Michael's Thoughts on the Meaning of this Project

I have been thinking about this project a lot — a whole lot. This semester I took "Global Youth Media" and "Networked Collaborations" at the same time. After the second week, I knew I wanted to combine these two sources of knowledge into something by semester's end. I knew whatever was launched would just be seeds, something to nurture and grow as more time is spent dealing with the concepts that both courses presented.

The framework for this project is just scratching the surface of the potential behind these types of programs. We really are at a precipice right now. Digital technology is certainly becoming more widespread, but it is not ubiquitous. And, as I proposed in this concept paper, there is a great risk of leaving behind already economically and politically ostracized people. So, these programs are necessary, as they really will bridge the gap between those with fingertip access to digital technology and those with fleeting flirtations with digital technology.

In the "Global Youth Media" course, we have had countless conversations about abandoning those frameworks that are top down or bottom up. Instead, we should look at pedagogies that embrace a more circular model, one that is not so restrictive and linear. I think we have begun something here, with this curriculum, that moves in that direction.

Earlier in the semester in our "Networked Collaborations" blog I talked extensively about Joshua Meyrowitz. I said that Meyrowitz makes a compelling argument about the role television played in decompartmentalizing society and dissolving former hierarchies, all of which Meyrowitz claims led to the revolutions of the 1960s (As I said then, I have always found this argument a little deductive and technologically deterministic, as certainly there are other factors that led to the 60s revolution, that said, I still think Meyrowitz is compelling).

I believe the digital era is bringing about revolutionary shifts in group identity, socialization and hierarchy. In the wake of the digital revolution, we run the very real risk that these revolutionary shifts will only reinforce the same economic and political injustices that exist outside of the digital world.

But, I think that if I were to take anything away from what I have learned this semester in both "Networked Collaborations" and "Global Youth Media" is that there is reason for optimism. There are many reasons to be excited about the power of emerging technologies and collaborative tools to cause significant social change. There are many great pedagogies that provide "scaffolding" for a human rights curriculum that empowers people, giving them the skills to self-mobilize around issues that lead to their well-being.

There are many quotes that have lingered with me all semester, however one that has really stuck with me was in Howard Rheingold's "Smart Mobs." In it, he argued that "Smart mobs consist of people who are able to act in concert even if they don't know each other. The people who make up smart mobs cooperate in ways never before possible because they carry devices that possess both communication and computing capabilities. ... Groups of people using these tools will gain new forms of social power." (Rheingold, 2002, xii).

This encapsulates the tremendous potential of emergent digital tools. A new brand of social power is emerging, but what type of social change will it bring if the "new" holders of the social power already have status and power?

So, we have to continuously carve out spaces in the digital world for young adults, especially those who may not have easy access to the networked tools. We have to create a generation of young adults who are not just media literate, but capable of producing their own media. In Convergence Culture, Henry Jenkins said:

We need to rethink the goals of media education so that young people can come to think of themselves as cultural prodcuers and participants and not simply as consumers, critical or otherwise. (Jenkins, 2006, 259)

As is so often the case, it is always easy to find someone who has already said what we want to say— only much better! Jenkins' quote embodies the spirit of this project. We have to help youth not just tap into digital tools, but then empower them to turn around and produce their own cultural texts. Additionally, we have to equip them with the power to critically evaluate the world around them. It is a tall order and certainly not one that any single project can achieve, but hopefully these ideas will contribute!

(As an aside, it has been tremendous working with Billy, Patrick and Anja. Billy did a great job of recapping how we have worked together throughout this project. I think we all brought tremendous ideas to the table and interspersed our own visions for what a youth media curriculum entails — exactly the benefits of collaborating via networks!).