The abundance of web 2.0 tools and networks is leaving a clear mark on the internet today. Users present themselves by way of profiles, connect in large numbers to colleagues and old classmates, post their photo’s on a global bulletin board and tell their whereabouts in short bursts of ‘I exist!’. At the same time a discussion is rapidly unfolding on the media literacy of young people. Media literacy refers to acting consciously, critically and actively in a global world of media. In a world of digital identities, electronic files, camera surveillance, virtual communities and online transactions, there is no doubt that media literacy is a necessary competence. Not only to survive in a digital jungle but also as a way to express oneself, digitally.

I had the pleasure to attend the Museums and the Web conference 2009 in Indianapolis. It were four full packed days of keynote speakers, panels, demonstrations and workshops all on the topic Museums and the Internet. As mentioned in an earlier post I was allowed to demonstrate the application ‘I Know What This Is’ during the demonstration rounds on Saturday. The application is part of the PACE project.

This week our research on Web 2.0 and its use by students (13-19 olds) was published by Kennisnet. This publication is based on a more substantial report, which utilises desk research and interviews with over hundred students to bring a more differentiated picture to the table regarding the discussion on the Net-Generation. Some popular beliefs and premises are critically analysed based on scientific evidence and empirical proof. For instance there is no hard evidence for younger people being better at multitasking than older people. One can even question the benefits of multitasking all together. Furthermore it is argued that younger people are not necessarily more information competent. They are better in handling ICT, but don’t show any head start in finding relevant source material and evaluating it on relevance, reliability and usefulness.