Description
In The Young and the Digital, S. Craig Watkins skillfully draws from more than 500 surveys and 350 in-depth interviews with young people, parents, and educators to understand how a digital lifestyle is affecting the ways youth learn, play, bond, and communicate. Timely and deeply relevant, the book covers the influence of MySpace and Facebook, the growing appetite for “anytime, anywhere” media and “fast entertainment,” how online “digital gates” reinforce race and class divisions, and how technology is transforming America’s classrooms. Watkins also debunks popular myths surrounding cyberpredators, Internet addiction, and social isolation. The result is a fascinating portrait, both celebratory and wary, about the coming of age of the first fully wired generation.
Table of Contents
Introduction The Young and the Digital
One Digital Migration: Young People’s Historic Move to the Online World
Two Social Media 101:What Schools Are Learning about Themselves and Young Technology Users
Three The Very Well Connected: Friending, Bonding, and Community in the Digital Age Four Digital Gates: How Race and Class Distinctions Are Shaping the Digital World
Five We Play: The Allure of Social Games, Synthetic Worlds, and Second Lives
Six Hooked: Rethinking the Internet Addiction Debate
Seven Now! Fast Entertainment and Multitasking in an Always-On World
Eight “May I have your attention?”: The Consequences of Anytime, Anywhere Technology
Conclusion A Message from Barack: What the Young and the Digital Means for Our Political Future
The Making of This Book: Research, Methods, and Acknowledgments
Notes
