“No wi-fi, no snacks, no friends” Adolescents in Iceland discussing media Jodie Muree Birdman June 2016 MA Thesis Faculty of Education Studies “No wi-fi, no snacks, no friends” Adolescents in Iceland discussing media Jodie Muree Birdman MA thesis in International Studies in Education Thesis supervisor: Þórdís Þórðardóttir Faculty of Education Studies School of Education, University of Iceland June 2016 3 “No wi-fi, no snacks, no friends” Adolescents in Iceland discussing media This thesis is a 40 credit final project towards the MA degree in International Studies in Education, School of Education, University of Iceland. © 2016 Jodie Muree Birdman No part of this material may be reproduced without permission of the author. Printing: Háskólaprent Reykjavík, 2016 4 Preface This thesis is the equivalent of 40 ECTS and is the culmination of my MA studies in the International Studies in Education program at the University of Iceland. My supervisor was Þórdís Þórðardóttir, Ph.D. and Brynja Elísabeth Halldórsdóttir, Ph.D. was the specialist. The aim of this research was to listen to and learn about the tastes and attitudes of adolescents in order to better understand their perspectives and culture. My previous experience as a middle school teacher showed me how powerful young people in this age group are, yet institutionally their voices are often marginalized. My studies have included themes of sustainability, a capabilities approach to human rights, intersectionality, identity politics, and anthropology and folklore in the digital age. During this time, global events including the worldwide refugee crisis, the rise of nationalistic political parties in Europe, the campus safe space debate, the black lives matter movement, free the nipple, and many more have also come into focus. This is in no small part thanks to the democratizing power of the internet (within a Western context) regarding spread of information. Our lives transcend borders. I wanted to know how young people today, the first generation of not only digital natives, but social network natives, experience the stories they encounter. I say stories, because what is media, but stories? Whether to inform, to convince, to entertain, or to provide common context, the stories they share help create their worlds. It began as an investigation of movies and television, but the young people interviewed showed me that it is much, much more. I would like to thank Þórdís Þórðardóttir and Brynja Elísabeth Halldórsdóttir for their direction, suggestions, comments, and encouragement. Many thanks to the instructors and collaborators in the International Studies in Education department for their instruction and help through this journey. Thanks also to Randi Stebbins at the writing center for offering patience and direction, and for bringing my ideas back to Earth throughout my studies. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their support. It has been a long two years for all of us, though suddenly the time seems so short. Finally and most importantly, I would like to thank the parents and especially the participants. Without them there would be nothing here. I wish them bright futures and I promise I will do my best not to mess things up too much before they take over. 5 Ágrip “Ekkert þráðlaust net, ekkert snarl, engir vinir” Unglingar á Íslandi ræða um fjölmiðla Þessi rannsókn miðar að því að kanna hlutverk fjölmiðla sem menningarlegs auðs meðal unglinga og gefa þeim færi á að deila reynsluheimi sínum og þekkingu. Hvernig lýsa unglingar félagslegu landslagi sínu og hvernig tengist það þeim fjölmiðlum sem þeir upplifa, ávinningur þessa menningarlega auðs og eftirköst þess að vanta þessa þekkingu? Hvaða hlutverki gegnir kyn og sjálfsmynd í þessari frásögn? Þessi rannsókn kannar hvernir sí-tengdir unglingar á Íslandi velja fjölmiðla og hvernir upplifun þeirra og smekkur tengist virkri þátttöku, hlutdeild og valdeflingu. Þó mikið hafi verið skirfað um áhrif fjölmiðla á unglina eru rannsóknir á valdeflingu unglina ennþá frekar nýjar. Tilgagnur rannsóknarinnar er að gefa unglingum tækifæri á að lýsa reynsluheimi sínum og deila þekkingu. Þessi eigindlega rannsókn samastóð af sjö half-opnum viðtölum. Þáttakendur voru 12 strákar og stelpur á aldrinum 12 til 15 ára, búsett á Stór-Reykjavíkur svæðinu, í tveimur hópum. Hvor hópur um sig hittist þrisvar sinnum, að einu einstakslingsviðtali viðbættu. Þar að auki stungu þáttalendur upp á tvennum fjölmiðlaatriðum (Pretty Little Liars og Star Wars: The Force Awakens) sem voru gagnrýnd til að auka dýpt og samhengi í umræðunum. Hadrit viðtalanna voru greind og leytað endurtekninna þema sem tengjast virkri þátttöku, hlutdeild og valdeflingu. Voru þau svo túlkuð út frá hugmyndum Bourdieu um táknrænan auð. Þessi rannsókn einblíndi á reynslu unglinga með þeirra eigin orðum. Tvö meiginþemu komu fram í gögnunum: alætur og sérfræðingar. Unglingamenning krefst þess að þau fylgist með eins miklu og mögulegt er, ásamt því að vera viðbúin því að taka þátt í gaumgæfilegum samræðum. Yfirboðsleg tíska, aðgengi að snjallsímum og yfirvofandi hræðsla við að vera dæmdur átti stóran þátt í samtölunum, en einnig var rætt um tengslamyndun, kyn og það að stunda leynilega eigin áhugamál þrátt fyrir hópþrýsting. 6 Abstract “No wi-fi, no snacks, no friends” Adolescents in Iceland discussing media This study aims to investigate the role of media as cultural capital among adolescents and give them space to share their lived experiences and their knowledge. How do adolescents describe their social landscape as it relates to the media they experience, the benefits of this cultural capital, and the repercussions of lacking this knowledge? What part does gender and identity play in their narratives? This study investigates how hyper-connected adolescents in Iceland select media, and how their experiences and tastes relate to agency, belonging, and empowerment. While there is an existing body of work on how media affects young people, the area of youth empowered research is still fairly new and open. This study’s purpose is to give space for adolescents to describe their lived experiences and share their knowledge. This qualitative study consisted of seven semi-structured interviews. The participants were 12 boys and girls aged 12 to 15 living in the greater Reykjavik area, divided into two groups. Each group met three times, plus one solo interview. Additionally, two media items suggested by the participants (Pretty Little Liars and Star Wars: The Force Awakens) were critically viewed to add depth and context to their discussions. The interview transcriptions were analyzed for recurring themes related to agency, belonging, and empowerment and interpreted through Bourdieu‘s concept of symbolic capital. This study focused on adolescents’ experiences in their own words. Two main themes appeared in the data: omnivores and experts. Youth culture requires that they stay constantly abreast of as much as possible while being prepared to engage in in-depth discussions too. Superficially trends, access to smart phones, and the ever-present fear of being judged dominated conversation, but they also talked about bonding, gender, and secretly pursuing individual interests despite peer pressure. 7 Contents Preface ........................................................................................................................ 5 Ágrip ........................................................................................................................... 6 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 7 Contents ...................................................................................................................... 8 List of tables .............................................................................................................. 10 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 11 1.1 In favor of highlighting youth voices ....................................................................... 13 1.2 Research questions .................................................................................................. 14 1.3 Thesis structure ....................................................................................................... 15 2 Literature Review ................................................................................................ 16 2.1 Bourdieu .................................................................................................................. 16 2.2 Young people and media: a mutual relationship .................................................... 19 2.3 Social networking and social capital........................................................................ 25 3 Methodology and ethics ...................................................................................... 35 3.1 Design ...................................................................................................................... 35 3.1.1 Interview procedures ....................................................................................... 36 3.1.2 Media ................................................................................................................ 36 3.1.3 Data analysis ..................................................................................................... 37 3.2 Participants .............................................................................................................