Everyday Creativity: Consumption, Participation, Production, and Communication by Teenagers in The Netherlands

Abstract

This research aims to advance our knowledge of the positive aspects of Internet use by investigating how Dutch teenagers (11–17 years) utilize its opportunities. We organized ten focus groups in secondary schools to study the online activities of this group and their motivations for being active online. Uses and gratifications theorizing was used to acquire an understanding of the teenagers' perspectives on the needs that may be met by these activities. The results revealed that most time was spent on somewhat passively consuming online content, although many were also busy communicating, which implied a more active form of engagement. A small group reported a high level of activity. The findings confirmed that everyday creativity is quite common in teenagers. They also suggested that this group's social needs and requirement to express and enjoy themselves were gratified. The article ends with a reflection on the focus group methodology and directions for future research.