Minds and screens: Communication and socialization from a complexity perspective

Abstract

This chapter presents an example of the application of the complexity perspective to the study of social reality. In particular, it focuses on analyzing the relationship between young people, media and education in today's society. First it examines the types of assumptions that often guide research in this field and that have contributed to a rather simplistic approach being taken to the study of young people and the media. Then focuses on a theoretical perspective commonly adopted in the social sciences and how this perspective has contributed to the ongoing application of a non-complex approach to the study of children, young people, media and education. I point in which ways non-complex analysis of reality can be misleading and I contrast it with the complexity point of view. Lastly, I comment on possible ways to apply a complexity perspective when working on media education in the schools and when developing educational media. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.