Youth and Media: Current Perspectives on Media Use and Effects

Be it television, mobile phones or social networking sites - media technologies and applications form a substantial part of young people's lives. It is significant that media use is one of the most prevalent daily activities during a period of life in which crucial developmental goals are pursued: During adolescence and young adulthood individuals strive to establish critical social relationships, achieve autonomy from their parents and develop a stable identity. Bearing all this in mind, this volume provides a collection of articles on the uses and effects of media among young people, and the developmental context within which these relationships are embedded. Alongside studies on the determinants of mobile phone use, social networking site use and online behaviour, studies on reality TV and news viewing patterns are included, as is research on the effects of social media use, advertising, product placements and public service announcements.