Youth Access To Information
New media technologies have had an extensive influence over the way in which youth are exposed to information. They have brought about changes in the increased accessibility of information, the transformation of markets to which such information is targeted, and the increased interactivity between the ‘suppliers’ and the ‘consumers’ of this information.
In western cultures where access to the Internet is readily available, and easily adopted by youth, many opportunities have been presented to distribute information to this particularly dominant segment (in terms of their numbers, their knowledge and spending power) of the population. The new communication technologies that exist not only enhance citizens’ willingness and ability to participate but provides them with more options then ever before. Youth have easy and affordable access to solve any problem they are willing admit. Any question that needs answering is now able to be typed into any of the numerous search engines available online and answers, information and solutions, are presented within seconds. This information ‘super highway’ provides users with an abundance of information never before comprehended. The increased interactivity of news related media has caused a blurring between the making and the using of media. (Hujanen: 2004: pp: 388)
Creating and updating new information instantly online themselves, youth have more at their fingertips than ever before. We are better informed about the world, giving us more information to make better decisions. Such information is hardly cut and dried facts and data, its interactive learning with other real-time users about both current and historic situations. While this decreases the amount of paper information, the influence of this instantaneous access is extraordinarily wide. With the dissemination of information happening around the globe in less than a second, it has both positive and negative repercussions.
Having so much information is often overwhelming. Deciphering what is true and legitimate and what is not is often the hardest part of the process. The freedom of information act, and ownership of the information on the Internet are both highly contentious issues that are currently being debated.
Reference
Hujanen, J. and Pietikainen, S. (2004) Interactive Uses of Journalism: crossing between technological potential and young people’s news using practices, in New Media and Society, Volume 6, Issue 3, SAGE Publications, London
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Related Topics
Identity
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Reduction of Boundaries
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Frances Curro 21:31, 9 Sep 2004 (EST)
Frances Curro 19:35, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)
