ABSTRACT
The present volume aimed to enhance understanding of the changing place of media in children and young people’s lives, a subject of growing interest and concern to the public, policy makers, and the academic community alike. Since we began the empirical project reported here, new media have risen dramatically to the forefront of the public agenda. Regular headlines focus on the Internet, digital television, e-commerce, the virtual classroom, global consumer culture, and cyber-democracy. The result is a flurry of hype and anxiety, a pressure to be seen to be “doing something,” a fear of not “keeping up.” Although the potential benefits are much discussed, public concerns keep pace. Interactive media are seen to herald the rise of individualized and privatized lifestyles increasingly dependent on the economics of global consumerism, resulting in the demise of national culture and national media regulation. However, behind the speculation lies a dearth of knowledge about the diffusion and appropriation of new information and communication technologies (ICT). We know from studies of past “new” media that the outcomes of these processes are sometimes at odds with popular expectations, sometimes shaped by those expectations, and sometimes amenable to intervention if opportunities are recognized in time.
