The Spectacular Library

The Library’s Part in Identity Development (Module B)
Is one text type better than the others? Older generations may be inclined to say yes, but this is an unfair dismissal of contemporary technology-based texts. Vaportzis, Clausen and Gow claim in their journal article Older Adults Perceptions of Technology and Barriers to Interacting With Tablet Computers: A Focus Group Study that this is mainly due to older adults feeling left behind by technology and the media – that is, the participants in the study believed that technology and digital media is targetted towards the youth. This failure to embrace new technologies, however, should not minimise the significance that digital media is having on adolescents.

Photo by Tracy Le Blanc on Pexels.com

Each generation has had their own fads and their own versions of entertainment, so why are adults now looking down upon Generation Z? Yes, today’s teenagers might be more focussed on screens than the ones in previous generations, but surely this has its advantages. Teachers and teacher-librarians should embrace this new culture and attempt to integrate it into learning environments – it is our role to ensure that students see ‘the spectacle’ for what it is and find ways to see through it while enjoying it.

So Why Does This Matter?

In my previous blog post (The Innovative Library), I have outlined the different types of texts that adolescents are engaging in, and I explored how they can be used in the library. This time, I am going to discuss the ways in which a school library can help youths develop their own sense of identity by encouraging digital media.
When I was a teenager, I would come home from school, say a quick hello to my family, then rush to the desktop so that I could log on to MSN Messenger and spend far too long chatting to the people I’d already spent the whole day with. Although this bothered my mum, it was what teenagers of my generation needed – we had to stay in touch and express ourselves. Redmond’s article for Microsoft laid out the benefits of this social messaging, but really it was just highlighting what my friends and I already knew: we were able to create our own unique ‘digital personality’ and stay in contact with people from around the world.

Image from Thomas on betanews

Some things have changed, obviously. Teenagers are able to access the internet and social media at any given time, so they don’t need to rush home to use their desktop, and the apps that adolescents use are vastly different. One thing has remained the same, however, which Allen points out: “young people feel ownership over the social and cultural agenda of popular culture and their particular online communications.” The youth still want that privacy when engaging with social media.

Photo by Tim Savage on Pexels.com

Two students of mine, both 15 year old females, recently informed me that Facebook is something that only ‘old people’ use now, as young people are all on Snapchat and Instagram instead. They could not hide the pride in their eyes while they told me this – it was clear that they felt they were more tech-savvy and up-to-date than I was. I am 100% sure that this is true, but by telling me this, they provided me with real world evidence. Teenagers need social media to assert themselves as individuals, and they need to do it away from the prying eyes of parents and teachers. How can a library play a role in this identity formation?

Finding Your Tribe

Adolescence can be a tricky few years, and many teenagers spend time trying to determine where they fit in socially. Developing friendships is an essential part of identity formation, according to Overhauser’s thesis on building identity, so this is an avenue which teacher-librarians should explore. For those students who are more introverted, the internet can become a safe haven, and can offer them a chance to develop friendships. Knorr’s blog post for the Washington Post, Five Ways Social Media Can Be Good For Teens, acknowledges this, stating that social media can:

• Create and solidify friendships
• Offer support
• And provide a sense of belonging

Teenagers are multi-faceted, so using a range of social media tools allows them to show different parts of their personalities. For instance, one student might have a Tumblr account to showcase their artistic side or their passion for a certain fandom, while also curating a witty collection of tweets in their Twitter account to show a certain bravado to their followers. By utilising several social media tools, teenagers are able to engage with different types of people, and they can ensure that they are connecting with people that they feel they relate closely to. This idea is thoroughly discussed in the book Participatory Culture in a Networked Era: A Conversation on Youth, Learning, Commerce and Politics, and more examples are provided about the different purposes teenagers have for different social media.

Of course, social media also helps strengthen friendships that already exist, and Lenhart notes that “a majority of teens say social media better connects them to their friends’ feelings and lives”.

Image from Lenhart on Pew Research Center

Although there are dangers to social media – both perceived and real – the school library can encourage its safe use – see the end of this post for ideas and details.

Identity Formation

Teenagers use all texts to learn about themselves – I know that Harry Potter helped me to understand my own personality – and social media is just the most recent way for youths to develop their own unique sense of identity.

Humphrey’s article The Kids Are All Right When They’re Online  draws attention to the way that teenagers ‘prune’ their digital personalities deleting and editing their own posts, demonstrating their ability to reflect inwardly and determine how they would like to show themselves to the world. Additionally, Lynn’s thesis on digitally-born identity  proclaims that adolescents use social media networking sites as a way to not only connect with others, but explore and consequently develop who they really are.

Although these representations of themselves may not be entirely authentic, this is today’s teenagers method of finding themselves and potentially coming-of-age.

The Library’s Role

The school library is not necessarily the place for socialising, but in order to be spectacular, it should encourage students’ engagements with new media, which Ito defines as traditional and interactive texts.

There are benefits to incorporating social media in the classroom. Gleason argues that there is evidence that Twitter builds positive relationships between teachers and students when used appropriately, and, perhaps more relevant to today’s political and social climate, the University of Canberra predicts that ‘living’ in an online world helps individuals better determine what is credible and what is ‘fake news’. With advantages such as these, and with studies like the ones discussed in this post, there must be ways for teacher-librarians to include social media in the library.

I hope that you found this post interesting. Let me know in the comments what social media you like to use, or that you know your students engage in.