Sam fitzpatrick - MC503 Final

Internet Generation – Young people and what the future holds for their developing

identities within digital media.

A Presentation by Sam FitzpatrickStudent Number: 0802112

Internet Generation•Referred to in numerous ways, the

‘Internet Generation’ are the first generation to which many believe have had lifelong use of digital media.

•As the first generation to have been immersed in new technologies comes of age, I question what will the future hold for the digital natives and the development on their online identities.

Identity development in our Real World.

•Identities are shaped by Social and Cultural experiences.

•Country, Race, Gender, Family + Friends...

Brainstorm-services (2010)

Identities in virtual worlds/cyberspace •Previous concern has focused on how our

identities may develop as a result of the TV screen.

•As Digital Media develops attention is turned to the computer screens and the prosumers captivated by them.

Crowdstorm (2010)

Identities in Virtual Worlds/Cyberspace•Prosumers - In an online world where

digital media is fueled and driven by consumers who also produce, this new phrase epitomizes the audiences of digital media.

•This production and consumption of media provides us with a model that documents identity processes of prosumers.

Rahulnambiar (2010)

Identities in virtual worlds/cyberspace •As people spend more time online in the

virtual world their identities become more complex and begin to shape and evolve from our real world identities.

•Research from Herring (2008) shows young adults disregard the real world values and what adults would come to expect of them when online.

Young Adults and Identity.•Herring (2008) also argues that young

adults orient to the constructs represented by adults, whilst simultaneously orienting their own from experiences.

•This dual-identity process signals how this generation have started to blend and converge developing identities.

•Further demonstration of real and virtual realities seamlessly merging.

Uploading Identity. •Social network profiles and avatars are

perceived as extending our bodies into cyberspace (Yee, 2008).

•Avatars and our other personal creations

mark our fingerprint on the Internet. • ‘Who we want you to think we are.’

My own experience.•From my own experiences of online

environments, documented within my online journal, there is evidence that agrees with Herring (2008).

•I use constructs from my real world identity that effect my online identity, yet often disregard adult constructs.

•My online identities have shaped constructs of their own, particularly in online worlds like World of Warcraft.

My use of Virtual Worlds.•Online worlds within games tend to have

their own dynamics based on our real world.•World of Warcraft is a fantasy based game

so is visibly different in many respects, but it’s core politics are similar to those of the real world.

•These differences encourage a change in identities.

•The similarities blur the boundaries between indentities.

Global Peers and Future Development.•The Internet Generation are continually

connected to one another.•They are no longer restricted by

restraints of friends having to live locally to communicate or interact with.

•Virtual environments mean they can have online and offline friends, developing multiple complex identities.

Future Development - Virtual Reality (VR) •“Entertainment could be the first public

area in which VR will prevail. People speculate that sooner or later VR will replace television and movies. That is, instead of watching, you will participate in a story.” (Zhai, 1998. p.167)

•I believe that in the future our internet and virtual consumption will have noticeable effects on our real world identities.

Limitations and dangers.•Zhai (1998) argues that virtual reality

replacing entertainment rests upon factors of technological, social/political, economical, ideological, and psychological.

•I believe that most of these factors can be found in virtual environments already.

•Second Life can be seen as not a game but as a virtual environment for entertainment.

•Economics - Already we can see virtual reality blending with our real world.

Limitations and Dangers.•“One may argue that, by rendering our

action in cyberspace non-consequential, VR deprives human life of the ethical contents necessary for a meaningful life” (Zhai, 1998. p.170)

•I disagree with this argument. I believe that as digital media advances our actions within cyberspace will be consequential, affecting both realities that precipitate our lives.

Conclusion.• As the first Internet Generation become of age I

believe we will see both online and offline world re-shaped in their image.

• I believe that we can already see early formations of what world future identities will develop with.

• Seamless drifting between online and offline worlds for all parts of our lives which shape identity.

• Online shopping, online education, online job applications, online meetings, online friends, online entertainment, online world.

• Identities and their development will be shared between both worlds. Online and offline realities will affect one an another with equal portions.

Reference List• Brainstorm-services [Image] (2010) viewed 20-05-10 <http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-

2004/art/IDENTITY-MIND-MAP.jpg>

• Buckingham , D (2007). Youth, Identity, and Digital Media. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

• Crowdstorm [image] (2010) viewed 20-05-10 <http://blog.crowdstorm.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/digital-identity-mapping.jpg>

 • Herring, S (2008) ‘Questioning the Generational Divide: Technological Exoticism and Adult

Constructions of Online Youth Identity', in Atkins, B & Krzywinska, T (eds.) Videogame, Player, Text. Manchester: MUP.

• Rahulnambiar [Image] (2010) viewed 20-05-10 , <http://rahulnambiar.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/prosumer.jpg>

 • Yee, N. (2004) Identity Projection. Available at:

http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/print/000431.php (Accessed: 20-05-10>)

• Zhai, P (1998) Get Real: a philosophical adventure in virtual reality. Maryland:Rowman & Littlefield