And that's a wrap!

I guess for me the big 'take-away' from this course would have to be when I learned how the online world is another workspace for individuals where they have made millions of dollars. It was very interesting to learn about second life and how people actually take this place seriously to the point that they live vicariously through it. When I tried this game out, I could completely see how it could be addicting and it almost made me want to try out the job thing online. However, I still feel that video games should be just that - games. Something to step away from the real world, to escape from everyday pressures and responsibilities. When video games turn into work or places where the context of 'playing' is taken out of them - I don't enjoy them as much.

My perception of digital leisure practices has not really changed since I started this course simply due to the fact that I have been an avid gamer since the beginning of my existence and have always have a very positive attitude toward games and gamers. However, I did feel a sense of sadness when hearing about people who have become so addicted to games that their lives have changed drastically - for the worse. Gaining knowledge about individuals who have lost their jobs, who isolate themselves from family, who lose their significant others over video games etc. had a huge impact on me as I realized that such a great thing can be taken too far. In contrast, it was awesome to learn about the advancements in technology and I look forward to seeing how video games will advance in the years to come.

Thanks for a great class, Tracy! I really enjoyed your teaching style as well as the topics that you chose to teach!

And thanks Mike for all of your hard work dedicated to the course! It was greatly appreciated.

Have a great summer!!

Youth and Digital Media

http://jar.sagepub.com/cgi/content/short/25/1/145

Interactive food and beverage marketing:targeting adolescents in the digital age

This article discussed the relationship between adolescents, digital media, and how this age group has become the primary target of a new "Media and Marketing Ecosystem." Six key features of interactive media were discovered and include: ubiquitous connectivity, personalization, peer-to-peer networking, engagement, immersion, and content creation. These six key features are emblematic of the ways in which young people are both shaping and being shaped by this new digital culture. It stated that "The advertising industry, in many instances led by food and beverage marketers, is purposefully exploiting the special relationship that teenagers have with new media, with online marketing campaigns that create unprecedented intimacies between adolescents and the brands and products that now literally surround them." Major food and beverage companies like coca cola, mcdonald's, burger king, and kentucky fried chicken are taking these elements to a new level and reaching adolescents through this new digital age. Such companies take advantage of this age group and have greater impacts than they know possible.

http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(09)00149-9/abstract

or

http://journals2.scholarsportal.info.proxy.library.brocku.ca/show_html.xqy?uri=/1054139x/v45i0003_s/s18_ifabmtaitda.xml&school=brock

Coming of Age Online: The Developmental Underpinnings of Girls' Blogs

This article discussed adolescent girls who use blogging for self-expression and peer interaction. It was a study of 20 girls aged 17 to 21 who had been blogging for 3 or more years. They observed how the content and writing style of these girls' blogs had changed considerably over the years and their observations reflected key changes in self-development and peer relationships that typically occur during the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Girls were illustrated as being very expressive, emotional and reliant on their blogs and that this new type of online expressive writing has allowed females to develop meaningful relationships with others, to gain confidence, and to live more meaningful lives.