Digital World of Networked Teens and Their Visual Practices

Abstract

The article presents the results of a pilot study of teen media practices. The study was conducted using focused interviews (with video recording) with 11 graders in three Siberian cities in March — April 2018. The survey project shows how the viewing is transformed as a sociocultural practice and why the YouTube videohosting fundamentally influences this process. The problem is connected with generational (digital) gap and non-fulfillment of the natural loss of the audience of television channels by young viewers. Not only university departments and academic centers, but also the research services of consulting companies and corporations are studying this media consumerism problem today, since the request for such research is formulated throughout the media industry. An analysis of the data from a focused interview shows that the media activity of school students is not fully comprehended by them: adolescents cannot yet appreciate time and control it. Television viewing has become largely ritual in nature and serves to strengthen emotional ties with the family. Without personal involvement in the media process, adolescents' interest in watching or reading is quickly fading. For teens, the privacy of their lives in social networks and the ability to comment on any web content is of great importance. The author assumes in a discussion key the possibilities of integrating social media and television, justifying the forecast for the development of this sector of the media market. Patterns of adolescent media activity will undoubtedly influence in the future the behavior of adults in the media environment. This research project was undertaken to respond to an industrial query: how management should change media platforms and content policies to captivate the younger generation and win their loyalty.