I first came across danah boyd reading her pioneering research into how young people navigate, construct identity, and build community online. Her work immediately changed how I understood the digital spaces young people inhabit. not just as platforms for entertainment, but as places for self-expression, connection, and activism.
boyd’s seminal book, It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, remains a foundational text for anyone involved in youth work or digital society. She reveals how teens use social networks creatively and strategically, not just consuming, but actively shaping the digital world around them. Her research challenges the tired narrative of “digital natives” and urges us, as youth workers, educators, and allies, to listen deeply to the voices of young people and recognize the very real ways networked communication impacts their lives.
danah boyd’s insight is clear: online spaces are as real and significant to teens as their offline worlds. She highlights how young people use digital platforms to overcome barriers, build supportive relationships, and even mobilise for social change. For me, her work has been a toolkit, helping me advocate for safer, more empowering digital environments, and giving me the evidence-based perspective needed to support youth beyond fear-mongering headlines.
On that note, I’m excited to share an upcoming virtual event featuring danah boyd, Lee Vinsel, and Cory Doctorow. On Tuesday, November 4 at 10AM AEDT, they’ll be live in conversation about Doctorow’s latest book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. This session will be an unmissable opportunity to reflect on how digital platforms shape our communities—and how we can reclaim technology to work for rather than against young people.
- Event livestream: Join the session here
- Read about ‘Enshittification’: More about the book
Cory Doctorow’s idea of “enshittification” is central for youth workers. It describes the slow decline of digital platforms—where young people’s needs and safety often get sidelined. When spaces become more about monetisation and extraction than about connection or creativity, youth are the first to feel the shift. That’s why we need sharp, critical voices like boyd and Doctorow, who push us to question and work for change.
If you’re keen to dive deeper, danah boyd is also speaking soon at Cornell University: on November 5 she’ll be at the Information School Colloquium discussing “Avoiding Traps, Tracking Decoys: The Political Economy of AI”, and on December 5 at the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research addressing “What to Do When the Kids Are Not OK”. Both topics are a brilliant extension of her ongoing work around young people, tech, and wellbeing.
Find event details here:
- Cornell Info School Colloquium – Political Economy of AI
Info - Bronfenbrenner Center – Kids & Mental Health in the Age of Tech
Info
I hope you’ll tune in to this event. Let’s keep pushing for spaces, online and off, where young people aren’t just safe, but empowered.
