Young People, Ethics and New Digital Media - Book Analysis Paper Example

Book Title: Young People, Ethics and New digital Media: A Synthesis from the GoodPlay Project

Authors: Carrie James (with Katie Davies, Andrea Flores, John M. Francis, Lindsay Pettingill, Margaret Rundle and Howard Gardner)

Publication: MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England (2009)

Introduction

Young People, Ethics and New Digital Media is the report which is exploring impact of advances in digital technology on the ethics of young people. The author has identified social networking, blogging, gaming, music downloads, instant messaging and sharing of creative content on internet the as the new features of the digital media which have revolutionized the actions of the young people, globally. According to the author, the functionalities of modern digital technologies avail opportunities many people, ultimately transforming the lives of the users. However, it is highlighted that the growing application of the digital media has exposed individuals to significant ethical risks. In this work, the author is focusing on exploring ethical fault lines that emanate from digital pursuit. The author outlines media identity, privacy, ownership and authorship, credibility, and participation as areas of concern associated with advancement in the digital media.

Summary of the Book

The author has identified the GoodPlay Project as a tool that will allow people to communicate online in a meaningful and acceptable way. With its participatory potentials, new digital media is perceived to be a platform through which various need to be applied to guarantee a good play. Technologies of the digital media, expertise of new media literacies, person-oriented factors, beliefs and values, peer cultures and upright supports are crucial elements that can facilitate the concept of good play in the new digital media (James, 2009). It follows that the proposed model is setting a precedence on how to woo young people into the culture of sharing their personal experiences and interactions with new digital media. Investigation of ethical contours that are associated with new digital media as well as creating intervention approaches to enhance ethical thinking and conduct are the key objectives of the Goodplay Project described in this book.

The author has outlined media identity, privacy, ownership and authorship, credibility, and participation as significant areas of concern in the escalating application of new digital media. This implies that there is the need of re-conceptualizing these issues and their respective ethical potentials. Apparently, the new digital media has paved the way for the introduction of a variety of frontiers, which are portrayed as open spaces. However, it is demonstrated that such frontiers have inadequate and well-enforced policies thus harboring incredible promises and critical dangers (James, 2009). It is revealed that a participatory culture involves limited barriers towards artistic expression or civic engagement and more significant support for the creation and sharing of peoples creativity. The author is focusing on third-space activities and un-ambiguous games as the main critical elements that represent young peoples interactive activities which are deemed to be consequential.

Identity is one aspect which epitomizes ethical lines in the new digital media. Identity formation amongst the digital youth goes beyond an individual project since it is a profoundly social process that depends on the social validation and consequences which can either be promising or endanger. Identity exploration and formation are typically enhanced by self-expression, self-reflection, and opinions of others (James, 2009). Limited type of identities offline and inadequate spaces and time are some of the factors that have hindered young peoples ability to form their characters.

Modern adolescents are faced with a significant pressure stemming from schoolwork, extracurricular programs or college admissions. It follows that the current young people are experiencing a declining time and space to explore their identities. The author of this text acknowledges that new digital media are availing adolescents with new areas which are vital for the exploration of their identity. Virtual spaces are now facilitating the real development tasks amongst the adolescents when it comes to identity formation. It is imperative to research on the consequences of these new social contexts that have led to the creation of individuals identities. The regulations to govern these interactions should revolve around ethical terrain. Without rules of coherence, the self will spin in multiple directions which can be detrimental to the ethical development of the young people.

Privacy is also another factor outlined in this book which is associated with new digital media. Offline privacy advocates for the retention and concealment of personal information. Internet features usually implement privacy features in new ways which incline towards persistence, searchability, replicability and invisible audience (James, 2009). The author observes that sharing of content on internet by young people imply that they have adopted new approaches when it comes to maintaining of privacy as compared to the older generation. Instead of hiding their personal information as part of privacy requirements, young people are now concerned with management of what needs to be disclosed online. However, this increased their vulnerability towards data breaching and deception, which infringes their privacy rights.

