In this site is published the work done to the Youth Media Participation in the investigation of the years 2009 and 2010. Each entry or publication contains the interview with each child or group of children with the respective translation into English and a brief summary of it. Parents authorizations are not included to safeguard their identity and because security issues.

With a total of 21 children and adolescents surveyed in urban and rural areas, the result of the work is presented in this blog

INTERVIEWS FROM URBAN AREAS 2009

The followings are the interviews that had taken place on urban areas of Buenos Aires.

Sol and Paula 10 years old

BRIEF RESUME

Both girls are going to the same catholic school and are close friends. They usually play together and they are also doing extra school activities. Sol is the daughter of a close friend so it was easier for her to talk and explain some things. Paula is very shy.

It is interesting to see the powerful effect of these means of communication on their every day life. It seems that when they are bored or don’t have a friend to play with, they turn to the means available. Paula says: “when I am playing with someone I am playing with the person and when I am bored I play with my phone”.

Cell phones mean: feeling important, more adult, fun, company, in touch with friends…; much more than parents´ protection.

Facebook, MSN, games, are there everyday in Sol´s life. It seems Paula wants to do the same but she has technical problems with internet connection. Games and having fun are the most important goals for them when surfing the net.

Sol spends a lot of time in front of the computer and she can be in five places at the same time. They know a lot about technology and they can imagine new things to try. Privacy is very important for both kids. Internet is not used much for school homework. They are familiar with Wikipedia but they don’t use it.

It is interesting the way that new technology replaces the old one: to go to their cell phones to see the time is easier for them than to turn to a regular watch.

Advertisements are everywhere and they know it. Sol also hooks on everything that appears on the web (when she is playing or chatting) but most of the time she doesn’t read what it is all about. All the same, they can remember brands and they know how to buy and how to use credit cards. “Everything has a price…”.

The values of a consumer society seem to be very important for these two kids just ten years old.

TRANSCRIPTION (ENGLISH VERSION)

