Vampires on the Web. The explotation of youth culture

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2019-1327

Keywords:

Youth culture, empowerment, commodification, fans, participatory culture, transliteracy

Abstract

In recent years, several studies have analysed the skills and strategies that young people develop in digital environments and their relationship with cultural franchises within their transmedia universes. This article, clearly theoretical, aims to offer a critical analysis of the commodification of the creative work that young people produce on the web. Digital environments offer few possibilities for democratising public discourse. The online media production of teenagers is usually based on acts of false participation, since their possibilities of influence are very limited. At the same time, their actions in these digital environments are used to sustain a model of cognitive capitalism through processes of alienation and free labour that result in the advent of an information feudalism that transfers the goods of youth culture from the collective intellect into private hands.

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Author Biographies

Roberto Aparici, National University of Distance Education

Roberto Aparici is a Full Professor in the bachelor’s degree programmes in Social Education and in Pedagogy of the National Distance Education University (UNED). Director of the MA degree programmes in Communication and Education in the Web (UNED) and Transmedia Journalism (UNED-EFE). His latest books in the field of media and education are: Comunicar y educar en el mundo que viene (“Communicate and educate in the world to come”) (Gedisa, 2017) and ¡Sonríe, te están puntuando! Narrativa digital interactiva en la era de Black Mirror (“Smile, they are taking aim at you! Interactive digital narrative in the era of Black Mirror”) (Gedisa, 2017). Other outstanding works are: Educomunicación: más allá del 2.0 (“Educommunication: beyond 2.0”) (2010), La construcción de la calidad en los medios de comunicación (“The construction of quality in the media”) (2010), and La imagen. Análisis y representación de la realidad (“The image. Analysis and representation of reality”) (2009). Leading researcher of the Network of Excellence in Media Education (EDUMED). His research focuses on educommunication, interactive digital education, new narratives, participatory culture and transliteracy. His h-index is 22 (June 2018).

David García-Marín, National University of Distance Education

David García-Marín is a researcher in training and PhD student in Sociology (media field) in the programme of Social Change in Contemporary Societies of the National Distance Education University (UNED). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism (from the Complutense University of Madrid), a master’s degree in Radio (from the San Jorge University of Zaragoza) and a master’s degree in Communication and Education in the Web (UNED). Professor in the master’s degree programmes in Communication and Education in the Web and in Transmedia Journalism (UNED-EFE). His last published books (in co-authorship with Roberto Aparici) are: Comunicar y educar en el mundo que viene (“Communicate and educate in the world to come”) (Gedisa, 2017) and ¡Sonríe, te están puntuando! Narrativa digital interactiva en la era de Black Mirror (“Smile, they are taking aim at you! Interactive digital narrative in the era of Black Mirror”) (Gedisa, 2017). Member of the Research Group for the Analysis of digital pedagogies: Communication, Social Networks and New Narratives. Member of the Network of Excellence in Media Education (EDUMED). His lines of research are: new media, interactive digital narrative, transmedia journalism and digital culture. His h-index is 2 (June 2018).

Natalia Díaz-Delgado, National University of Distance Education

Natalia Díaz Delgado is a PhD student in the programme in Communication and Education in Digital Environments of the School of Education of the National Distance Education University (UNED). She holds a master’s degree in Communication and Education from the National Distance Education University (UNED) and a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Hispanic Philology from the Complutense University of Madrid. She is a career officer at the Secondary Education Body of the Community of Madrid, in the specialty of Castilian Language and Literature. Her lines of research are linked to education, video games, gamification and the relationship of all of them with teenagers.

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Published

2019-01-07

How to Cite

Aparici, R., García-Marín, D., & Díaz-Delgado, N. (2019). Vampires on the Web. The explotation of youth culture. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, (74), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2019-1327

Issue

No. 74 (2019)

Section

Miscellaneous
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