One of the most
obvious transformations in the literacy practices of adolescents between the
original investigation in the 1990s and the new one in 2014 resulted from their
increasing use of digital devices with screens. Even when statistics tell us
that there are computers only in 35.8% of Mexican homes and Internet access in
only 3 in 10 homes, more than 90% of the population between the ages of 10 and
18 habitually connect to the Web (1). As in other countries, this connectivity
has contributed to the emergence of new youth cultures where hybrid and
multimodal literacy practices converge. Addressing the theme of reading on screen
is therefore essential for those of us who observe and attempt to understand
where the new generations are heading in terms of education and culture.
Almost from the
beginning of the mass use of devices and digital media, researchers realized
that it was impossible to isolate digital literacies from other literacy
practices, not only those related to literature but also to culture and
consumerism. The “links” have continued to extend further, in a rhizomatic
manner, together with other forms of communication, social networks and websites,
as well as new models of marketing cultural products such as books or film. The
opportunities these forms offer for searching, participating and creating have allowed
many young people to express themselves and relate to others through multiple
platforms and in modes that are intimately connect to the formation of their
identities, values and beliefs. For researchers of reading and children’s and
young adult literature, an immense field of study opened on the ways in which
these themes fit in and become transformed within a digital world. It is a
field that we are only just beginning to explore, spurred on by questions
which, given the vertiginous pace of change, must be continually reformulated.
The task
therefore goes much further than simply keeping in touch with the technological
novelties, platforms or applications, given that it implies a preoccupation
with the questions that are, and will continue to be, significant. Already some
of the research from the beginning of the century seems out of date (for example,
studies on the first educational CD-Roms), however, there are many studies that
continue to provide pertinent reflections, as well as new ones that consider more
specialized themes (2).
In the survey
and the reading workshops that took place in 2014 in two Mexican secondary
schools, it was evident that we had to address the theme of reading on screen,
however, it was not our intention to cover the theme of digital practices but
simply to probe to see, first, what kind of practices they mentioned, and
second, what relationship there was between reading on screen and reading on
the printed page. Very little is known yet about what happens in Mexico in this
area and we wanted to learn directly from the young people. For this blog
entry, we will only mention what we found in terms of some of the ‘myths’ about
the theme of reading on screen based on the opinions of these “digital natives”
which seem to reflect the same conflicting opinions offered by the “digital
migrant” generation.
The ‘Rivers of
Reading’ (seen entry for the 9th of December 2014), allowed us to
make a list of the digital media they used in their daily lives, among them,
WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger. As was to be expected, the students in the urban
school used digital media more extensively and with more frequency than those
in the school situated in the more rural zone, mainly because of access both to
devices and the Internet. In both schools, however, opinions coincided and they
revealed a polarized perception of the “benefits” and “harms” on the part of
students and teachers.
The participants
expressed commonplaces about the “dangers” of the use of digital media and
reading on screen, for example, they noted there are “improper” sites and
viruses, that social interaction on line can be isolating and that reading on
screen “affects concentration”. Curiously, “damage to eyesight” was one of the
most frequently mentioned problems.
On the other
hand, they were also aware of the “benefits” that the digital world offers
reading, for example, they mentioned they could look up information about
authors, obtain reviews and recommendations, locate and download texts (many of
them free). Jorge, who said he only ever read on iPad, told us how he reads
scientific texts and also classic and contemporary literature, from Hamlet to Divergent. Even those who read “only a little” in terms of printed
books were aware that it is still necessary to read to understand, for example,
how certain videogames work.
During the
project, without us directing them to do it, the students began to search the
Web to find information about the authors and books we were reading for the
workshops, about Francisco Haghenbeck (author of Justicia Divina) (see blog entry for 13th October 2014),
for example, but also about Laura Gallegos, given that her site includes a
variety of options that complement and extend the series Memorias de Idhún and permit the interaction with other ‘fans’ and
with the author herself. In the course of the project, the participants also
discovered “booktubers”, the young people who make videos of themselves
recommending books in YouTube, some of whom have thousands of followers. (3)
During the
sessions, disagreements arose about some aspects, for example, if it was easier
to find the meaning of a word online or in a dictionary, if it was easier or
harder to concentrate, become distracted, reflect or lose oneself in the
reading.
We also found
conflicting opinions when we spoke to some of the teachers about this topic. On
one hand, they referred to the fact that digital technology “has beaten us” –
as if they were participants in a battle between the printed book and the
screen. They said reading on screen was distracting, that it was harder to do a
“precise reading” and that the information on the internet was not always “correct”
or “adequate”. On the other hand, they recognized that there are ways of using
of the digital world for teaching: “We teachers have not known how to make the
most of using Facebook or films or YouYube videos, all the technology that young
people have.”
They noted that
it was possible to create strategies to approach reading through the screen, as
one teacher suggested: “We could say to them: look here, everyone [bring] your
mobile phones here, everyone with your YouTube, come on, in 10 minutes, look for
a book and we can share it”.
They also
recognized that teachers are not always aware of the new skills of young people
and what they can do with them: “Actually, if you notice, when they have and
activity and they present their videos, their presentations are so well edited
that they even look professional”.
We close this
entry with a comment from one of the students who, when asked what sort of
themes he’d like to read about in his Spanish class, said:
“A book about
Facebook would be cool”.
We think that
Jorge’s reply is revealing in terms of the implied convergence between the
digital world and the printed word, as it shows the desire to read about topics
that are close to adolescent lives - such as a digital social network- but at the same time this topic is situated
within the more traditional form of a printed book. Jorge reminds us that, in
terms of the ‘new’ reading practices, the divisions are never as clear cut as
we imagine, nor is the ‘new’ generation of readers that different from our own.
(2) For example, the work of Jackie Marsh and Guy Merchant
in the UK; Margaret Mackey and Jennifer
Rowsell in Canada; or James Paul Gee in the US. In Spain, Gemma Lluch has
worked on this theme and a new book on the topic will appear soon from the
research team at the Autonmous University of Barcelona, GRETEL.
In 2014, a “booktubers” encounter in the Biblioteca Vasconcelos
(Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City) led by Daniel Goldin, revealed how successful
this new way of recommending and talking about books has become. According to Marco
Antonio López M., the Mexican “booktuber” community is the largest one in Latin
America (La palabra y el hombre, Universidad
Veracruzana, julio-agosto 2015).