Woman moderator (not clear): How old are you? Nine years, ten?, ok.
(Sol was going to have her birthday on 3 days, that way she was doughty about her age, that was the reason of the conversation and finally we accept 10 as her age)
Well, tell me what technologic devices you have in your homes?
Sol: Computer, TV, microwave
Woman moderator:How many televisions?
Sol One TV. Then we have microwave, telephone
Woman moderator One TV, microwave, what else?
Paula Telephone. Oven?
Woman moderator Well, that is not technology, let’s focus on communication technologies and leave out microwave now. What communication technology do you have in your home?
Kid one Well, I told you computer and TV too.
Woman moderator TV, Telephone…
Kid one …and mobile phones!
Woman moderator How many mobile phones?
Kid one Lets see, one, three (counting). We have four.
Woman moderator Four. One for each of you? Wow!
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator Since when do you have cell phones?
Kid one I don’t remember, I think since this year.
Woman moderator And Internet? You have internet since this year too?
Kid two Yes
Woman moderator Well, and from all these things you have which is the one you like the most?
Kid one The PC and mobile phone
Woman moderator More than the TV?
Kid one Well, I do like the TV.
Woman moderator Ok, first the PC and then the mobile phone. And why do you like the PC?
Kid one Because it’s fun
Woman moderator Why is it fun? Tell me…
Kid one Because I can play, chat with my friends and I don’t spend money in phone.
Woman moderator (Laugh)…Ok, what else?
Kid one Because for me the msn messenger is more private for example than the (land) phone.
Kid two Yes, because sometimes when you have two phones (land phones) they can listen from another terminal to everything you say. It has happened to me, they do it like this…(showing)
Woman moderator What do you do when you have two phones and from one they hear you everything. What happens then?
Kid one They do like this and start to listen (showing).
Kid two I have also heard that they can listen when there are two phones.
Woman moderator You have two phones?
Kid one No, but imagine, one of my friends could be talking on the phone saying she likes a guy and that she does not like certain girl and somebody could be hearing that!
Woman moderator And that does not happen with the computer?
Kid one With the computer now there is, how can I call them, like a new messenger and one of my friends know how to read other’s persons conversations…
Woman moderator Yeah, but can you really do that?... So what do you think about that?
Kid one Yes, it can be done. I think that Internet is not very private either. You have to be careful…
Woman moderator But what is what you like the in the PC?
Kid one What I like the most is to play and to talk with my friends.
Woman moderator What game do you like the most?
Kid one Facebook
Woman moderator Facebook, is it a game?
Kid one Well, yes because you can talk to people and do a lot of things. Besides, you can download games to play.
Woman moderator What games do Facebook has?
Kid one I use the ‘pets-society’ and the ‘waca-waca’…
Woman moderator What! What is that ‘pet-society’?
Kid one There is a pet and it has lot of money and businesses, it can buy things and visit friends, take a coffee, buy clothes, build a house, visit people and meet people new people…
Woman moderator But I thought the Facebook was something else. What is the Facebook? (asking kid two) you don’t have Facebook?
Kid two I don’t know if I have…
Kid one In reality it is to talk, and I don’t know, to watch advertising and pictures…
Woman moderator Watch advertising? What kind of advertising? Of what?
Kid one Well, for example when you are playing there is advertising that asks you if you like something or don’t and you ‘have’ to answer.
Woman moderator And you answer?
Kid one Yes. Most of the time I answer those questions with ‘yes, I like’
Woman moderator But, it asks ‘do you like’ what thing?
Kid one Well for example a computer, do you like that it has this and this, speakers, a lot of memory…mmm, I don’t know…
Woman moderator Try to remember! You told me that you answer those questions while playing and that you put “yes I like, yes I like”…You don’t look at the drawings?
Kid one I am not very interested in them…
Woman moderator And why do you put “yes I like, yes I like”?
Kid one Because I am bored (laughs)
Woman moderator But how can you be bored if you are playing?
Kid one Because when a game finishes you don’t have anything to do and there is a pause that can take time.
Woman moderator But imagine that you are playing and the advertising appears on the side, do you answer it?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator Always?
Kid one Not always, once in a while I don’t answer it.
Woman moderator But almost always. How often you answer it?
Kid one Almost always
Woman moderator Without reading it?!
