In every age, people have found new ways to get involved and express themselves, and one of the great things about this new digital age is that it has allowed for the world to become even smaller. Jenkins' introduction makes note of this happenstance. He highlights that, even though he grew up and chose a political science focus in college, his personal interests allowed for him to draw parallels between traditional studies and the culture in which he participated during his free time. Studying law is one thing, seeing fans struggling with copywrite issues first hard is another-- it is at this point that the textbooks become real.
Jenkins also talks about how digital communities have become places where young people can learn about political, civil, and moral issues, and see what people outside of their own families believe. The conversation has transitioned from being around the dinner table to the whole world and the funny thing is, you don't even have to leave your house. Participatory culture has done great things in this sense, because it engages the youth in ways that haven't been available in the past. Jenkins says that "Youth have often felt excluded by the kinds of 'policy wonk' or 'inside the belt' language used by more traditional organizations" (157). This does not have to be the case anymore.
This introduction made me think of Tumblr, and the rise of the social justice warrior and, to be honest, I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, the digital world opens up opportunities for participation in causes and learning new points of view and opinions, which is great, if you are well grounded enough to be investigative. If someone believes something, or has grown up their entire life in one kind of atmosphere, I think they should be challenged. If you're never challenged, how will you ever grow?
On the other hand, it is widely known that the "Tumblr social justice warrior" is not exactly the most grounded character. It's great that people of any age can go online and participate, but the risk here is that things can get disconnected and out of control. It's my worry that a lot of this participation is people who are jumping on the bandwagon of what is popular to complain about, without having any real life experience or knowledge to back it up. We've discussed this in class before-- by being able to pick and choose what news stories you see, what sources you look at, and who gives you information, are you getting a comprehensive view of the other side? That takes an extra step of work that I can only hope people are willing to take. Or, as was discussed in my presentation, talk is great, but action is what counts. It's great that younger people are taking an interest in causes, but what are they doing about it? Do you #feeltheBern, or are you actually voting? And if you are voting, do you know what you're voting for? Are you jumping on a bandwagon, or are you an educated citizen, understanding of both sides? Or are you, as the great Bard once said, full of sound and fury but ultimately signifying nothing?
Going back to the reading, youth participation cannot be ignored. I thought that Mimi Ito's example was perfect to show the power of youth, when thousands of students in LA organized a walk-out via MySpace, IMs, and texting, to protest HR 4437, the border control act of 2005. The media did not cover why the students left, instead it was framed as an issue of truancy. Ito makes a good case, "After years of complaining about teens' failure to engage in political issues, these teens did something pretty phenomenal and classically political, only to be dismissed and ignored" (159). That being said, no matter the organization style, this is also not anything new-- the rebel youth are the ones who often try to make a stand, are pushed down, but, historically, they do make an impact. Think of the hippies.
Later on in the chapter, Mimi again makes a point that I appreciate: "The challenge with youth-only or niche worlds is figuring out connections to other sites of power. Otherwise, they don't harness power beyond the specific community" (164). The things that are discussed sometimes don't the opportunity to be heard, because of the natural division. I had never heard of the Harry Potter Alliance prior to this chapter, but I learned that it partners young people with political elites in order to open up a conversation about public policy. It's pretty cool, in my opinion, that a generation of kids who grew up reading Harry Potter and writing fanfiction, are now able to take the ideas that have been cultivated within the community and present them to people who have a say in the laws of our society. Literature has always been a way in which people provide commentary on their respective worlds. If we read literature of the past to learn about the past, perhaps there is validity in looking at the literature of the present to learn how people truly feel.
Toward the end of the chapter, the authors bring up the Kony 2012 debacle, and I was glad for this, because it highlights my argument from above-- it's great when people get involved in a cause, particularly youth, but please, please, know what you're talking about. Kony 2012 and Invisible Children brought the horrific reality of child abuse in Uganda to the public's attention, but that story got so twisted and misconstrued that people now mention the movement ironically, and joke about "#kony2012." That's not what anyone wants, and boyd comments:
On the one hand, it's exciting to see youth play a central role in a global media phenomenon-- and many youth who were a part of the Kony 2012 project felt seriously empowered. On the other, it's a bit troublesome to watch youth be used uncritically to amplify a message. (175)I appreciated the work that boyd, Jenkins, and Ito put into this book, and I feel that they portrayed youth culture in a welcoming light, which is refreshing to see in the midst of all of the concerns about the next generation. There were certainly cases in which I did not agree with the ideals put forth, but overall I enjoyed the discussion throughout the chapters, and the format gave the book an easy, conversational flow. A lot was covered in a little over 200 pages, but I feel that it was covered comprehensively. Our new world and the participatory culture that it allows for is a powerful weapon, and I think we will continue to see this more and more as time goes on.
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