The Experience of Participating in the Digital Community as the Essence of Children’s Everyday Life. Research Report

Abstract

The article discusses the research aimed at revealing the meanings that children give to their daily participation in the digital community. For several decades, the immersion of children in the online world has been evoking different opinions of adults – from those very enthusiastic to those highly alarmist. However, it seems to be essential to listen to the voice of the children themselves. This creates an opportunity to rise above the level of assessing the impact of media on children and to reach the space that hide a repertoire of colorful experiences related to the presence of children in the online world. For this purpose, children aged 8–10 took part in the focus interviews. The research material was collected and analyzed according to Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke’s six-stage analytical framework. One of the most important conclusions is that online activity fills children’s everyday life to a large extent and their online presence is naturally intertwined with being offline. Children perceive the internet as a source of many opportunities and declare that they feel safe, as they are aware of the rules that must be followed in it. The Internet provides them space where they can be together and engage in many activities. Children appreciate the value of face-to-face contacts, which they find different from those mediated by technology.