Kid one mmm…(accepting and probably feeling embarrassed)
Woman moderator So this means that you don’t event know what is it about?
Kid one No. Sometimes I have read it, once it was about a shampoo. (changing the topic) Besides I like that in Facebook you can invite friends to play in the games, for example I also play the ‘waka-waka’.
Woman moderator What is the waka-waka? How do you write it?
Kid one W-a-k-a. The game is about a little yellow ball that eats the little circles.
Woman moderator A ball?
Kid two But that is not the ‘waka-waka’, in the school they play it with paper balls.
Kid one No, but that is not the same! This is different…
Kid two They do it like this (showing)…
Woman moderator And in the school they say that it is ‘waka-waka’?. They play like if it was ‘waka-waka’?
Kid two Yes…is ‘waka-waka’
Kid one No, but I don’t remember the name of that, but its not ‘waka-waka’.
Then, there is one game that you build a garden and you can buy seeds and plant them and take care of the plants so you can have more money.
Woman moderator And what for do you want more money?
Kid one I don’t know, is how the game works. You can buy a lot of things. What I like the most about ‘play-fish’, because there are two things about ‘play-fish’. What I like is that you can buy things.
Woman moderator What!
Kid one Yes, for example there is a place that is a business that I don’t remember what’s its name and they sell falls and things like that, everything has a price, in the bottom it says this costs 10 pesos or 20.
Woman moderator But just as a game? You don’t have to put real money?
Kid one Yes, as a game. You have to go to the place where the guys are and pay them.
Woman moderator But do you have to pay with real money?
Kid one Well, no. There is a “fake” cashier so you go there and it asks you some questions, for example, with what credit card you are going to pay, mastercard or visa….
Woman moderator How many questions?
Kid one I think only three.
Woman moderator What is this game?
Kid one ‘Pets-society’
Woman moderator
What is that? Excuse me, I don’t understand. You were talking about ‘waka-waka’ and now ‘Pets-something’ …
Kid one The ‘waka-waka’ is another game.
Woman moderator ‘Waka-waka’ is other game. So ‘play-fish’ is another game in Facebook?
Kid one Is another place where there are games.
Woman moderator In Facebook?
Kid one Yes.
Woman moderator Ok. So that ‘play-fish’ that you use has a cashier and it asks you what credit card to use. So you have to learn how to use your parents’ credit cards, because you don’t have cards obviously.
Kid one Yes, I think so. But once I did not put it and nothing happen.
Woman moderator How you didn’t put it?
Kid one I just didn’t put it.
Woman moderator And what do they say?
Kid one Nothing because I didn’t had a credit card.
Woman moderator And what do they sell there?
Kid one Parrots, falls, boats…
Woman moderator And, if you don’t have money to buy anything in all the game?
Kid one You have to pay with money.
Woman moderator But, if you want to sell something so that you get little money, can you do that in the game so you can buy things?
Kid one No, those things no. You have to get the money from luxury…
Woman moderator I didn’t know about this. And what is the business?
Kid one I don’t remember.
Woman moderator I really didn’t know that. So you buy virtual things, because you don’t have any gold or anything in your house.
Kid one Well if you pay for example a fall then they let you can take it.
Woman moderator You can take it where?
Kid one To your house.
Woman moderator But not to your real house. You can’t put a fall or a parrot in you bedroom?. It is a fake. I mean what they give you is the authorization to take it in the computer and put it somewhere else.?
Woman moderator And a lot of kids buy things?
Kid one No, but I have a friend that bought a horse.
Woman moderator Wow, I didn’t know you could do that…So, what you like the most is the PC.
Kid one And the mobile phone.
Woman moderator And the mobile phone for what?
Kid one To talk with my friends and send them messages. Also to play games when I am bored and because you can take it anywhere.
Woman moderator Why do you like to take it anywhere?
Kid one I don’t know. It is fun…
Woman moderator You have a pink one, right?
Kid one Yes. Jorge has a new one…
Woman moderator And you have it always charged (with money)?
Kid one I don’t know (it means ‘it varies’ or ‘it depends’) I have not been using it lately because I have been at home.
Woman moderator How do you recharge it?
Kid one It asks you something about the card and there’s a code…
Woman moderator What card?
Kid one The Sim card, where there is a chip, there is a code, the sim code…
Woman moderator It asks you what?! Are you sure?
Kid one It’s called the Sim code.
Woman moderator How do you know all this?
Kid one Because my mom said...that…mmm
Woman moderator You also have a mobile phone? (asking to the other kid) Is that the same kind?
Kid two No, is different.
