Ross does an amazing amount of good surfing (where does he find the time?) This one was interesting in his blog role today.
designing for life stages by Danah Boyde
Three critical life stages in Western culture that affect a lot of our social technologies: The first is identity formation; the second is contributive participation in society; the third is reflection and storytelling.
I was very careful to not begin my online life until I felt settled in my identity. I was an avid watcher of the web but did very little talking or writing. Always conscious that what I put out there might be there for ever.
The first things about me on the web were newspaper articles about my waterpolo career. The next was a talk that I gave while at my first job.
Now there are ever more opportunities to express oneself on the web as a young person – through online networks. How do we support the evolution of healthy identities in the digital realm and invite real participation. It was surprising to me how little the ‘elders’ at SVN knew about the next generation of the web. The very tools they might use to effectively reflect on the world around them and use to tell stories. I hope that I can work with them on this.