My husband and I have just returned from a four week holiday travelling through Europe and the UK. It was a wonderful adventure; we immersed ourselves in the culture and history of some amazing places. The unexpected outcome of the holiday was that I also experienced some interesting aspects of youth popular culture.
Before leaving on the holiday, I had a discussion with our four children (aged 19 to 26) about the best way for us all to keep in contact. Ideas ranged from Facebook and Messenger, to Snapchat, Instagram, Viber and Hotmail. We finally decided that I would set up a Messenger group called ‘Fam Bam’ which would allow us to communicate simultaneously with the whole family. Facetime and Viber calls would occur when possible. I decided that I would communicate with my other friends and colleagues by posting my holiday highlights on Facebook.
During the holiday, the use of social and online media to communicate with family and friends provided an incredible and totally unexpected insight into young people, their popular culture, and their attraction to and use of media. I quickly found myself caught up in the whole online media scene. I went from being a lurker and occasional user, to a creative, deliberate and planned producer of media. I was using our holiday experiences as spectacles (Rizzo) to entertain the family and encourage them to respond. I found myself wanting to post more and more novel, curious and interactive material, deliberately to provoke a response. I even began to think ahead to ensure we were prepared for our next spectacle. I experienced Fiske’s (2010) ‘productive pleasure’ as I broke out of my normally more conservative demeanor. I was excited by the fact that our family was eagerly awaiting our next post. Here’s an example of one of our planned spectacles at Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness, using a soft toy of ‘Nessie’.
Before leaving on the holiday, I had a discussion with our four children (aged 19 to 26) about the best way for us all to keep in contact. Ideas ranged from Facebook and Messenger, to Snapchat, Instagram, Viber and Hotmail. We finally decided that I would set up a Messenger group called ‘Fam Bam’ which would allow us to communicate simultaneously with the whole family. Facetime and Viber calls would occur when possible. I decided that I would communicate with my other friends and colleagues by posting my holiday highlights on Facebook.
During the holiday, the use of social and online media to communicate with family and friends provided an incredible and totally unexpected insight into young people, their popular culture, and their attraction to and use of media. I quickly found myself caught up in the whole online media scene. I went from being a lurker and occasional user, to a creative, deliberate and planned producer of media. I was using our holiday experiences as spectacles (Rizzo) to entertain the family and encourage them to respond. I found myself wanting to post more and more novel, curious and interactive material, deliberately to provoke a response. I even began to think ahead to ensure we were prepared for our next spectacle. I experienced Fiske’s (2010) ‘productive pleasure’ as I broke out of my normally more conservative demeanor. I was excited by the fact that our family was eagerly awaiting our next post. Here’s an example of one of our planned spectacles at Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness, using a soft toy of ‘Nessie’.
The material I was creating was however, influenced by my teacher / librarian background. I had a hidden agenda – an educational one. I was using my knowledge of the family’s taste in popular culture and media texts, to engage them. For example, I posted the photo below with a caption about the TV series Vikings to present interesting facts about the Vikings when we were in York. At a medieval village in Scotland, I dressed up as a character from Outlanders and used the photos to post information about the Jacobite rebellion. Other posts referred to Merlin, King Arthur, Harry Potter, Robin Hood, Beatrix Potter and Mike the Knight. We even asked someone to film us flying and firing a British Army helicopter (simulator) to mimic the World of Warcraft video game that our son and nephews like playing.
I found the whole experience quite addictive and although we were having great fun creating the episodes, they were becoming more complex, more daring and more time consuming. I now understand why it is so easy for young people to get caught in this cycle and often go a too far in an attempt to entertain, sensationalise or shock their audience.
In contrast, my posts on Facebook to my friends and colleagues were sensible and controlled; I adapted the posts to suit a more professional image and identity. An example of my contrasting photo posts is shown below.
I found the whole experience quite addictive and although we were having great fun creating the episodes, they were becoming more complex, more daring and more time consuming. I now understand why it is so easy for young people to get caught in this cycle and often go a too far in an attempt to entertain, sensationalise or shock their audience.
In contrast, my posts on Facebook to my friends and colleagues were sensible and controlled; I adapted the posts to suit a more professional image and identity. An example of my contrasting photo posts is shown below.
Playing King and Queen for a minute - Facebook. Is such a big cod piece really necessary?! - FamBam Blog
Young people often lack an understanding of what is appropriate in different online environments and the image they are constructing of themselves. We convey our thoughts, ideas and experiences to others through our choice of electronic media. We can present to the world real aspects of ourselves and our lives, or we can construct an electronic self that is different from the real self (O'Sullivan, 2012). We can choose to publish some aspects of ourselves publicly and keep others private. As the desire to shape a self-identity is heightened during adolescence (O'Sullivan, 2012), this is an important aspect of the online environment that we need to help young people understand.
Now that I am back at work, I have challenged myself to use my knowledge of popular culture and media to engage my students. The journey continues…..
References
Fiske, J. (2010). Productive pleasures. In Understanding popular culture. (pp. 40-55) New York: Routledge.
O'Sullivan, K. A. (2012). Books and blogs: Promoting reading achievement in digital contexts. In J. Manuel & S. Brindley (Eds.) Teenagers and reading: Literary heritages, cultural contexts and contemporary reading practices (pp. 191-209). South Australia: Wakefield Press/AATE.
Rizzo, T. (2008). YouTube: The new cinema of attractions. Scan Journal (5)1.
Now that I am back at work, I have challenged myself to use my knowledge of popular culture and media to engage my students. The journey continues…..
References
Fiske, J. (2010). Productive pleasures. In Understanding popular culture. (pp. 40-55) New York: Routledge.
O'Sullivan, K. A. (2012). Books and blogs: Promoting reading achievement in digital contexts. In J. Manuel & S. Brindley (Eds.) Teenagers and reading: Literary heritages, cultural contexts and contemporary reading practices (pp. 191-209). South Australia: Wakefield Press/AATE.
Rizzo, T. (2008). YouTube: The new cinema of attractions. Scan Journal (5)1.