Youth, Digital Media, and Popular Culture

Being a new educator surrounded by students on a day-to-day basis has made the shift in culture around media apparent to me for this next generation of students. Digital media has been around for a while at this point; it has even had a big impact on me as a young educator who grew up with rapidly emerging technology. However, where digital media was originally a space to stay connected with peers, now more than ever, it is a place for youth to put their identity on display. While my generation and those previously have engaged in new technologies throughout our years of development, there seemed to be a separation between many individuals' digital lives and personal lives. For this current generation of students and for those to follow, their digital lives and personal lives/identities mesh together. It's important to acknowledge that this isn't the fault of the youth, but rather the fault of rapid technological growth and being surrounded by it everywhere they look. Because of the youth's relationship to technology compared to other generations, technology should be utilized in the classroom in order to help further develop digital literacy and to ensure they know how to safely navigate an endless source of information.