Risk and Representation

This project researches the opportunities and risks that face young people in their engagement with digital media. A strategic collaboration between the JMRC (UNSW), Edith Cowan University, QUT and CCI, the project focuses on the digital literacy of children and young people, and the policy implications of online and mobile media regulation. Children’s access to, portrayal in and creative uses of online and mobile media are all impacted by the representation of children in relation to digital culture and the regulation of their engagement with it. There is a clear public and industry interest in understanding the risks and benefits to young people of digital media engagement, and an opportunity to make a significant contribution to public policy and debate while building research capacity in an important new field.

Progress in 2010
Building upon the strategic alliance between the Risk and Representation Project and the EU Kids Online Network, funded by the EC and co-ordinated by Professor Sonia Livingstone at LSE, CCI sought to roll out the EU Kids Online II questionnaire in Australia. Unfortunately the costs, which were confirmed in May 2010, were much higher than was the case in Europe, partly because of EU economies of scale and also because the questionnaires are administered face to face: uncommon in Australian market research. During May – September we tried to raise more funds. Ultimately we decided to accept a smaller sample size and collect data from 400 families rather than the 1,000 families per country standard for the 25 EU nations. This data collection is currently underway.

Plans for 2011
The 400-case AU Kids Online dataset should be available early in 2011, although the research team will continue to seek funds to reach the full EU complement of 1,000 families. Green will be travelling to Slovenia for the January EU Kids Online workshop, to learn more about emerging findings and to inform priorities for the Australian analysis and for benchmarking. The final conference of EU Kids Online II will be in London in September 2011, and we are aiming to write up the Australian case study and analysis for that deadline, with the help of Dr Danielle Brady (ECU, Statistician). Towards the end of 2011, the Risk and Representation team will start benchmarking Australian children’s experiences against those of children across the EU and against a number of leading OECD economies. Findings will inform further research proposals.

Impact
Lumby took the lead in responding to the Internet filtering debate and co-ordinated a major consultancy project for UNSW/CCI on behalf of the Internet Industry Association. Newspaper and journal articles are included below. Although the internet filter debate is ongoing, the minority Labor government has flagged that it does not intend to press on with legislation. Lumby, Green and Hartley and (separately) Hartley and Green made submissions to the Federal Government’s review of the Refused Classification guidelines. Three refereed papers are in preparation arising from engagement in this debate, one of which is in review.

The AU Kids Online research was featured in the Australian Internet Industry Association (IIA) manifesto, Principles for a digital economy, (http://iia.net.au/images/resources/pdf/manifesto-2010.pdf) pp. 45-6. It was also presented at the Communication Policy and Research Forum and has attracted interest from the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Lumby was involved in a very successful December 2010 presentation to the IIA. We will build further support and interest as the results emerge, as well as providing added-value for existing partners.
Green published a related scholarly monograph, The internet: An introduction to new media (Oxford: Berg). It was launched by Mr Michael Malone, General Manager iiNet in June 2010.

Lumby, C., Green, L. and Hartley, J. (2010, Feb). Untangling the net: The scope of content caught by mandatory internet filtering, UNSW/ECU/CCI, http://www.dbcde.gov.au/submissions/20100316_11.34.55/271-untanglingthen...

Hartley, J. and Green, L (2010, Feb). Considerations relating to Refused Classification and internet filtering debates, submission to the Review of measures to increase accountability and transparency of Refused Classification material at http://www.dbcde.gov.au/submissions/20100316_11.34.55/277-Main_Submissio...

Green, L. (2010). The Internet: An introduction to new media, Berg, Oxford, UK

Green, L. (2010). Internet savvy? Children and online risk, Communications Policy and Research Forum, Sydney: Network Insight, pp. 226-235, http://www.networkinsight.org/verve/_resources/CPRF_2010_papers.pdf

McQueen, T. & Green, L. (2010) Obama’s election campaign and the integrated use of social media, Sudweeks, F. Hrachovec, H. and Ess, C. (eds) Cultural attitudes towards technology and communication 2010 proceedings, 315-330, Vancouver, BC, 15-18 June, http://blogs.ubc.ca/catac/catac-2010/proceedings-2010/

Green, L. (2009, December). Australia to join ‘enemies of the internet’ such as Syria, North Korea and Iran, Crikey.com, 16 December, accessed 30 March 2010 at http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/12/16/australia-to-join-enemies-of-the-int...

Green, L. (2009a, December). Internet filter will not stop child porn peddlers, National Times, 17 December, accessed 30 March 2010 at http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/politics/internet-filter-will-not-stop...

New Knowledge Generated
Most of the new knowledge generated so far is contained in the refereed publications and expert submissions. The analysis of the AU Kids Online dataset in 2011 is expected to create significant new knowledge.