Re: The debate over digital technology and young people
The stated aim the article by Bell et al, is to move the debate from the media into the peer reviewed scientific literature. Therefore, it is unfortunate that an online search shows that the article has been headlined as a war between academics.
Focusing on one of the issues raised, the socio-emotional consequences of online social interaction, a survey of 1060 American teenagers aged 13-17 for the Pew Research Centre (an influential source of information for social scientists) http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/08/06/6-key-takeaways-about-te...
show that for the teens themselves, there are both positive and negative consequences of online social interaction. While a majority report that social media platforms have made them more attuned to the feelings of their friends 68% have experienced drama and conflict.
The social reality is that much interpersonal interaction now takes place at distance i.e. the individuals concerned are not co-present in either time or place when interacting with each other and the socio-emotional outcome is sometimes good and sometimes not. From a psychological perspective it is significant that facial expression, tone of voice, bodily movement may be expressed but is not available to the other partner in a dialogue. Over the previous 30 years these factors have been studied extensively in related disciplines; Distance Education, Human Computer Interaction, Communications. Embracing this research agenda could be a useful way forward for psychologists and neuroscientists.
Rapid Response:
Re: The debate over digital technology and young people
The stated aim the article by Bell et al, is to move the debate from the media into the peer reviewed scientific literature. Therefore, it is unfortunate that an online search shows that the article has been headlined as a war between academics.
Focusing on one of the issues raised, the socio-emotional consequences of online social interaction, a survey of 1060 American teenagers aged 13-17 for the Pew Research Centre (an influential source of information for social scientists) http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/08/06/6-key-takeaways-about-te...
show that for the teens themselves, there are both positive and negative consequences of online social interaction. While a majority report that social media platforms have made them more attuned to the feelings of their friends 68% have experienced drama and conflict.
The social reality is that much interpersonal interaction now takes place at distance i.e. the individuals concerned are not co-present in either time or place when interacting with each other and the socio-emotional outcome is sometimes good and sometimes not. From a psychological perspective it is significant that facial expression, tone of voice, bodily movement may be expressed but is not available to the other partner in a dialogue. Over the previous 30 years these factors have been studied extensively in related disciplines; Distance Education, Human Computer Interaction, Communications. Embracing this research agenda could be a useful way forward for psychologists and neuroscientists.
Competing interests: No competing interests