“oh, like you know something the internet doesn’t know.”
DESCRIPTION
Teenage Life Online: The Rise of the Networked Generation Lee Rainie – Director Youth.Net Conference - Singapore August 12, 2003. “Oh, like you know something the Internet doesn’t know.”. Who I am… … what we do. Funded by Pew Charitable Trusts – a major U.S. foundation / charity - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Teenage Life Online: The Rise of the Networked Generation
Lee Rainie – DirectorYouth.Net Conference - Singapore
August 12, 2003
“Oh, like you know something the Internet doesn’t know.”
Who I am…… what we do
• Funded by Pew Charitable Trusts – a major U.S. foundation / charity
• Asked to create empirical research to help policy makers
• Areas of study:– Family life - Health care– Community - Civic and political life– Education - Work places
Prediction 1
“I believe that the Internet is destined to revolutionize our educational system and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.”
the motion picture is
-- Thomas Edison, 1922
Prediction 2
“The central and dominant aim of education online is to bring the world to the classroom, to make universally available the services of the finest teachers, the inspiration of the greatest leaders, … and unfolding world events which through the Internet may come as a vibrant and challenging textbook of bits traveling over wires.”
by radio is
of the air.”
-- Benjamin Darrow, 1932 textbookcalled “Radio: The assistant teacher”
radio
Prediction 3
“There won’t be schools in the future…. I think the Internet will blow up the school. That is, the school as something where there are classes, teachers running exams, people structured in groups by age, [who] follow a curriculum – all of that.”
-- Seymour Papert, technologyexpert, 1984
think the computer
Adult population is stagnant / churning
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Jan-9
2
Jan-9
3
Jan-9
4
Jan-9
5
Jan-9
6
Jan-9
7
Jan-9
8
Jan-9
9
Jan-0
0
Jan-0
1
Jan-0
2
Jan-0
3
Teen population grows / use ebbs and flows
Adults
Teens
Surf fo
r fun
Play games
Instant message
Health in
fo
News
Pursue hobbies
Listen to m
usic
Chat rooms
Download music
Sports news
My team’s site
s
Auction/tr
ading
Buy products
My own site
Sensitive to
pics
Research pro
ducts
What teenagers do online – 1
TV s
tars
Pic
ture
s
Roc
k st
ars
Cal
enda
r
What teenagers do online - 2
Homework
Major researc
h pro
jects
Email / IM
teachers
Download stu
dy aids
Access class W
eb sites
Create
class Web page
What teens do more than adults
Adults TeensBrowse for fun 63% 84%
Info leisure activities 65% 83%Instant messaging 51% 79%
Play games 34% 66%Listen to music 40% 59%Download music 29% 59%Visit chat rooms 26% 55%Check sports info 38% 47%
What teens talk about most with friendsTopic Total Male FemaleBoyfriend/girlfriend 38% 32% 44%Other friends 36% 33% 39%Life in general 35% 32% 39%Someone to date 35% 32% 38%Music 30% 34% 25%Sex 27% 32% 22%Gossip 26% 14% 39%The future 25% 24% 26%Next weekend 25% 24% 26%Last weekend 23% 23% 24%Movies/TV shows 21% 26% 16%Sports 21% 33% 8%Secret things 20% 15% 26%Current events 19% 22% 16%School / grades 18% 16% 20%Jobs 16% 18% 13%Deep feelings 15% 9% 23%College 12% 11% 13%Fashion 12% 7% 18%Video games/computers 11% 20% 1%Parents 9% 5% 13%Celebrities 7% 5% 13%Vacations 6% 7% 6%Brother / sister 4% 3% 6%Eating habits 2% 1% 3%
Source: Peter Grunwald & Associates Corporation for Public Broadcasting Survey, January 2003
Now and in the future
• Educational implications– Formal– Informal
• Social implications– Privacy and identity– Secret information– Friendships and associations– Family life
The Industrial Age education model
the clueless,teacher-dependentpupil
The Information Age education model
the net-savvy,well-connected, teacher-independent end-user
Students’ Internet metaphors
• The Internet as virtual textbook and reference library