Kid one (trying to put one sim card in a phone) mmm…it asks me that because it knows that it has been a long time that it does not have my chip (referring to the mobile phone)
Woman moderator Ahhh you have another chip?
Kid one Yes, I have mine. This is hers.
Woman moderator And now you put her chip in a new mobile phone? Aahh, ok. So what else you like of the mobile?
Kid one That you can report where you are.
Woman moderator And what other thing you like?
Kid one Of the mobile?
Woman moderator Yes, I mean what do you feel of taking it wherever you go?
Kid one I feel important.
Woman moderator Why do you think the mobile gives importance to the ones that carry one?
Kid one It makes me feel free.
Woman moderator You know what happened when the mobile phones just appeared for the first time? There were these plastic toy mobile phones and even adults were buying this and faking they were speaking like if it was a real mobile! And we could notice that, I catch one doing it! Why do you think they were doing that?
Kid one Because they wanted to feel important.
Woman moderator Yes, because they wanted to feel important. Exactly, because the mobile phone gave you something…I don’t know what…And what else the mobile phone gives you? Tell me…
Kid one Well, it is fun because you can get to know new places. The same with the PC.
Woman moderator How can you know new places?
Kid one For example in the PC you can go to a webpage and you type something and have results, imagine! and then you can get all the pages you want, for fun, for laziness and for everything…
Woman moderator Ahhh…(laughs) And for the school?
Kid one The PC?
Woman moderator Yes
Kid one I don’t use it in the school.
Woman moderator No?
Kid one No, only when I work in the house.
Woman moderator Why?
Kid one Because they called my attention for something I was looking.
Woman moderator What were you looking?
Kid one Information of…(something)
Woman moderator And where did you looked for that?
Kid one In Internet.
Woman moderator But where in Internet?
Kid one In google, I typed something…I didn’t used wikipedia…
Woman moderator And why you didn’t use wikipedia?
Kid one …(not clear)…
Woman moderator What is wikipedia and what is google?
Kid one Google is an internet page.
Woman moderator For what?
Kid one To search.
Woman moderator So is a search-engine.
Kid one And wikipedia is an encyclopedia in Internet.
Woman moderator And what did you find?
Kid one Something about sharks, octopus, spiders….
Woman moderator Do you know any other site? What is your home-site when you open the web browser in your PC?
Kid one In Internet I go to google, but is a new page because there are two, one that has a white thing and another one that is new.
Woman moderator Ok. To which do you go?
Kid one To the new one.
Woman moderator And what is there? Where do you go when you go there?
Kid one Immediately Facebook starts…
Woman moderator AAAhhh…ok
Kid one And then there is are many tabs, one of them has games.
Woman moderator In this new google place there are games that are also in Facebook?
Kid one They are normal games, there is one that you use it like this…you have to put your password…
Woman moderator But they are not Disney games that you used to like a lot? Remember?
Kid one If I want Disney I have to write ‘disneylandia’.
Woman moderator You don’t go to those anymore? You used to like them a lot…and now?
Kid one I don’t know why I don’t use it much, sometimes I used them, but now I like other games, some new ones…There are other that you put something…
Woman moderator What other places there are?
Kid one Well I like Disney but when I go to the Disney page I don’t like it because the page never lets you go in…
Woman moderator Why? What do you mean it does not let you in?
Kid one I don’t know, the other day I went to the page and it never loaded or it said something and then started loading again.
Woman moderator Ahh, it was very slow.
Kid one Yes.
Woman moderator Mmm. Then when you go to play to what page you go always.
Kid one To Facebook.
Woman moderator I didn’t know Facebook had games.
Kid one Well, in reality sometimes I leave Facebook open and use something else to play with my friends.
Woman moderator For example?
Kid one I go to other games in other tab or other window.
Woman moderator How many tabs do you open?
Kid one Sometimes even 5.
Woman moderator What does that mean?
Kid one Well I open Facebook then I go to ‘pets’ in another page and then I open other tab or window and open something else and the messenger.
Woman moderator You open all these pages at the same time and you play and talk to everybody at the same time?
Kid one More or less…yes.
Woman moderator And if somebody comes to the messenger you start chatting too?
Kid one Yes, it can get crazy.
Woman moderator Yes, I am sure! And when you talk to your friends in the Facebook what do you talk about?
