Youth and Digital Media: From Credibility to Information Quality

150 Pages Posted: 20 Feb 2012

See all articles by Urs Gasser

Urs Gasser

Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society

Sandra Cortesi

Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society

Momin M. Malik

Mayo Clinic; University of Pennsylvania - School of Social Policy & Practice

Ashley Lee

Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society

Date Written: February 16, 2012

Abstract

Building upon a process- and context-oriented information quality framework, this paper seeks to map and explore what we know about the ways in which young users of age 18 and under search for information online, how they evaluate information, and how their related practices of content creation, levels of new literacies, general digital media usage, and social patterns affect these activities. A review of selected literature at the intersection of digital media, youth, and information quality — primarily works from library and information science, sociology, education, and selected ethnographic studies — reveals patterns in youth’s information-seeking behavior, but also highlights the importance of contextual and demographic factors both for search and evaluation. Looking at the phenomenon from an information-learning and educational perspective, the literature shows that youth develop competencies for personal goals that sometimes do not transfer to school, and are sometimes not appropriate for school. Thus far, educational initiatives to educate youth about search, evaluation, or creation have depended greatly on the local circumstances for their success or failure.

Keywords: young people, students, children, adolescents, teenagers, high school, middle school, elementary school, new media, Internet, ICT, Web, credibility, relevance, reliability, trust, truth, authority, veracity, information behavior, teaching, blogging, information-problem-solving, content creation

Suggested Citation

Gasser, Urs and Cortesi, Sandra and Malik, Momin and Lee, Ashley, Youth and Digital Media: From Credibility to Information Quality (February 16, 2012). Berkman Center Research Publication No. 2012-1, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2005272 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2005272

Urs Gasser (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society ( email )

Harvard Law School
23 Everett, 2nd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

HOME PAGE: https://cyber.harvard.edu/people/ugasser

Sandra Cortesi

Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society ( email )

Harvard Law School
23 Everett, 2nd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Momin Malik

Mayo Clinic ( email )

200 First Street SW
Rochester, MN (507) 284-2511 55905
United States

University of Pennsylvania - School of Social Policy & Practice ( email )

3701 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6214
United States

Ashley Lee

Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society ( email )

Harvard Law School
23 Everett, 2nd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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