Danielsaurus

Henry Jenkins on ‘The Future of Teenagers’

It’s easy to forget that the small differences between generations are just that: small, especially when compared to the overwhelming commonalities across the ages. We all struggle to process the world, in much the same sorts of ways – even if the particularities of our quests differ.

That’s a good reminder from Henry Jenkins, especially when thinking about and discussing the youth of today:

First, the continuities across generations are much greater than the differences. Young people today listen to different bands and often acquire music through different platforms than teens a decade ago, yet one’s taste in music is still a key indicator of one’s personal and social identity for teens. Young people play different games on different game platforms yet young people acquire and display mastery through competitive play. Young people use different social networking platforms and communicate with their friends through text-messaging, yet forging a place for oneself within the social system of their schools remains a central goal of adolescence.

The rest of Jenkins’ (excellent) piece examines how adolescents are now growing up in a technology- and information-rich culture, and the incredible impact that has on empowering youth. It’s a great read, and one which leaves me thinking more and more that Jenkins’ work should be required reading before anyone is allowed to make a comment on “kids these days.”

He-Man and the Masters of Transmedia

Henry Jenkins questions what was so wrong about the He-Man action figure toys that his son used to play with back in the day:

I never understood the parents who feared such toys would stifle my son’s imagination because what I observed was very much the opposite - a child learning to appropriate and remix the materials of his culture. The fact that these stories were shared through mass media with other kids and that they were some vividly embodied in the action figures meant that it was easy for children to have intersubjective fantasies, to share their play stories with each other, and to pool knowledge about the particulars of this fictional realm.

Jenkins’ thoughtful reflection made me thrillingly happy, because it’s a nostalgic reminder of the way things were for me growing up – and an important statement about how the things kids love – the video games, the action figures, the mass-mediated toys, and all the stuff we adults can’t see a value in – aren’t ever necessarily bad or good, in and of themselves. Rather what matters more is what kids do with them. I’ve become so exhausted lately of hearing about how video games and media are keeping our kids indoors and depriving them of nature. The sentiment may be well-placed indeed, but it’s aggravating to see the issue simplified, and to have a category of things demonised – especially when very few people making the statement have used or played what the kids are playing with, or understand the attraction they may hold for kids.

Nature and video games and cheap plastic toys can co-habitate our children’s lives very happily together, thank you very much, and in any case it’s never for us adults to decide what’s intrinsically valuable or worthwhile. Kids can make the most out of what adults perceive as utter crap; I know I did, as did Henry Jenkins’ son, as did every generation before. I think it’s time we start showing kids just a bit more trust when it comes to what and how they play.