Literacy, Identity

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Literacy, Identity culture in an increasingly
digital world
Victoria Carrington University of South Australia
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My starting position

• New Literacy Studies
• literate practices are socially situated
• literate practices, texts and technology are
  closely linked
• shifts in these are closely linked to broader
  social/cultural/political changes

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Crises are interesting
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participatory culture
Jenkins et al 2006
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Digital futures The Internet in Australia

• 8 out of 10 Australians have used the Internet
  72.3 are current users
• 95.1 of 18-24 year olds use internet
• 25.3 of internet users use mobile devices (under
  an hour a week)
• 8 out of 10 (and growing) home internet
  connections are broadband
• (ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries
  and Innovation (CCI)

• Kaiser Foundation/Pew Internet/MacArthur
  Foundation
• 83of kids play video games
• 53 have created media content
• millions of kids are active on social networking
  sites
• by 2011, 50 of kids will be visiting virtual
  worlds

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web 1.0
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web 2.0 blogs
researching/evaluating/compiling/ disseminating
audience
120,000 new blogs/day 1.5 million posts/day 17
posts/second 37 Japanese 33 English 8
Chinese Italian 3 (Technorati 2007)
navigation
Chinese internet 72.8 million blogs 29 million
active 47 million bloggers (CNNIC 2007)
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Blogging
507,000 English language posts/day
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bebo.com
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7th July 2005 - London bombing

• BBC News received
• 20,000 emails
• 3,000 images
• 1,000 email videos and stills
• 3,000 text messages

Targeted Londons public transport system. 3
bombs in the Tube network, 1 bomb on bus. 52
commuters 4 suicide bombers killed, more than
700 injured
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Trappedunderground.jpg One of Time Magazines
Best Photos of 2005
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2.0 textual practices

• multimodal, dynamic, mix/mash
• construction, rehearsal of social identities via
  production of texts
• uses of text to participate - creating,
  interacting, mentoring, learning, networking,
  collaborating, collective intelligence
• New spaces to socialize

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Virtual worlds - Web 3.0
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How popular?

• Tipping point already reached 6.2 million kids
  aged 6-12 have been in a virtual world in last 12
  months 50 new virtual worlds are due for
  release by 2009 by 2011 more than half of all
  kids will be visiting virtual worlds regularly

• 10 and under Neopets (45m), BarbieGirls
  (12m), Webkinz (5m), Club Penguin (17m)
• 20 and under WeeWorld (21m), Habbo
  (90m), Gaia (12m), Club Penguin (17m), Whyville
  (3m)

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whyville (3 million)
Launched 1999, developed by CalTec 10-16 year
olds Specifically educational Linked to sponsors
- NASA, Scholastic, Toyota, Disney Avatar - head
only
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Gaia (12 million)

• Anime-influenced
• High customization - avatar and home
• Social gaming
• Forum focused - guilds

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Following target market online Virtual world as
a toy 25 of site is open access - remainder
requires purchase Usage (April 2008) under 6 -
2 7-8 - 12 9-10 - 35 11-12 - 30 13-15 -
18 30,000 new registrations/day
BarbieGirls (13 million)
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Virtual worlds

• Diverse educational, mirror, branded, role
  playing
• Opportunities for new social spaces,
  interactions, customization, practices with a
  variety of texts, informal learning
• Culturally significant social spaces and
  activities for young people
• Value laden gender, consumption, economic model,
  family life, race, cultural practices, role/uses
  of technologies

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Why is this relevant?

• Embedding of digital technologies
• Unstoppable diversification
• Emergence of cultural momentum towards
  participation
• Information and expertise
• Powerful practices with text and technology
• Ongoing pressure around access and skill

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Literacy skills for participation in a diverse,
digital world?
Reading skills/strategies word recognition,
comprehension, scanning text in order to retrieve
information, familiarity with different text
organization/structure authors viewpoint,
purpose and overall effect of the text on the
reader Writing skills/strategies spelling,
punctuation, syntax, adapting range of forms,
using language for effect, writing for
known/unknown audiences, using text to negotiate
and collaborate read Jackie Marsh at
http//digitalbeginnings.blogspot.com/
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victoria.carrington_at_unisa.edu.au