How Should Adolescents Critically Use Digital Media?
To first approach this question, one must first determine what “critically use” means in this context. Critical usage suggests that the reader or viewer can take the information presented and can thoroughly determine its importance, value, credibility, reliability and other introspective aspects. Secondly, one must determine what digital media is considered to be in this context as well. Digital media is all around us in the modern world. It is essentially anything that is viewed upon a digital means, i.e. cell phone, television, computers, etc. Adolescents today are surrounded by digital media and are actively participating in it on a daily basis, which sets up the question, how should adolescents use digital media? Adolescents learning how to critically use digital media provides them with a countless number of social benefits, protects them from fraudulent content, and allows them to better use digital media as a platform for constructive and healthy discussion in modern day society.
Digital media can be a pervasive influence in the minds of adolescents if not handled correctly. According to David Buckingham (2009),” In most children’s leisure-time experiences, computers are much more than devices for information retrieval: they convey images and fantasies, provide opportunities for imaginative self-expression and play, and serve as a medium through which intimate personal relationships are conducted.” (3). So we know that students are constantly exposed to digital media and are at risk of deception if not critically literate in digital media. Adolescents are getting their own mobile devices at younger ages and need to be aware of the dangers of digital media. In order to protect them, they must learn critical digital literacy. Julie Warner (2017) wrote that “not only should critical digital literacy should teach youth to interrogate the texts they read and circulate, it should also involve teaching youth how to read digital spaces” (13). Here we can recognize that students must be able to observe the digital media they see on so many different platforms and have the ability to interpret and critically evaluate its biases, importance, reliability and other qualities.
So why should adolescents critically use digital media instead of just reading along and going with whatever they observe on digital media? Well, digital media is a learning space that can quickly become deceptive and manipulative if placed in the wrong hands. So it is up to our educators to present digital media in an appropriate manner to facilitate good discussion and developmental growth in their digital literacy. According to raisingchildren.net (2017), the benefits of digital media include, “social connections, self-expression, political and social awareness, reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, and self-values” (2). As you can see, digital media can have a tremendous positive impact on the social development of adolescents if used properly. The problem is fake news, scams, and other toxic digital media issues that mislead adolescents and even adults, taking away from the true potential of healthy and productive digital media. The following video expresses the dangers of mishandled digital media that can jeopardize students’ safety. In this case, fake news is a major issue that faces many people across the globe and this video explains how one can critically evaluate its trustworthiness as a whole.
Juliet Hinrichsen and Antony Coombs (2014) at the University of Greenwich were able to develop a framework (pictured below) that explain the 5 dimensions of critical digital literacy. Their message was simple. Hinrichsen and Coombs (2014) described the model as “a framework to articulate the scope and dimensions of digital literacy” (TeachThoughtStaff 2018). Those two concisely analyzed the way people should visualize, interpret, and critically conclude observations from digital media. These are the steps that adolescents should take in order to critically use digital media in today’s day and age. If adolescents can decode the digital media’s structures, find its purpose, analyze the author and his/her ethics, understand how others can perceive this, and then can use this interpretation for problem-solving for themselves and their community, then these students can critically use digital media.
Adolescents live in a world where digital media dominates social communication and they must critically use digital media in the ways we’ve discussed today in order to navigate all the information available to them.
Required Readings
Buckingham, D. (2009). Digital Media Literacies: Rethinking media education in the age of the Internet[PDF].
Warner, J. (2017). Adolescents’ New Literacies with and through Mobile Phones[PDF]. Peter Lang.
Outside Resources
5 Dimensions Of Critical Digital Literacy: A Framework. (2018, September 26). Retrieved October 21, 2018, from https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/5-dimensions-of-critical-digital-literacy/
There was no clear author except “TeachThoughStaff” so I referenced that and I also got the quote for Hinrichsen and Coombs off of this site so that’s why the names don’t align
F. (2016, December 08). Retrieved October 21, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=32&v=AkwWcHekMdo
Media benefits for children and teenagers. (2017, July 12). Retrieved October 21, 2018, from https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/entertainment-technology/media/media-benefits#deciding-what-media-is-good-nav-title
There was no author so I wrote the website title when I referenced it in my writing.
