Abstract
The use of resources made available through the Internet is increasingly widespread among adolescents and preadolescents, who are often described as “digital natives.” This label, however, oversimplifies the relationship between young people and new technologies, reducing online navigation skills to mere technical competencies. Media education is frequently called upon to bridge the educational and communicative gaps that emerge between adults and minors in relation to the use of digital technologies.
This article is based on the findings of a research project involving a lower secondary school (approximately 300 students), where a digital media education program was carried out with students, teachers, and parents. The empirical material consists of 62 hours of ethnographic observation conducted during meetings with the students, as well as feedback questionnaires collected at the end of the project.
The aim of the research is to understand, starting from the voices of the students themselves, what they think about media education, what expectations they have, and how they respond to the stimuli and activities proposed to them. The ultimate goal is to provide interpretative and practical tools useful for developing discourses and practices capable of intersecting with young people’s media practices and everyday activities.
