NFER is the UK’s largest independent provider of research, assessment and information services for education, training and children’s services. We make a difference to learners of all ages, especially to the lives of children and young people, by ensuring our work improves the practice and understanding of those who work with and for learners.
The overarching aim of this project was to gather
young people’s views about web 2.0 technologies.
Such technologies include social media and social
software: they consist of online tools which allow users
to share, collaborate and interact with one another.
These technologies allow and involve interactive use of
the internet, rather than mere one-way presentational
use. These tools and websites include popular social
networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo,
and media sites like Flickr and YouTube.
The project was interested in young people’s personal
use of social media, but also in how they might use
these tools in a community or local authority (LA)
context, for example, to communicate with other young
people, organise meetings and events, express their
views, or take part in a youth cabinet or similar
representative group. The more detailed aims of the
research were centred on key research questions.