Some thoughts on communication practices, consumption and cultural production in new media in young people of Rosario city

Abstract

This paper is a preview of a research where we aim to describe young people practices of cultural consumption and production in social media. We have chosen this universe because we believe that nowadays trans-media practices of young people are located more on social and entertainment activities than it happens with other ages. In this article we explain a set of concepts that will allow us to focus the problem in order to develop the field research. The concept of practice allows us to treat other closely related concepts. The social use of technology, i.e., the invention of new practices to develop different tasks is closely related to consumption, understood as the set of social processes of symbolic and material products appropriation. In this way, different habitus (Bourdieu, 1988) are developed that promote preferences, operational patterns, ways of doing and thinking. Shirky (2008) focuses on the transition from a one-to-many communication model (typical of broadcasting) to the many-to-many type, that occurs in new media and the kind of contents they distribute. Shirky believes that the production of new types of contents by young people is possible due to a process of massive amateurization. They no longer need to be professional editors so as to be able to publish online. Now a set of expressive skills moves from a group of professionals to the whole society in a ubiquitous way. These skills are available to multiple audiences/users who propose and explore new ways of communicating and coordinating, without having to ask permission before doing it.