A Voice for Youth

In response to Fran’s blog post, ‘Moral Panic’, (Group 17: Youth, Film and Television Blog, October 7, 2010).

It is fascinating to step back in time and read the ‘moral panics’ connected with the rock and roll culture that happened here in Australia.  Apparently in the 1950’s there were a constant barrage of headlines about the behaviour of bodgies and widgies and this youth phenomenon created worry and anxiety for many people (Moore, 2004).  It didn’t help that sensational media coverage contributed to the whole issue exploiting it for profit ( Moore, 2004).  The newspapers continue to use headlines to sell and often are responsible for these moral panics, but now because of cross media ownership the audience has now widened to encompass magazine, television, radio and online subsidiaries so in essence an issue can reach saturation level.  Once online the reader or viewer has the ability to expand on an issue with the use of other web 2.0 technologies like facebook, youtube, blogs, forums, twitter and texting. 

I agree that educators need to empower students by helping them to understand the media moral panic phenomenon, and being a part of the solution by becoming digital citizens and using these technologies wisely.  Young people have a voice now and as educators and parents we need to not only provide them with opportunities but show them how to use the new media ethically and responsibly.

You're the voice, try and understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
We're not gonna sit in silence
We're not gonna live with fear
This time, you know that we all can stand together
With the power to be powerful
Believing, we can make it better

(Lyrics from You’re the Voice written by Andy Qunta, Ketih Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson)

References

Moore, K.  (2004).  Bodgies, widgies and moral panic in Australia 1955-1959. Retrieved October 17, 2010, from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/633/1/moore_keith.pdf