In this study, the researchers from University of California, identified two distinctive categories of teen engagement with digital media: (i) friendship-driven and (II)Re interest-driven. While friendship-driven participation centered on “hanging out” with existing friends, interest-driven participation involved accessing online information and communities that may not be present in the local peer group.

“Social network sites, online games, video-sharing sites, and gadgets such as iPods and mobile phones are now fixtures of youth culture. They have so permeated young lives that it is hard to believe that less than a decade ago these technologies barely existed. Today’s youth may be coming of age and struggling for autonomy and identity as did their predecessors, but they are doing so amid new worlds for communication, friendship, play, and self-expression.”

Mizuko, Heather A. Horst, Matteo Bittanti, Danah Boyd, Becky Herr-Stephenson, Patricia G. Lange, C.J. Pascoe, and Laura Robinson (with Sonja Baumer, Rachel Cody, Dilan Mahendran, Katynka Martínez, Dan Perkel, Christo Sims, and Lisa Tripp.) Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning, November 2008.

Significant findings include: –

1) There is a generation gap in how youth and adults view the value of online activity.

• Adults tend to be in the dark about what youth are doing online, and often view online activity as risky or an unproductive distraction.
• Youth understand the social value of online activity and are generally highly motivated to participate.

2) Youth are navigating complex social and technical worlds by participating online.

• Young people are learning basic social and technical skills that they need to fully participate in contemporary society.
• The social worlds that youth are negotiating have new kinds of dynamics, as online socializing is permanent, public, involves managing elaborate networks of friends and acquaintances, and is always on.

3) Young people are motivated to learn from their peers online.

• The Internet provides new kinds of public spaces for youth to interact and receive feedback from one another.
• Young people respect each other’s authority online and are more motivated to learn from each other than from adults.

4) Most youth use the Internet socially, but other learning opportunities exist.

• Youth can connect with people in different locations and of different ages who share their interests, making it possible to pursue interests that might not be popular or valued with their local peer groups.
• “Geeked-out” learning opportunities are abundant – subjects like astronomy, creative writing, and foreign languages.
• Most youth are not taking full advantage of the learning opportunities of the Internet.

How can I get this paper

1. Download a two-page overview of the study (PDF) 
2. Download the 30-page white paper (PDF) 
3. Read the full study on the Digital Youth Project’s website 
4. MacArthur’s digital media & learning website 
5. Spotlight blog for digital media & learning 
6. Major New Study Shatters Stereotypes About Teens and Video Games 

Relevant Materials in NTU Business Library

The art of strategic listening : finding market intelligence through blogs and other social media.
Recommended by Choice Magazine, August 2008

“Berkman provides detailed instructions for using various social sites (e.g., searching blogs, setting up RSS feeds) to obtain useful customer information and generally monitor buzz. He identifies major players in the ‘blog monitoring’ industry and discusses the pros and cons of businesses using vendors. Marketers, PR practitioners, strategic business analysts, and corporate planners will find useful Berkman’s guidance on how to use social media to look for trends, distinguish a trend from a fad, determine the credibility of information found, and manage the information acquired. Appendixes provides a short list of additional sources, a nice list of productivity tools, and URLs of key sites, listed by chapter.  Recommended. All business collections.”

S.C. Awe, University of New Mexico
by Robert Berkman

Handbook of research on virtual workplaces and the new nature of business practices

At one time, the office was a physical place, and employees congregated in the same location to work together on projects. The advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web, however, not only made the unthinkable possible, it forever changed the way persons view both the office and work. The Handbook of Research on Virtual Workplaces and the New Nature of Business Practices compiles authoritative research from XX scholars from over XX countries, covering the issues surrounding the influx of information technology to the office environment, from choice and effective use of technologies to necessary participants in the virtual workplace.

What about electronic resources, do the library have?

Yes, we have. It is listed under the Library Database page (url: https://venus.wis.ntu.edu.sg/lib_databases/) , and search for Jupiter Research and Gartner.

Jupiter Research (url)
Jupiter claims to be the worldwide authority on Internet Commerce. It provides in-depth research and analysis for internet strategies. In the area of marketing and revenue, it covers B-to-B marketing, Content & Programming, Digital Commerce, Net Markets and Online Advertising. In the area of operations & infrastructure, it covers B-to-B Infrastructure, Commerce Infrastructure, Customer Service, Site Operations and Site Performance. Under Technology and Platforms, Broadband and Wireless, Digital Television, and Web Technologies are covered. In the area of Market Strategies, it covers Financial Services, Retailing and Travel.

Gartner.com (url)
A product database which compare technology products, vendors, investors, trends and evaluate real-world feedback. It is particularly strong in the management of IT operations that strategically aligns with the business operations in the industries. The NTU Library subscription covers two mainly the Gartner Core Research and Gartner for IT Leaders.

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