Journal 2--Teenagers and Media

Robson, Matthew ( 2009 July13 ). How teenagers consume media: The report that shook the city. guardian.co.uk, Retrieved july 20 2009, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jul/13/teenage-media-habits-morgan-stanley

This article listed what one 15-year-old intern at Morgan Stanley reported about his peers’ use of technology. He covered many areas including TV, music listening and downloading, game console usage, cellular phone and texting habits as well as their thoughts on the advertising they see.



Is this article a valid source in assessing teenagers usage of technology?

The title that it was a ‘report that rocked the city’ gave the article a bit of legitimacy, however after reading it, it became clear that it contained neither new nor necessarily accurate information. I certainly don’t think this is a valid source. This is a report about him and his circle of friends’ habits and he uses absolutely no data to show his points. These habits may be average for his age and socioeconomic status, but I am not even convinced of that, as there were no supporting facts for any of his conclusions.

How can we help our students assess what information is trustworthy on the Internet?

It is important to emphasize to them that not all information you see on the Internet is accurate or trustworthy. We need to help them identify sources that are reliable like the Encyclopedia Britannica or a study published in the ‘New England Journal of Medicine’, versus potentially unreliable information like that found on Wikipedia or a study published in ‘The Enquirer’. We also must help them identify primary sources of information, as well as look for supporting documentation within any articles themselves.