Transmedia Generation: Spreadable Media, Fan Activism, Participatory Learning

Written by Elyse Eidman-Aadahl
January 04, 2013

What do we mean when we say “participatory culture” and what challenges do we face in trying to more fully realize this ideal, especially in regards to youth participation? Digital Is community members have often turned to Henry Jenkins to help make sense of these questions. In the one-hour Connected Learning seminar above, Jenkins discusses these and other questions with colleagues studying specific occasions of participatory cultures. More resources are below.

About This Speaker

As one of the first media scholars to chart the changing role of the audience in an environment of increasingly pervasive digital content, Henry Jenkins has been at the forefront of understanding the effects of participatory media on society, politics and culture. His research gives key insights to the success of social-networking Web sites, networked computer games, online fan communities and other advocacy organizations, and emerging news media outlets. He is currently Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts: a joint professorship at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. You can Follow him on Twitter at @henryjenkins.

Resources

“They have been called the Digital Generation, Generation.com, even Digital Natives, but perhaps it would be more accurate to call them ‘the transmedia generation.’ Young people around the world are thinking, learning, creating, and mobilizing politically in different ways as a consequence of their greater control over the means of cultural production and circulation than previous generations. And, as they do so, they are innovating new approaches to politics, education, business, entertainment, even religion. Yet, in order to create opportunities for more diverse participation, we need to think deeply about the skills and technology they require to meaningfully participate. In this webinar, Henry will offer some powerful examples of young people deploying the capacities of networked communication to make a difference in the world, propose some new vocabulary — spreadable media, fan activism, participatory learning, transmedia mobilization. Ultimately, we will seek to explain what Henry means by “participatory culture” and explore what challenges we face in trying to more fully realize this ideal.”