Authorship and ownership are also identified components of GoodPlay project as covered in this book. Authorship and ownership concepts emerge from the intellectual property rights that are meant to protect individuals who own particular digital content. The author of this book argues that any form of credit or profit arising from the digital content should be given to the creators of owners (James, 2009). Towards the conclusion, the author selects Goodplay Project as a vital tool that will enhance social responsibility of individuals participating online. It is proposed that the Goodplay Project will provide a framework which will maintain a balance between technologies and opportunities, ultimately enabling young people to be innovative and ethical participants in the growing new digital media.

Analysis of the authors Approach and the Book Content

Authors Approach

It can be asserted that the book Young People, Ethics and New digital Media is proposing Good Play Project as an avenue that allows young people to share their experiences regarding their interaction with the new digital media. It is probably a coincidence that this book was published in 2009, which was the same time that the technological world was in awe of the inception of different social media platforms such Facebook, Twitter, and Badu. During the time of launching this book, these social websites were reportedly popular among youthful populations.

Many users utilized social media platforms to connect with their friends and families, thus facilitating an extensive exchange of personal information. The popularity of social websites in the late 2000s demonstrated the breakthrough of new digital media, which dominates the content of this book. This demonstrates that the authors ideas in this book were timely. He is addressing contemporary issues which are rampant in the information technology.

The writing style adopted in this book is expository. The authors main purpose is to explain particular elements of new digital media and how their respective applications are impacting on the ethics of young people. The use of expository writing style has enabled the author to explore and explain various elements which are pertinent in the growing importance of the information technology as well as associated perils to the young people. For instance, the author proposes Good Play Project as a platform which will allow young people to share their experiences regarding their interaction with the new digital media.

The author further identifies activities such as social networking, blogging, gaming, music downloads, and instant messaging and sharing of creative content on internet as the sources of opportunities that enable youths to develop in all facets of life. However, the author reasons that with these opportunities, there are associated dangers which can be detrimental to the development of young people.

It is proposed that significant attention should be channeled towards media identity, privacy, ownership and authorship, credibility, and participation since they are vital elements that can influence the ethics of young people when it comes to their interactivity with new digital media. This attests that the authors approach (use of expository writing style) has played a critical role in explaining the fundamental concepts of the report, ultimately convincing the targeted audience on the need for implementing the suggested policies.

The significance of the Topic

The book Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media is addressing the issues that are relevant to the modern technological problems. It is apparent that the components of the new digital media have transformed the way young people are accessing information, which is vital to their development and acquisition of knowledge. For instance, access to the new digital content will prompt individuals to be involved in various online activities such as social networking, blogging, gaming, music downloads, instant messaging and sharing of creative content on internet. These activities have a significant influence on the social setup of the present general of digital media users.

The author has addressed different implications that are likely to stem from peoples interactions with digital technology. For example, the author points out that Identity formation amongst the digital youth goes beyond an individual project since it is entirely a social process. It is implied that young people are using digital media to seek social validation and approval which has influenced their perceptions and attitudes towards particular aspects such as identity and privacy.

The advancement in the information technology has led to the inception of various unethical activities that can be injurious to the digital media users. Impersonation, hacking and cyberbullying are some of the trends associated with advancing technology. The author of the book has tried to address such issues by proposing the implementation of has identified the GoodPlay Project as a tool that will allow people to communicate online in a meaningful and ethical manner.

The author acknowledges that irrespective of the vital role played new digital media, it is associated with adverse impact which can be related to the current issues that are predominant in the technological sector. Young people are exposed to significant risks as they rely on internet technologies to interact and access knowledge. Recently, an online game known as Blue Whale Suicide challenge led to the deaths of many youngsters who were compelled by the rules of the game to commit suicide (Mullin, 2017). This suggests that proper regulations need to be implemented to govern young peoples interactions with new digital media. Perhaps the authors proposed adoption of Goodplay Project can be a remedy to such incidences. Investigation of ethical contours that are associated with new digital media as well as creating intervention approaches to enhance ethical thinking and conduct are the key objectives of the Goodplay Project described in this book.

Conclusion

It is apparent that Carrie James wrote a piece of literature which is relevant in the modern society as far as new digital media is concerned. The book presents different areas of concerns regarding young people...