Young people and sexting in Australia: ethics, representation and the law

The Young People and Sexting in Australia report presents the findings of a qualitative study of young people’s understandings of, and responses to, current Australian laws, media and educational resources that address sexting. The project, led by Dr Kath Albury involved a review of both international local and academic research as well as popular media addressing sexting, and a review of educational resources for young people. Three focus groups were conducted with young people aged 16 and 17 in 2012, and a working paper based on those findings was then distributed to adult stakeholders in the fields of law enforcement, youth and children’s legal support, education, criminology, media and communications, youth work, youth health care, counseling and youth health promotion

Data for Social Good

This open access book provides practical guidance for non-profits and community sector organisations about how to get started with data analytics projects using their own organisations’ datasets and open public data. The book shares best practices on collaborative social data projects and methodology. For researchers, the work offers a playbook for partnering with community organisations in data projects for public good and gives worked examples of projects of various sizes and complexity

Young people, social media, social network sites and sexual health communication in Australia: ‘this is funny, you should watch it

Social media and social network sites (SNS) are an evolving area for sexual health communication with young people. They present opportunities and challenges for sexual health professionals and young people alike, such as learning through interactivity and addressing concerns about privacy. In this article, we present and discuss the findings from six rural and urban focus groups with young people in Australia about the use of social media and SNS for sexual health communication. We discuss a number of issues related to the use of social media and SNS for sexual health communication, such as concerns about bullying, privacy, and the stigma attached to sexual health

Data for Social Good

This open access book provides practical guidance for non-profits and community sector organisations about how to get started with data analytics projects using their own organisations’ datasets and open public data. The book shares best practices on collaborative social data projects and methodology. For researchers, the work offers a playbook for partnering with community organisations in data projects for public good and gives worked examples of projects of various sizes and complexity

Locked down apps versus the social media ecology : why do young people and educators disagree on the best delivery platform for digital sexual health entertainment education?

This article reports on focus groups exploring the best way to reach young men with vulgar comedy videos that provide sexual health information. Young people reported that they found the means by which the material was presented - as a locked down app - to be problematic, and that it would better be delivered through social media platforms such as YouTube. This would make it more 'spreadable'. By contrast, adult sex education stakeholders thought the material should be contained within a locked down, stand-alone app - otherwise it might be seen by children who are too young, and/or young people might misunderstand the messages. We argue that the difference in approach represented by these two sets of opinions represents a fundamental stumbling block for attempts to reach young people with digital sexual health materials, which can be understood through the prism of different cultural forms - education versus entertainment

Sex Machines as Mediatized Sexualities -Ethical and Social Implications

Sex machines are also communication practices. This chapter considers sexual interactions with technological devices as mediatized sexualities. Media are integrated in the definition of most of the contexts of human life—and the combination of the mediatization perspective with an Actor-Network Theory enables an organic cross-disciplinary discussion about technologies across specific socio-cultural fields. Sex machines, hybrids of fundamental humanness and either or both artificiality and artifactuality, push the boundaries and raise social and ethical discussions about the limits of the integrated circuit involving society, individuals, culture, values, interactivity and intercourse. Therefore, a consideration of sex machines enriches media discussions on technologies, communicative, social and cultural practices and ethical debates. This chapter starts with a discussion on how sex machines belong to the world of mediatized sexualities. After an introductory section on mediatization, ethics and sex machines, the argument builds on a typology of sex machines (similarity, extension, substitution, sublimation, sensuality and creativity) to provide a discussion on ethical issues. The debates consider, amongst others, robots, surveillance, psychological, sociological and body-related concerns, which are also relevant for media and communication studies

A Survey of Bayesian Statistical Approaches for Big Data

The modern era is characterised as an era of information or Big Data. This has motivated a huge literature on new methods for extracting information and insights from these data. A natural question is how these approaches differ from those that were available prior to the advent of Big Data. We present a review of published studies that present Bayesian statistical approaches specifically for Big Data and discuss the reported and perceived benefits of these approaches. We conclude by addressing the question of whether focusing only on improving computational algorithms and infrastructure will be enough to face the challenges of Big Data

Introduction : children, young people, sexuality and the media

Since the 2008 Australian Senate Inquiry into the Sexualisation of Children in the Contemporary Media Environment, both the British and Scottish governments have conducted their own inquiries into the role that mediated representations of sex and/or sexuality play in the lives of children and young people. At the same time, scholars, commentators, activists and educators have continued to debate the boundaries between 'art' and 'pornography' in representations of children and young people; and the boundaries between 'appropriate' and 'inappropriate' content in popular and educational material for children and young people. This article introduces the multidisciplinary approach taken in this special issue of Media International Australia, which the editors hope will promote positive strategic approaches to promoting safety, agency and well-being for children and young people.5 page(s

Homer versus Homer : digital media, literacy and child protection

Despite growing work on the educational potential of digital media, literacy debates in Australia have remained locked in a banal opposition between serious educational aims and trivial entertainment media. To reinvigorate these debates, this article overviews progressive approaches to media literacy and case studies debates around the sexualisation of girls and young women in popular media. Ultimately, the authors - drawing on their submission to the recent Senate Inquiry on the subject - identify two ways to reset the media education and literacy agenda by incorporating a more productive engagement with digital media literacy.8 page(s

Too much, too young? : the sexualisation of children debate

In 2008, veteran current affairs journalist Peter Overton came to my house to interview me, in my capacity as an academic researcher in the fields of gender and media studies, about the sexualisation of children. He was one of a stream of journalists I'd spoken to who were genuinely concerned about claims that Australian children were being routinely sexualised both in and by popular culture. Before the camera started rolling we talked about his delight in having just had a baby and about the pleasure I take from my own children, two boys aged 8 and 10.12 page(s