Reliving childhood can be fun. It can also be hard.
Media can be positive. It can also be negative.
And COMM123A has taught me that it’s okay to be a combination of both.
I have gained a lot of new perspectives on the intricate relationship between youth and media through our class. Kids today, even though I like to believe that I am not much older than them, are growing up in an environment that was different than mine. That’s a plain and simple fact. The digital media world is literally at our fingertips 24/7. And just because kids have smaller fingertips doesn’t mean this world isn’t as equally, or even more, media-driven.
http://www.theintentionallife.com/social-media-modesty/
Kids are smart, intuitive, creative, and curious. This makes them naturals in the realm of media. However, it also makes them vulnerable. And these vulnerabilities change based on the audience since babies, preschoolers, kids, tweens, and teens are all at different developmental stages cognitively and socially. Our final projects for this course have investigated common public concerns on the negative impacts from media use and exposure, including violence; aggression; risky behaviors involving sex, alcohol, and drugs; depression; self-esteem; and body image. My classmates came up with a great range of how to alleviate these concerns through a variety of platforms, including in-school activities/programs, screen-free days, and positive social media presences on blogs, Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram. So yes, media can have clear harmful effects on kids’ attitudes and behavior. BUT we can use media in similar popular ways to redirect their attention to positive, healthy, inspirational, community-oriented, and kid-friendly messages.
This summer, I will be working at a camp with kids entering grades six thru eight. I have done this the past three years but I am entering this season with a new outlook into their lives. We have always been a place where kids can come to unplug, play outdoors, and socially interact with friends and peers. I now realize just how important that really is. Similarly, I’m excited to talk to them more about their own media experiences and habits because they are always gushing about finding the coolest Vines, attending the annual summer VidCon, singing the latest pop song, or watching the hit summer movies. Thanks to this course, I have more of a background to investigate the media messages today’s kids are receiving and to observe how those messages are being played out in the everyday lives of my summer camp kids. And because middle school kids are at a real crossroads in terms of identity formation, I hope to be a role model to shape them into future teenagers and adults who, like me, can appreciate and analyze media for its good sides and bad sides…for its halos and its horns.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/91249959/little-angel-and-little-devil-wings