Digital Opportunities
Civic Engagement
To what extent have political issues and movements been shifted online, and how are they organized on the Internet?
Online Politicking
Over the past several years, the number of people seeking information about politics via the Internet has gone up significantly. Almost all politicians now accept donations via their websites, which have become increasingly central and vital to politicians' public images, in a similar way to how MySpace artist profiles have become the official fan websites of many bands. Politicians provide crucial information about their platforms and updates for their campaigns online, which is widely accessible by many. Especially for the 2008 presidential elections, candidates are developing Web 2.0 websites with highly interactive features and allow individuals to interact with others as well as the campaign.
Activism
Digital Society
What are the societal, social, and personal ramifications in a world of increasingly digital interactions and communications?
Identity
see also: Digital Identity
Social Networking
Entrepreneurship
Mobile technology - particularly cell phones and other devices that offer Internet access on the go - is a "next big thing," in terms of the possibilities that Internet advancement presents. People, especially youth, are going about daily life with increasingly consistent and constant connections to digital communities.
Digital Education
(see Digital Education)
Creativity & Productivity
(see Digital Creativity)
Some examples of the professional and economic opportunities Digital Natives' creations can be:
My First Timeis a promotion conceived and produced by two Digital Natives for GoLoco, a rideshare service that operates as a Facebook application.
Relevant Research and Articles
Online Politicking
Election 2006 Online, Lee Rainie and John Horrigan, Pew, 2007
Study Illustrates Role of the Internet in Political Campaigns, The Bivings Group, 2007
Inch by Inch Taking Democracy Online, Tom Zeller, New York Times, 2007
CyberDemocracy: Internet and the Public Sphere, Mark Poster, UC Irvine, 1995
Entrepreneurship
Second Life: It's Not a Game, David Kirkpatrick, FORTUNE, January 22, 2007
Social Networking
YALSA Teens and Social Networking in the School and Public Library - 30 Positive Uses (2006)
Don't Tell Your Parents: Schools Embrace MySpace (Wired, 2007)
Creativity & Production
Pew Internet: Teen Content Creators and Consumers (2005)
Digital Education
Engage Me or Enrage Me - What Today's Learners Demand, Prensky (2005)
Digital Literacy
Copy and Paste Literacy: Literacy practices in the production of a MySpace profile (Perkel, 2006)
The School of Second Life (Edutopia, 2006)