Digital generations : children, young people, and new media /

Offering 17 papers presented at a 2004 conference in England, this volume includes both quantitative and qualitative studies, many incorporating surveys, interviews, and/or participant observations. Buckingham (Univ. of London, UK) frames the book as a refinement of the technological generation gap theory that Don Tapscott presents in Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation (1998). The essays (by predominantly US and UK scholars) are divided into four sections: "Play and Gaming," "The Internet," "Identities and Online Communities," and "Learning and Education." Though many essays point to new ground rather than tread it, every contribution is at least serviceable and several are excellent. Especially notable are Henry Jenkins' reconsideration of "media violence in terms of meanings rather than effect" and Michele Polak's keen articulation of how the networked environment provides a novel "space for the adolescent girl to ... audition her voice." All four essays in the section on the Internet focus on safety and policy concerns. A helpful author index precedes a too-spare subject index. Covering topics of significant current interest, this collection is solid overall and will serve curricula and research at most institutions. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. D. Orcutt North Carolina State University