Digital Youth Network: Creating New Media Citizens through the Affinity Learning Model

Jenkins et al. (2006) and Gee (2004) argue that the new media revolution is different from other technological revolutions in that it is quickly permeating all aspects of our lives, professional and personal, and is affecting how and with whom we communicate. However, only a small portion of youth move beyond consumption of digital media to become creators of them. Researchers have explained this by pointing to the cost of production equipment, limited access to human resources for learning, and the labor intensity of production as deterrents. These explanations have become more questionable over the past decade with the development of affordable and usable technologies, which are seeding possibilities for the creation of new “cultures of participation” (Jenkins et al. 2006) or “affinity spaces” (Gee 2004). In these spaces—which can be found at home, in the community, and online—individuals work alone or collaboratively with family and peers (both local and global) around a topic of collective interest. T...