• The Internet as virtual tutor and study shortcut
• The Internet as virtual study group• The Internet as virtual guidance counselor• The Internet as virtual locker, backpack and
notebook
Student laments
• Assignments don’t take advantage of the Internet
• Classroom work hardly ever exploits the Internet
• The hindrances students see:– Fear about “digital divide”– Fear about the “dark side” of the Internet– Techno-wariness– Low level of support from school administrators
NET-SAVVYNET-SAVVYSTUDENTSTUDENT my referencemy reference
materials and textsmaterials and texts
my searchmy searchengineengine
my personal my personal networknetwork
my teachers and tutorsmy teachers and tutorsmy favoritemy favoriteresearch research
sitessitesmy classmatesmy classmates
my onlinemy onlinestudy aidsstudy aids
my onlinemy onlinetutorstutors qualitywarequalityware
& communityware& communityware
Underlying world view, Information Age education
Digital age shifts in learning
TEXT TEXT+IMAGE
BEING TOLD
(authority based)
DEDUCTIVE
(linear)
DON’T KNOW
WON’T TRY
INFORMATION RICH
NAVIGATION MEDIA
DISCOVERY, EXPERIENTIAL
BRICOLAGE + JUDGMENT
(lateral)
DON’T KNOW – LINK, LURK & TRY
literacy literacy literacy
John Seely Brown, Social Life of Information
action
reasoning
learning
Privacy and identity
• Teenagers want to set themselves apart from their parents – this is the age of emancipation– They use technologies to be with people and do
things that they would like their parents not to see
– They also like to experiment with their identities • Take advantage of anonymity of online world • Video game characters• Customize their “tech toys”
Splitting the selfHow many email addresses or screen names do online teens use?
One Two ThreeFour
+
All teens 44% 25% 10% 21%
Boys 39% 26% 11% 24%
Girls 50% 23% 9% 19%
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Teens and Parents Survey, Nov.-Dec. 2000. Margin of error is ±4%.
Access to ‘secret information’
• Teenagers use the Internet to find secrets and learn sensitive information– Health information– Sexual information– Tips on how to handle difficult social
situations (bullies, etc.)– Insights on how to be attractive to romantic
partners– Subjects that are forbidden in their homes
Friendships and associations
• Use communication tools to stay in constant touch with their friends– A new intimacy and “presence” – “ultra-
connectedness”– New levels of spontaneity– “Smart mobs”– New arrangements for etiquette and norms
• New tools to expand their social networks– The possibility of more “weak” ties
New life at home
• Family accommodation to the new technologies – Where is the computer?– Who can go online when and for how
long?– Is it being used for “good” or “bad”
reasons?– Teens as tech support – family learners
• A one-time generational event
Implications -- Blurred boundaries
• Private / public• Home / work / school• Identity – male/female, young/old,
passive/aggressive, playful/vengeful• Producer / consumer• Entertainment / information• Single tasks / multitasks• Right / wrong
A new challenge – more stress
• Higher levels of intrusion in personal life
• “Always on the job”
• “Always available”
• New surveillance possibilities – loss of privacy
What today’s youth can do for us all
• Develop new sense of community – especially by using online groups
• Help “sort out” the Web – find information, allow interactions
• Help define and teach media and technology literacy
• Help create new social norms – define how it is proper to behave with new information technologies
• Help elders adapt to new technologies and the coming era of ubiquitous computing (cars, homes, clothes, wallets, appliances)
“People tend to overestimate the impact of new technologies in the short run and underestimate their long-term impacts.”
Prediction 4
-- Mary O’Hara Devereaux Institute for the Future
Contact meLee Rainie
[email protected]://www.pewinternet.org