ARTiculate Social Media - Beyond panics towards towards connection, ethics and digital citizenship

Social Media - Beyond panics towards towards connection, ethics and digital citizenship
Teenagers’ use of internet, mobiles and social media has brought about moral panics and collective concerns about the potential harms posed by digital technologies. These panics encompass potential risks ranging from pornography, online predators, sexting, bullying and device addiction.
In this interactive lecture we challenge and critique risk-focused media narratives, noting that media panics have a longer history that precedes the internet. We explore the diverse ways that young people use social media for connection, self-expression, and identity construction, and ask: How can we ensure that young people can make the most of what social media has to offer? What are the various ethical issues that arise in online spaces? What does it mean to be a good digital citizen?
The webinar is presented by Professor Catharine Lumby and Dr Catherine Page Jeffery, from the School of Art, Communication and English at the University of Sydney.
Catharine Lumby is a Professor of Media at the University of Sydney where she was founding Chair of the Media and Communications Department. Prior to entering academia, she worked for two decades as a print and TV journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald the ABC and The Bulletin magazine. She has written and co-authored ten books and numerous book chapters and journal articles and recently completed a biography of Frank Moorhouse.
Catherine Page Jeffery is a lecturer and researcher in media and communications at the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on digital media, adolescents, and parenting in the digital age. Her research has been published in high impact international journals including New Media and Society, Feminist Media Studies, and the Journal of Children and Media. Prior to entering academia Catherine worked in online content regulation and cyber safety education for the federal government, as well as at Australia’s ICT research centre of excellence. Her prior academic appointments include as a lecturer in media and communications at the University of Canberra.
Recommended readings:
The following reading provides a good overview of some of the issues:
• boyd, d (2014). It’s complicated: The social lives of networked teens. Introduction. Pp. 1 - 28. Yale University Press.
The following readings provide some additional context:
• Lumby, C., Albury, K., McKee, A (2019). Modern Love: Young people, sex, relationships and social media. In, Gleeson, K., Lumby, C (Eds). The Age of Consent Young People, Sexual Abuse and Agency. UWA.
For more information about the ARTiculate webinar series, please visit: www.sydney.edu...