parents and children: watching talk


http://commonlaw.uottawa.ca/sites/commonlaw.uottawa.ca/files/egirls-logo.gif

We had a recent conversation with two scholars whose project is to study girls online-- http://egirlsproject.ca/

Valerie Steeves and Jane Bailey  were very helpful in suggesting ways to rethink how to interest parent bloggers in raising questions about blogging and privacy.  We pointed out that many parents believe their children enjoy being the subjects--or "stars"-- of parent-authored  online tales. They pointed to research that says something different--many children feel awkward or exposed by being online fodder. They suggested we characterize the problem in economic terms and apply the process of commodification to describe the actions of parents who turn their children into mediated characters.

They also pointed out that parents worry about children's online practices and safety--and that there needs to be some sharp ways to turn this worry around,  so that parents are willing to think about their own practices.

These are two ideas we plan to explore and develop more fully in future posts.

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