Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century

by Henry Jenkins

Many teens today who use the Internet are actively involved in participatory cultures -- joining online communities (Facebook, message boards, game clans), producing creative work in new forms (digital sampling, modding, fan videomaking, fan fiction), working in teams to complete tasks and develop new knowledge (as in Wikipedia), and shaping the flow of media (as in blogging or podcasting). A growing body of scholarship suggests potential benefits of these activities, including opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, development of skills useful in the modern workplace, and a more empowered conception of citizenship. Some argue that young people pick up these key skills and competencies on their own by interacting with popular culture; but the problems of unequal access, lack of media transparency, and the breakdown of traditional forms of socialization and professional training suggest a role for policy and pedagogical intervention.

This report aims to shift the conversation about the "digital divide" from questions about access to technology to questions about access to opportunities for involvement in participatory culture and how to provide all young people with the chance to develop the cultural competencies and social skills needed. Fostering these skills, the authors argue, requires a systemic approach to media education; schools, afterschool programs, and parents all have distinctive roles to play.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Business, Social Media, Reference, Academic, Internet

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 5, 2009

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a good road map for how to starting thinking about connecting classroom instruction with the participatory culture that students are already taking part in. In other words, it advocates that teachers should focus on encouraging students to become producers of knowledge rather than consumers of it. The downside is that this book name drops lots of websites and programs, so its age shows really badly. It's been awhile since I read anything about MySpace.

[Alyssa Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated, but still provides a useful framework for concepts that still need to be considered in the classroom and out of it. Some of the activities suggested to help young people learn the skills necessary for being successful in participatory culture would still be useful today; others could easily be reworked.

[Paul Signorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry Jenkins and his co-writers, in "Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture," engage us in a book-length exploration regarding "core social skills and cultural competencies" for anyone interested in being "full, active, creative, and ethical participants in this emerging participatory culture." The book (available free online as well as in a printed edition) is well worth reading for its concise descriptions of those skills; for the examples provided at the end of each section; and for the summary of those elements on pages 105-106: play, performance, simulation, appropriation, multitasking, distributed cognition, collective intelligence, judgment, transmedia navigation, networking, and negotiation. More importantly, the writers conclude the book with a reminder of why digital literacy is important: to "ensure that all students benefit from learning in ways that allow them to participate fully in public, community, [creative,] and economic life..."

[Derek Dewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super-interesting, well-thought out and well-written paper. On the surface, it's about what digital literacies young people need to be able to navigate the early 21st century, but I think it is more than that - it is a window into what will actually define the 21st century. We are moving, or maybe even have moved already, from the 20th century thinking of things as products with end results that can be measured and monetized, into a paradigm in which the process is the point, and the reactions of our peers to what we produce. Things are now fluid, with one work being remixed into another, newer work, and then shared with the cloud crowd to be remixed and altered still further. So, this is not just worth reading if you are an educator or the administrator of an educational facility. This is a peek into our immediate future.

[Graham Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a lot of academic publications, this felt like 2-3 20 page articles stretched out into a 100 page book, but that's fine, this was good. I worry about how quickly it will become outdated given how many specific sites are mentioned and how it lacks anything on crowdfunding. However, I think it does what it does very well, and was pleasant (and very quick) to read. Especially glad that the literature review/nods were very focused, relevant, and concise.

[CTEP]

I decided to read this book because it emphasizes the idea of the digital divide not as an access issue, but as a “fullness of use” issue. While many of us can still defend the argument that access to technology and the internet is a huge barrier that still needs attention and work, I think it is important to look beyond that goal. When most have access, there need to be programs in place, specifically in our education system or our community programing that ensure those new members of the online community know how to participate. The internet cannot be used specifically as a resource to consume, and therefore the focus of our work cannot be exclusively to give access. Users must be educated on their consumption (because unlike nearly any other consumable, the internet is not, and should not be, regulated), but also on how to contribute, share, curate, socialize, and co-create media.

Jenkins focuses here on the idea of Participatory Culture. This idea revolves around some core tenants of “literacy” that may not be news to members of CTEP or many digitally native youth we work with, but are helpful for organization purposes anyway: socialization in online communities, ethics of new forms of creativity, creating or curating in teams of strangers or online-contacts, and shaping media flow. Jenkins insists that if young people are going to be literate in the future, the complexities surrounding these ideas must be given equal emphasis in education, parenting, and extracurricular activities.

Jenkins spends more time than expected encouraging gaming as not only a new, but better, form of instruction. Even beyond gaming, he’s calling for an entire educational reform. Of course, he ignores some problems which cannot go unacknowledged:

1) for someone to gain a lot of knowledge out of playing Caesar 3 (or out of any other participatory project), they must pour hundreds of hours into it, which necessitates it be excluded from the classroom or the entire focus of the class.

2) For a school to incorporate technology literacy into the classroom (and this does not mean using technology) it requires a massive budget, an entirely new breed of teachers who are trained and literate themselves, and it would require an entire cultural push towards valuing these skills not as peripheral, but essential.

As someone who values the “Wild Frontier” status of the internet, I think that creating internet-literate young people is crucial to their ability to not only prosper in future economies and social groups, but also crucial to protect themselves from an ever widening and more complex world. While Jenkins doesn’t offer a lot of practical solutions (why not turn our schools into beta-test facilities!!??), he puts so much earnest emphasis on the need for these skills that I can’t help but feel hopeful. Though it’s been at least a decade and we are still only at the stage of putting a few computers in the classroom—what I see as the equivalent of tossing a suture kit at someone who’s arm has fallen off, as if the mere presence of the tools will endow knowledge and skill---I think more comprehensive education can only begin when people start clamoring for it. Jenkins, if nothing else, has a loud voice in the educational community, and his overview and call to action is pushing us in the right direction. It is a good reminder that when our work closing the access divide is done, and even more complex lesson awaits: when the diversity of voices and idea is what makes the internet so marvelous a tool, it is critical we make sure everyone can lend their voice and talent.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short, easy to follow, but a little boring and pretty dated.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the "new skills" enabled and required by the digital mediascape. Emphasizes the role of eleven skills (play, performance, simulation, appropriation, multitasking, distributed cognition, collective intelligence, judgment, transmedia navigation, networking, and negotiation) and suggests pedagogical approaches for inculcating them.

[DWRL Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning explores how teenagers use the Internet to connect, create, express and play. It focuses particularly on the role of educators in teaching the skills students need access to the opportunities for socialization and cultural savvy that these technologies offer.

[Ken Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and concise look at the landscape facing the new, connected learners. It's a culture shift, one that is difficult to reconcile with the previous "study and regurgitate" educational philosophies. Participatory learning is broken down into its requisite pieces, and suggestions are made as to how to implement them in the learning arena.

[Dan Gabree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. He tends to wander a bit and does go beyond what I would expect the topic to include with some opinions, but the key ideas are sound and he exposes many things that are well worth thought. Stimulates ideas for the future of our world.

[Katrina Jørgensen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is old. The concepts are incredibly self-explanatory and the suggestions are not particularly concrete.

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

ES:

Relectura para un articulo.

EN:

I reread this book in preparation to write an academic article.