Kid one When my friends get online I like to talk to them through messenger because I like it more than the Facebook chat…so I close the Facebook and start talking in the MSN messenger.
Woman moderator So you can talk in any of them? (Facebook and messenger)
Kid one Yes, but I use messenger.
Woman moderator Why?
Kid one It is easier. You can talk in Facebook too, but I like more the messenger…
Woman moderator What do you like of it?
Kid one I think it is more comfortable to talk?
Woman moderator Why?
Kid one I don’t know…
Woman moderator I cannot say the difference because I have never had a Facebook. And how many friends you have in Facebook?
Kid one 16
Woman moderator 16 friends in Facebook? And who they are?
Kid one I have to mention all of them?
Woman moderator Well I want to know where are they from. Are they cousins, neighbors, classmates…?
Kid one Relatives and classmates from school.
Woman moderator What relatives?
Kid one Uncles, cousins and parents.
Woman moderator What uncles?
Kid one Uncle Pato and Sergio.
Woman moderator And Santiago?
Kid one No
Woman moderator So how do you talk with Santiago then, by messenger?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator Ahhhhh. What a ‘mess’ is this. So how do you find them? Do you find them directly? Do you call them? How is this?
Kid one In the messenger you can talk by the phone too.
Woman moderator How?
Kid one You can have a phone and then you talk.
Woman moderator So you listen to the voice and you answer by writing?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator And the picture? …(not clear)
Kid one …I write different in the messenger. For example “I like you” I write ‘Ily’ and how are you ‘howdy’ or ‘whatdy’ is what do you do…
Woman moderator So you cut all the words?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator (Addressing kid two) Hey! with you I have not talked. Tell me what do you have in your house?
Kid two I have PC, mobile phone.
Woman moderator PC with Internet?
Kid two I think so.
Woman moderator How do you know if you have Internet? Do you have messenger?
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator Then you have internet.
Kid one Yes, she has Internet, but sometimes it does not connect. The PC has something wrong…
Woman moderator So they don’t let you use it?
Kid two No, what happens is that when I go out, then I try to go in and its says I cant connect again. It shows a message.
Woman moderator Can your mom use the internet?
Kid one The thing is that her mom could help her fix the internet.
Woman moderator How many sisters you have?
Kid two I have one
Woman moderator How old is her?
Kid two 13
Woman moderator And she does not explain you how to use the Internet?
Kid two Well, the same happens to her.
Woman moderator Ahhh, so you have the same problem.
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator So you cannot use the internet for the school or anything?! And did you asked your mom about that?
Kid two Well, my father comes from work before my mom.
Woman moderator So you are paying internet and you cant use it?! Not even for the school?
Kid two Yes. For the school yes, but to the messenger no.
Woman moderator Ahh, you can’t ‘talk’ (means chat). How long ago you use the internet? A long time?
Kid two I don’t remember…
Woman moderator Do you have a mobile? What do you do when it is not charged? (it means when it does not have money.
Kid two Well then I call my dad and he buys the card…
Woman moderator And your sister also has a mobile phone?
Kid two Yes
Woman moderator How many TVs you have at home?
Kid two Three
Woman moderator Three TVs?! Wow! One in each room?
Kid two One in my sister’s room, one in my room and the other in my parents’ bedroom.
Woman moderator Wow! One in each room. Then you must watch the TV alone?.
Kid one No, with my sister.
Woman moderator Always with your sister?
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator Yes. In what room?
Kid two In mine, but sometimes I go to my sister’s room or my parents room.
Woman moderator So you always watch TV together?’
Kid two Well almost, not always. Sometimes we go to different rooms.
Woman moderator And you each watch your own TV so that you can see different programs that you each like?
Kid two Yes
Woman moderator What programs?
Kid two I watch sometimes Disney Channel and my sister I don’t know what she watches…anything
Woman moderator And what do you watch together?
Kid two ‘Almost angels’(adolescents soap opera Third year.)
Woman moderator You watch that together?
Kid two Yes
Woman moderator So you tell each other: ‘Almost angels’ is going to start! Lets watch it!
Kid two Yes, because we both like ‘Almost angels’ a lot so we tell each other that, for example, if one is doing homework the other must tell her that ‘Almost angels’ is going to start and viceversa.
Woman moderator And then you watch it together? And you talk about that too? You discuss about the show?
Kid two Yes, we say we don’t like that girl and things like that…
