Sociology 2105A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Digital Revolution, Neoliberalism, Informal Learning
Document Summary
Issues linger regarding how much young people are the primary agents in their use of technologies, as opposed to being exploited by other interests (the manufacturers of the technological devices and software) Historically, the catholic church opposed printed books because of its fear that mass literacy would diminish the power of priests in interpreting the bible for the faithful: this was not justified in terms of other interests. This example provides a classic case of the tensions among conservatism (opposing books), liberalism (accepting books), and radicalism (using books to foment radical change) Now, corporations; strategies of mass influence have been identified in their mass marketing for young people. The concern was not with the existence of electronic technologies, but rather the use made of them in content delivery by dominant and political economic interests: political-economy perspective. The displacement effect can involve a decline in cultural literacy, where the young person has little knowledge of the world outside of youth-mediated culture.