About the project

Lindgren (2017) argues that the pervasive presence of digital technology in everyday life has blurred the line between the concepts of 'digital media' and 'digital society'. Movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter further illustrate technology's power to mobilize people within a digitally mediated public sphere (see Suovilla et al., 2020). The Covid-19 pandemic created a “digital surge” (De’, Pandey, & Pal, 2020), intensifying our reliance on digital technology as we adjusted how we work and connect with one another. Scholarly analysis is needed to make sense of how these digitally mediated societies are shaping young people’s identities, sense of self, and wellbeing.

We will explore the experiences of young people with technology in Aotearoa New Zealand by amplifying their voices. The specific objectives are to: (1) describe young people’s technology use, access to devices, and associated experiences with technology in the GUiNZ cohort; (2) investigate the sociodemographic and family characteristics of young people who are using screens and technology; and (3) explore whānau experiences associated with screen and technology use.

The project is an exploratory study that aims to utilise data from Growing Up in New Zealand's (GUiNZ) 8-year, 12-year and lockdown data collection waves to gain insight into youth and whānau experiences with technology in the GUiNZ cohort.

Outputs will include local and international academic peer-reviewed publications in communication and cultural studies that focus on young people’s health and wellbeing, supplemented by conference presentations and public-facing outputs and media opportunities.

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Start date: 1/12/2024

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