“imaGE 2.0” focuses on online identity management and the image repertoire of female and male adolescents. In addition to generating scientific insights, the project also encourages adolescents to develop a responsible and self-determined approach to using digital media. To support this, a “train-the-trainer” e-learning course is being designed, and a teaching manual for educators is being developed.
Web 2.0 applications (“participatory Internet”) involve users presenting themselves publicly. Young people, in particular, face the challenge of balancing the tension between protecting their privacy and taking control of their own online image. Through a wide variety of awareness-raising initiatives, such as saferinternet.at, the issue of privacy protection is increasingly being addressed. However, it is often difficult to reach young people when the central message—often delivered in a “preachy” tone—focuses solely on the fact that certain personal data should not be published.
The topic of “self-presentation” on the web—which is so important for young people—has not yet been examined in a nuanced way. This is precisely where the “ImaGE 2.0” project comes in. The educational initiatives and programs offered by the applicant organization ÖIAT—such as the saferinternet.at initiative—are being strategically expanded to include the gender dimension. The project helps ensure that the diverse living conditions and realities of young users are addressed early on, even during the development of Web 2.0 technologies. By incorporating gender aspects into the development of technologies and products, quality and relevance to user needs are enhanced, and the existing counseling and awareness-raising services of the saferinternet.at initiative are tailored more effectively to the target audience—namely, both female and male adolescents.
The project is designed as action research: It investigates the differences in image management and image repertoire between female and male adolescents. Questions include: How do adolescents approach self-presentation and image management in digital media? What gender-specific factors influence this? What different image repertoires do adolescents draw upon in digital media? How do adolescents combine and emphasize the many facets of their own identity in different virtual spaces—and why?
The research findings are discussed and reflected upon together with young people. Through these cycles of reflection, young people are empowered to develop a responsible and self-determined approach to digital media. Feedback sessions with experts complement this process.
Based on these steps, we will develop the pedagogical, gender-sensitive design, technical implementation, and delivery of a train-the-trainer e-learning course titled “Image Management for Male and Female Adolescents in Digital Media,” which is aimed at trainers involved in the saferinternet.at initiative. In addition, a pedagogical handbook for educators titled “My Reputation Online: Image Management in Digital Media,” featuring concrete exercises, is being developed. The gender-sensitive design of the materials increases the effectiveness of the measures and helps encourage both female and male adolescents to reflect on their own use of digital media and to use social web applications safely.
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