Children’s Culture and the Environment in the Digital Age

Authors

  • Susan Bryant Florida Atlantic University Digital Library

Keywords:

children, television

Abstract

The article argues that within our digitized era we have altered the ways in which our culture represents the planet to ourselves, and thereby are further accentuating the perception of humans as separate from the natural world. These altered stories that we tell ourselves, as they relate to our relationships to nature, are explored with a particular emphasis on young children’s culture. The discourses of specific children’s television programming is analyzed as an example of the reinforcement of a troubling disconnect between humans and nature. As well, the online game Webkinz is assessed as a potentially problematic introduction for young children into the digital world for a variety of reasons, including those related to understandings of our place within nature. These examples from the world of children’s culture are considered as part of the ongoing obfuscation of the implications of our social practices for the natural environment.

 

Author Biography

Susan Bryant, Florida Atlantic University Digital Library

Department of Communication, Media, and Film

University of Windsor

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Published

2014-09-10