Young people and technology: between the physical and the digital, the 'phygital' reality May 28, 2024
Young people and technology
In recent times, the debate surrounding children's and adolescents' use of technology has become exponentially polarized. Reports and studies have emerged warning of the addiction that social media and mobile phones are generating, accusing them of causing depression and anxiety and practically destroying their cognitive development. In most cases, these studies, with little or no scientific evidence, or unrelated ones, promote a criminalizing narrative and discourse.
That's why I believe studies like "My Connected Reality. Yes, I'm Digital phone number list Too" prepared by the Cibervoluntarios Foundation are so useful, and above all necessary .
As you know, this is far from the first time I've talked about technology use among minors: on this blog, I've written about how Spanish youth consume, create, and play online , how teenagers use the internet and social media , and also about common topics related to social media and children . And in my book " Social Media and Minors. Practical Guide," you can find much more information.
The report investigates young people's relationship with technology, based on focus groups and surveys of nearly 2,200 Spaniards between the ages of 14 and 19. It addresses the use of technology from a cultural perspective and dispels the "adult-centric" view that views technology as merely passive tools .
As the study points out: “Perhaps it's not so much a question of considering the digital culture of youth, but rather the way in which youth are constructed today and the place that digital technology occupies in their daily lives, in their value system, in their system of meaning that shapes their reality, their way of interacting and being in this world. A world bordering other cultures based on other codes and other systems of meaning, neither more nor less valuable, but different .”
Here are some conclusions to reflect on.
Neither physical nor digital: phygital
We can't talk about the "physical world" as opposed to the "digital world." Among 14- to 19-year-olds, the separation between digital and physical spaces is fading: the mobile phone is a space of experience and culture, with its own codes and meanings. This must be understood, not from an adult perspective, but rather by trying to understand young people.