Woman moderator Yes and you discuss about the characters, about what is going to happen?
Kid two Well, when I have to go to the bathroom I have to ask what happened, that is why I don’t like to go to the bathroom.
Woman moderator And you watch the advertizing? Or do you change the channel? Do you do sapping (change the channel)?
Kid two Sometimes we change the channel to see the time or just to see what is in the other channel.
Woman moderator What do you do, you change it too? (asking kid one)
Kid one Well some programs do not have a lot of breaks. (advertising)
Woman moderator It does not have breaks?
Kid one Is because it does not have a lot of cuts, instead it shows parts of the next episode of “teenagers” or it asks questions, for example if you like the show you can send a message or something…
Woman moderator And you like that show? What else do they advertize during ‘Almost angels’?
Kid one The shoes “Sally” and chocolates ‘x’
Woman moderator Which chocolate?
Kid two One that comes in a big bottle with a little drawing.
Woman moderator Have you tried that chocolate?
Kid two I think we have, yes.
Woman moderator You bought it? (asking kid one)
Kid one No, I didn’t. I don’t like chocolate that much.
Woman moderator Do you remember the name of the chocolates?
Kid two No.
Woman moderator It has been a long time since they put chocolates in the advertizing?
Kid two Yes.
Kid one What they put is that one girl says ‘Ohhh, it’s a shame the chocolates ended!’…
Kid two Ahh, I remember they show some ‘chocolates Mariel’
Woman moderator What?
Kid two Yes they come in a small box.
Woman moderator What chocolates do you know? Do you like chocolates?
Kid two Yes, I like them.
Kid one I don’t like them, but I know some brands.
Woman moderator What kind?
Kid one Well for example the ones ‘pretty cow’.
Kid two Yes, they have messages like ‘I love you’ ‘I am your friend’…
Woman moderator But do you remember the brand of the chocolates?
Kid one Yes, one of them is ‘Abal’
Woman moderator That is a game.
Kid one Ahhh, yes I remember the one that is named ‘two hearts’
Woman moderator Yes, it is true they exist. What is the chocolate you like the most?
Kid one ‘Two hearts’
Kid two The one with the messages.
Woman moderator The one with the messages?
Kid two Yes, because I like that chocolate.
Woman moderator And all your classmates have PC? (asking kid two)
Kid two Yes, I think they do.
Woman moderator And all of them have mobile too?
Kid two I have no idea
Woman moderator You don’t know?
Kid two No.
Woman moderator They don’t take it to school?
Kid two/Kid one No.
Woman moderator And do you like to have mobile?
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator When did you receive it as a present?
Kid one I think last year.
Woman moderator And do you feel good to have it? Like ‘kid one’?
Kid two Yes. No I don’t use it a lot, but I used to receive a lot of messages from a woman that worked in my mom’s job, but they she stopped working there and we stop sending too much messages and then we stopped completely.
Woman moderator So when you were younger you liked to send messages more? What about now?
Kid two Now I don’t use the mobile a lot anymore. I use it only to play and to see the time.
Woman moderator The mobile shows the time?
Kid two Yes, it always shows it.
Woman moderator And you don’t want a watch to see the time?
Kid two I don’t know…
Kid one I like to see the time in the mobile too because I don’t understand the other watches. Only the ones that show the time like ‘five then two dots, thirty’ (digital display watch)
Woman moderator You do understand those…
Kid two I also prefer the ones with the two dots (digital display watch)
Woman moderator Lets see, tell me what time is in that clock? (to kid one)
Kid one In which one?
Woman moderator That one…(pointing)
Kid two Well that is easy. It’s 2:10pm…
Woman moderator Very well. So you can read that kind of clock if it has numbers, but still you both prefer a digital display.
Kid two Yes, It is better with numbers.
Woman moderator I like this, look at my watch…
Kid one It is big so you can see the numbers easy
Woman moderator So, then the mobile phone makes you feel what?
Kid one Important.
Kid two I don’t use it that much, but when I go out I take it.
Woman moderator For what?
Kid two I don’t know.
Kid one To feel important in the city center (a ‘joke’)
Woman moderator (laughs)
Kid two So that they look at me with the mobile. I fell like older, I don’t know…
Woman moderator So you feel older with the mobile, ok. Do you thing the mobile is a thing for adults?
Kid two Yes, I thing is for adults so when I use it I feel older.
Woman moderator So when you take it you see the time and play games?
Kid two I need it for the time not for the games.
Woman moderator But when you take it with you can always play. And you like to show it when you go out? Where do you take it?
Kid two When they invite me for example for ice-cream, that I don’t really like, or some other place then I take it.
