Children and youth’s engagement with digital technology and media seems to continually generate risk-oriented debates by adult allies, often calling for greater protection so as to minimize opportunities of risk and harm. Although the adult allies leading the call believe they are acting in the best interest of the chid, they often fail to recognize that since “children tend to be at the forefront of technology” (Genaro, What Is Contemporary Children's Culture: Lecture 1) their engagement within the digital realm actually forms an important part of children and youth’s culture and subcultures, extending opportunities of socialization, self-expression and identity formation (Genaro, What Is Contemporary Children's Culture: Lecture 1).
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Since this third space represents the intersection point of three voices (the digital space), it could serve to control and potentially, undermine the agency and voice of site participants (children and youth); and as an institution, communicate its’ own ideologies and/or market the product(s) of other corporations and institutions. This point of intersect is of great importance when considering how the messages of mass media are continually present within the digital spaces inhabited by youth and children. Adult allies must not confuse proficiency of use (digital literacy) with digital mediums (the physical technological objects) exhibited by ‘digital natives’ (children and youth) as critical media literacy. The ability to exercise critical media literacy requires the individual to question “who is producing the media in addition to exploring both the media message and media hardware by which the messages themselves travel” (Genaro, Facebook, Twitter, and the Changing Face of Critical Media Literacy: Lecture #2), key when considering the Levels of Convergence with new media literacy (Genaro, Facebook, Twitter, and the Changing Face of Critical Media Literacy: Lecture
Since this third space represents the intersection point of three voices (the digital space), it could serve to control and potentially, undermine the agency and voice of site participants (children and youth); and as an institution, communicate its’ own ideologies and/or market the product(s) of other corporations and institutions. This point of intersect is of great importance when considering how the messages of mass media are continually present within the digital spaces inhabited by youth and children. Adult allies must not confuse proficiency of use (digital literacy) with digital mediums (the physical technological objects) exhibited by ‘digital natives’ (children and youth) as critical media literacy. The ability to exercise critical media literacy requires the individual to question “who is producing the media in addition to exploring both the media message and media hardware by which the messages themselves travel” (Genaro, Facebook, Twitter, and the Changing Face of Critical Media Literacy: Lecture #2), key when considering the Levels of Convergence with new media literacy (Genaro, Facebook, Twitter, and the Changing Face of Critical Media Literacy: Lecture