Illustration: James Steinberg
Among the many publications by Ioana Literat, Assistant ProfesĀsor of Design, is the Snail, a childrenās book about digital technolĀogy and friendship. The hero uses his shell phone and Crabās List to find a homeless pal new accommodations. Subtitled āa story about the Internet, by the Internet,ā was crowd-sourced by more than 100 online contributors via Amazonās Mechanical Turk marketplace.
āChildrenās books about the Internet are mostly about bullying, piracy and addiction,ā says āI wanted kids to know they can use the Internet to connect with peers and find safe spaces to experiment with creativity.ā
grew up in post-revolution RomaĀniaās lingering authoritarian climate. She left via a scholarship to the United World College in Canada, studied at the University of SouthĀern California with transmedia guru and worked in India, field-coordinating a digital storytelling program in public schools. Currently, sheās exploring the āpolitical socialĀizationā of youth online.
āThe attitudes cultivated in youth about civic life leave a lasting impression. Young peoĀple may feel disconnected from and skeptical about politics, but theyāre also very involved in online spaces. Thereās much to learn in revamping civic education.ā
Now Literat and of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are anĀalyzing youth postings to sites such as Pixilart, Scratch, Know Your Meme, HITRECORD and Archive of Our Own immediately after the 2016 presidential election. Theyāve found hundreds of election-related games, memes, fan fiction, digital art, collaborative animations and other creations expressing young peopleās political stances and concerns.
Young peoĀple may feel disconnected from and skeptical about politics, but theyāre also very involved in online spaces.ā
ā Ioana Literat, Assistant ProfesĀsor of Communication, Media & Learning Technology Design
āIn times of crisis, youth donāt have much support in terms of what to believe,ā Literat says. āThe number one fear is of intolerance and racism ā āWhat will happen to me and my friends?ā It breaks my heart, but itās beautiful that young people have safe spaces to express themselves, communicate and grow as citizens. Iām not a technological determinist by any means, but thereās something very special about the moment weāre living in.ā