Digital Kids and Disruption

You ain't seen anything yet…Digital children and the future of disruptive innovation

Norman LewisWGCMobilecampLondon Saturday 29 September2007

Insane moments…

The definition of insanity is to do

the same thing over and over

again …

and expect different results !

Albert Einstein

Digital Children

An important motif of the process of the internalisation of digital technology into childhood is tension between the agenda of adults and those of young people

A clash of cultures?

Parents regard new technology as an

educational tool while children regard it as a

medium of entertainment and connectivity;

Parents approach to the new media is

underwritten by the imperative of risk

minimisation while children use it in part to

gain a measure of freedom from adult

supervision.

The evasion of the adult

gaze

The changing character of childhood – particularly the shift from outdoors to indoors - means children want digital applications that are under their control, help them to pass time, provide entertainment, connect with peers and evade adult supervision

Self-expression as a state of

being

Young people are facing not so much a problem of communication but that of self-expression

Identity and reputation

Creativity and sharing

The search for acknowledgment is the key to online activity

self-expression

as itself

a form of

communication

Communication

has become modified

Yesterday

Today

the communication of

content

has become less significant than the

network of

communication

Collage culture

and digital expertise Young people are drawn to technologies

that

are readily personalised and which can be

used individually;

Maintaining one’s social status depends on

the ability to personalise new technology;

Skills are acquired incidentally while

popular culture becomes a palette with

which to paint the self.

Myths

Children are not naturally good with technology

Enormous creative potential

Thank You

norman@wgrids.comwww.wgrids.comSkype: nolewis21