ABSTRACT

This chapter reviews the literature on digital media uses and effects and considers a media literacy approach to tackling media dependence. It starts by looking at the evidence on digital media effects with particular emphasis on problematic use, so as to map potential areas of concern. The chapter then examines the role of media in young people's daily lives and spaces, and the implications of the blurring of the boundaries between public and private space. It considers the role of digital media literacy in addressing some of these challenges and presents the results of a qualitative research study and pedagogic experiment in which 190 students unplugged completely for 24 hours and then reflected on their experience. The impact of digital technologies on the quality, quantity and relative importance of online and offline relationships has been a popular subject in the academic literature.