt voor ervaring met bepaalde mediatools, waardoor een persoon steeds beter weet waar
hij precies moet zoeken.


How do you use digital media?
 Replacement: we will always try the most efficient way to use something
 Media multitasking: you’re not replacing communication, you communicate via different
platforms at the same time.
Why do you use digital media?
Uses & gratifications theory: “What purposes or functions does media offer for active receivers?”
 Lasswell (1948)
 Surveillance of the environment (turned to the media (news) to be informed about
decisions from the government)  information
 Correlation of different aspects of that environment (to get an opinion from a topic
through talk shows)  opinion
 Transmission of social heritage (what are the social norms? Dating program: what is
appropriate?)  social norms
 Entertainment (to get to the media (movies) to feel good again and find entertainment)
 entertainment
 One size does not fit all (use different platforms for different motives)
 Information
 Social
 Entertainment
 Convenience/pass time

Storm and stress in adolescence
 Sexual development
 Identity development
 Social development
Youth development
 Developmental tasks approach
 Basic idea: Hierarchic list of tasks met through biological or social development 
cumulative. Tasks need to be fulfilled.

,  Application: Eriksons's developmental theory, Havighurst developmental theory
 The basic idea is that in order for a person to adapt, there are developmental challenges
that must be met. Some arise through biological maturation, others are imposed by
families and society, while others arise from the developing self.
 Risk and resilience approach
 Basic idea: risk and protective factors explain differences between children  cumulative
risk model. Differential life experiences among children
 Applications: snowball effect, turn around models

Scary media content and trauma
 Perceptual stage (2-7) looking scary
 Conceptual stage (7-12) being real
Interconnected, but not identical
Identity
Physical
Social


 Anonymity: Different, more extreme forms of behavior e.g., cyberbullying.
 Creativity: Playing around, discovering who you are.
Identity development: personal, social, gender, ethnic
Self-presentation
 Front stage: Instagram uploads,
profile information. Dramatic
interaction. The users audience e.g.,
followers and ‘friends’.
 Backstage: Instant messaging.
Informal talk and a relaxed role.



Hoorcollege 2: Youth culture in a digital world

What are media effects?

Media effects: Social or psychological responses occurring in individuals, dyads, small groups,
organizations, or communities as a result of exposure to or processing of or otherwise acting on
media messages

History of media effect

1. War Spain-US (1898)  Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst
2. Propaganda WO 1 (1917)  George Creel/Wartime propaganda
3. Movies as entertainment (1920s)  Very popular to pass the time. But what about effects on
children?
4. Payne fund studies  Edgar Dale > 75% of content: crime, love and sex
- Next step: emotional impact?
 Skin conductance studies
 Differences in reactions young and older adolescents
- Next step: behavioral impact?

,  E. g., Work of Blumer: estimate impact of media
 After Payne fund studies: legacy of fear
5. The invasion from mars (1930s)  War of the worlds: Narrative fictive story, creaters from
mars coming to earth, people were going to believe the story because it was on the radio
(large public fear).  large and intense MASS media-effects (reliability) = magic bullet effects
6. The people’s choice study  President election (1940). Longitudinal panel study with large
control groups (no significant differences (conversion & reinforcement))
Limited effects perspective: you cannot change people’s opinions, you can only make them
stronger.
7. The Decatur Study  two step flow of communication: indirect effects? Media effects are
complexer than just direct influence
8. World war 2 movies  movies as propaganda. Experiments to test the effects on knowledge
and motivation to go fight (media only limited effects)
ceiling effect? We are at the ceiling, we can’t go any further anymore, people were already
convinces to fight.

Social comparison theory – Festinger (1954)

- Idea: We determine our self-worth by comparing with others
- How: Surveys comparing beliefs with media use
- Focus: Physical appearance
- Dimensions:
 Upwards: compare with someone higher
 Downwards: compare with someone lower

Today: presenting the best version of yourself/ more insight information

9. The evils of comic books (1950s)  selective analysis of comic books. comic books disrupt
lives of adolescents and stimulate criminal behavior.
10. The dawn of television (1950-1960)  Much research on TV with new techniques such as
labo experiments (1960-1970)




Agenda-setting theory – Lippman (1968)