Where all media communicate through rules of notice, interactive media are fundamentally defined by their structural possibilities – what might be called "rules of action " – which significantly influence how users communicate and behave.
It's been noted more than once that for young people, the Internet is an essentially social environment: besides activities such as social networking, other popular online pastimes such as multiplayer games and even file-sharing all have social components. With all the information youth are sharing online comes concerns about online privacy – and concerns, among parents and educators, about how little concern youth often have about their privacy.
The social media industry represents a profound transformation of the traditional media landscape, moving from hierarchical, one-way communication to decentralized, interactive digital networks.[1] Today’s dominant platforms are best defined as "two-sided platforms that primarily host user-generated content distributed via algorithms, while allowing for interactions among users.”[2] This highly interactive and networked environment has created immense wealth for the platform operators while simultaneously establishing
Toronto, ON, January 13, 2004—Helping Canadian parents protect their children from potential Internet risks is the focus of a new public awareness campaign called Be Web Aware, launched today by a coalition of leading corporate and non-profit organizations led by Media Awareness Network (MNet) and national partners Microsoft Canada and Bell Canada (a founding sponsor of MNet).
The strength and weakness of the internet as a research source is just how much information there is: a badly-phrased search can drown you in irrelevant, misleading or unreliable results. This is why some research has shown that companion reading can actually backfire if people don’t have effective search skills..
How advertising works… even when you don’t realize it. Just letting kids know they’re being advertised to is not enough to make them engage critically with an ad. Helping kids recognize how advertising works is essential, too. Even young kids can become more skeptical about marketing when they’re told why and how ads try to persuade them.
Ottawa, November 23, 2006 – Media Awareness Network and the Canadian Home and School Federation today announced a partnership to present a national school-based Internet literacy and safety program designed to help parents deal with their children’s online activities. The program, Parenting the Net Generation, addresses issues that arise when young people go online and provides tools and solutions to help parents positively manage Internet use in the home.
We are honoured that Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, granted viceregal patronage to MediaSmarts.
MediaSmarts abides by all relevant federal and provincial privacy laws and is committed to respecting the privacy of its online users and members. This policy will tell you what information is collected when you visit our site and how that information is used. It applies to all websites and online applications provided by MediaSmarts and any and all successor entities.