Representation: Young People Making Meaning via the Internet

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Image: Elessar_X (2009) via sxc.hu

Our world is not crafted in black and white.  Throughout history, meaning is created from people’s experience and how objects, actions and people are represented in the lens of society.   In fact, researcher Stuart Hall went so far to state that ‘culture is about shared meanings’.   Traditionally, these cultures have largely been influenced by linear media (Film CommunicationMedia, n.d.).  Media outlets such as teen magazines, radio and television have, through advertising and programming, advised people what is ‘normal’ and ‘good’.  Young people have not only absorbed popular culture, but integrated it into their social communications (Ito, 2009) which can lead to damaging consequences for the self-image and attitudes of young people who do not fit the ‘norm’ (Media Awareness Network, 2010).  Over time, sub cultures have emerged and blossomed despite this inundation, however it was not until the wide uptake of the Internet that young people have really had the freedom to search for representations that they felt affinity with and to create their own understanding of the world around them.  This blog post reflects on the article ‘MediaLiteracy and Social Action in a Post-Pokemon World’ by Mimi Ito (2009)in relation to how young people are connecting to communities of representation beyond the boundaries of ‘local’ culture.

Whilst young people today are not so different to previous generations in terms of their behaviour, their access to information and, indeed, the world at large, has changed dramatically (Ito, 2009).  Whereas previously television and traditional media stereotypes may have coloured the formation of identity, young people are increasingly embracing their ability to engage with communities that, in the non-digital world, they would not be able to access.  This leads to a freedom of expression and interaction with others that breaks the boundaries of location, ethnicity and socio-cultural circumstance.

As an early example, Ito describes the fan culture of those involved in the Pokemon gaming craze (2009).  As Hall describes in ‘Representation: cultural representations and signifying practices’ (1997), ‘meanings’ can only be shared through common access to a representational system (language) that all participants understand.  Within the realm of Pokemon players, images and vocabulary have developed that are exclusive to the ‘game’.  This creates a community of people with a shared representation of parts of their world (Ito, 2009).  This is a positive thing for many young people as it leads to a sense of community, a belonging that is earned by self-motivated learning. 

Similarly, the Internet allows young people to create cultures on a global scale (Ito, 2009).  Whilst a young person who does not fit the perceived social ‘norm’ may find conventional life very difficult living in a small town, the Internet gives them potential access to a vast support network of organisations and individuals, as well as the ability to represent themselves and their situation in a context that is positive.  In the same way, young people have the opportunity, via the Internet, to hone interests and participate in popular sub-cultures that are foreign to their local experience.  An example of this is the explosion of the Japanese anime fan culture.  As Ito describes, young people are engaging with this form of cultural media in a way that is uniting beyond the boundaries of language and nationality (2009).  Within this culture, an international community of fansubbers create multilingual subtitles and release their efforts to the community at large via the Internet.  This method of representation through shared understanding and media-making has created a global community of anime fans.

In an educational context, the freedom of student-created representations offers teachers an opportunity to embrace the diversity of learners within their classrooms.  By asking students to research, create and publish work in an online environment, young people can access communities and shared representations that are meaningful to them and the contexts they embrace.  Through the process of meaning making online, students are able to challenge representations in both traditional and new media, promoting critical thought inside and out of the classroom.  Similarly, educators can use students’ experiences of the Internet to create contexts for global thinking and understanding.  Students become creators and work collaboratively to make meaning with not only those within their classroom, school and community but throughout the world (Victorian Health Promotion Unit, 2005)

Of course, it is wise to examine the inter-relationship between this aspect of Internet in terms of the ‘circuit of culture’ as described by Du Gay et al. (1997)  Representation on the Internet allows young people to recreate their identity in a way that is pleasing to them, perhaps seeking the refuge of anonymity or proudly proclaiming their interests despite ‘real world’ stereotypes.  Similarly, the way young people make meaning of their world and the freedom of representation on the Internet allow them to become active producers of content, creating a ‘feedback loop’ for others in their cultural community (Ito, 2009).  As consumers, young people are more able to ‘switch off’ to representations of people, actions and objects that do not appeal to them or that they disagree with or, alternative, encourages passionate objection via their freedom to contribute.  Finally, it is important to keep in mind that the Internet allows such freedom of expression that representations are created that are detrimental to young people – whether it be hate sites, the practise of ‘trolling’ social networking groups or cyber bullying.  Educators and policy-makers need to gravely consider regulation around the responsible use of the Internet by young people.

The Internet offers young people with many opportunities to create communities of belonging that deviate from conventional representations of actions, objects and people.  This deviation can allow young people freedom of expression as never before, allowing them to express their identity and participate as producers of meaningful content within popular culture communities.  By breaking conventional codes of meaning as driven by linear media representation, young people are able to become global citizens, promoting the flow of cultural media that unites people beyond national boundaries (Ito, 2009).

References:

Du Gay, P. Hall, S., Janes, L., Mackay, H. And Negus, K. (1997) Doing cultural studies: the story of the sony walkman. London: Sage/The Open University.

Elessar_x. (2009).  World wide web [Image]. Retrieved October 1, 2011 from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1213666

Film Communication Media (n.d.). Media fundamentals: Representation. Retrieved September 25, 2011 from http://www.adamranson.plus.com/MEDIAFUNdamentalrepresent.pdf

Hall, S. (1997). Introduction. In Hall, S. (Ed) Representation: cultural representations and signifying practices (pp. 1-13). London: Sage/The Open University.

Ito, M. (2009). Media literacy and social action in a post-Pokemon world. Transcript of a keynote address for the 51st NFAIS Annual Conference. Retrieved September 25, 2011 from http://www.itofisher.com/mito/publications/media_literacy.html

Media Awareness Network (2010). Media stereotyping. Retrieved September 25, 2011 from http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/index.cfm

Mental Health and Wellbeing Unit, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation. (2005). Young people, wellbeing and communication technologies. Retrieved from http://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/~/media/ProgramsandProjects/MentalHealthandWellBeing/Publications/Attachments/Young_People_and_Technology_Report.ashx

Labels: Representation - Carmel