“Making Sense of Social Media – Young People’s Practices and Explanations”
|
 |
Bio
Katrin Tiidenberg, PhD is an Associate Professor of Social Media and Visual Culture at the Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School of Tallinn University, Estonia. She is the author of “Selfies, why we love (and hate) them”, as well as “Body and Soul on the Internet – making sense of social media” (in Estonian). Tiidenberg is on the Executive Board of the Association of Internet Researcher, a founding member of the Estonian Young Academy of Sciences, and a second time board member of the Estonian Sociology Association. She is currently writing and publishing on visual social media practices, digital research ethics and visual research methods. Her research interests include selfies, sexuality, self-care and norms. More info at: kkatot.tumblr.com
Abstract
How do young people use social media, and how do they make sense of it? This talk will explore what I consider the more interesting recent trends in use practices, dialogue with prevalent discourses regarding technology, and discuss how young people reconcile the possible discrepancies between their own experiences and popular claims about the effects social media has on their wellbeing.
I will explore young people’s social media use via a model of “4 Ps.” These are – Practices (what are they doing); Platforms, (where are they doing it); Procedures (how are they doing it) and Purposes (the reasons they have for doing what they do). I will then interpret and contextualize young people’s practices and experiences via two broad themes. First, the grand societal narratives about technology, especially the narratives of addiction, progress and ‘digital nativeness.’ And second, the phenomenon of attention, in particular attention as an individual capacity, versus as a coveted resource within an economy-like system. Finally, I will briefly touch upon the ethical and political implications of how young people use and make sense of social media.