Woman moderator And you take it out?
Kid two Yes, and when I am bored I take it out.
Woman moderator And when you are bored, when you feel lonely, when they are not playing with you, do you take it out knowing that you will have something to do? That is the idea?
Kid two Yes, it is like that.
Woman moderator And when you are having fun do you take it out?
Kid two No
Woman moderator So…
Kid one (Constantly saying jokes or making fun of kid two) …playing with the mobile all the time…
Kid two Well when I am playing with someone I play with the person and when I am bored I play with my phone.
Woman moderator Do you feel bad when the girls don’t invite you to play?
Kid one (joke) …because she is playing with the mobile…
Woman moderator If you would have to give up something what would you give up? TV, PC or mobile?
Kid two I would give up the TV.
Woman moderator You would give up the TV…and would you for example like a TV in the mobile?
Kid two No
Woman moderator What would you give up? (asking kid one)
Kid one I would take two things and give up two things.
Woman moderator What would you give up?
Kid one I would give up the TV and the PC and would keep the music and the mobile.
Woman moderator What music? MP3?
Kid one Well the music, in general
Woman moderator Well yes, but I thought you had MP3
Kid one Yes I have.
Woman moderator And you use it? (asking ‘kid two’)
Kid two it The MP3, yes I use.
Woman moderator For what?
Kid two To listen to music
Woman moderator Yes, but where do you use it?
Kid two When I go out and in my house for example when I don’t have anything to do and I want to listen to music. Because I don’t like the ‘regeton’.
Kid one I like regeton. (starts dancing and singing ‘regeton’)
Woman moderator And you have a lot of songs? Where do you get the music from?
Kid two I don’t put it, the neighbor from downstairs puts it.
Woman moderator The neighbor?
Kid two Yes, he has an MP3 and he puts the songs in mine.
Woman moderator And your sister has MP3 too?
Kid two Yes she has, but mine is blue and hers is red.
Woman moderator And you ‘kid one’, do you have MP3?
Kid one Yes, but it’s not mine, it’s my mom’s, but I listen to music in the PC.
Woman moderator What music do you like?
Kid one I don’t really like regeton, I like ‘calamaro’, The ‘oreja de vangog’ and I don’t remember…
Woman moderator When do yo listen to music?
Kid one When I am bored, when I am cleaning…
Woman moderator Yes it is nice to listen while cleaning.
Kid one Yes.
Woman moderator Ok ‘kid one’ then you said you would give up 2 things, the TV and the PC. So you would keep the mobile?
Kid one Yes.
Woman moderator If you don’t use the mobile very much why would you keep it?
Kid one Because it makes me feel important.
Woman moderator Ahh, yes and the PC nobody sees it, nobody knows you have it.
Writing in the messenger doesn’t make you feel important?
Kid one No, because I can also send messages with the mobile.
Woman moderator So it’s the same for you to talk with the PC or with the mobile. How do you think the mobile phones of the future would be?
Kid one The ones of the future…(thinking) I think the person is going to be visible from the shoulders up and you don’t need to send messages because you can see the person and talk.
Woman moderator So you would be able to see the person?
Kid one Yes.
Kid two The person shows, really? Do those mobiles exist already?
Woman moderator Not yet, but they are making them. They are investigating how to make them. In Japan.
Kid one And then you don’t need to put money on the SIM card very often because you can put even 500 pesos and they would be saved in a metal part of the mobile.
Woman moderator What else would you like in your mobile?
Kid one I don’t know, Internet no.
Woman moderator You don’t want a mobile with Internet?
Kid one No. I will like one that sends me the news, for example ‘there is a fire in a building’ or something like that.
Woman moderator You like the news?
Kid one I like interesting and important things. For example, to see ‘Almost angels’ (as a joke)
Woman moderator (laughs) And you ‘kid two’? How do you imagine?…Wait a minute you say you would give up what?
Kid two I would give up the TV and would keep the PC and mobile.
Woman moderator And what do you like more the PC or the mobile?
Kid two The PC.
Woman moderator Why?
Kid two Because if I connect to the Internet I can chat and play.
Woman moderator But if you can play and send messages through the mobile?
Do you send messages from mobile?
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator How do you imagine the mobile of the future?
Kid two I don’t know…I have never thought about it…
Woman moderator How would you like it to be?
Kid one (joking) I would like a squared one with keyboard and you can manage it with a little pencil…
Woman moderator Without keyboard?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator What else would you want? TV in the mobile, only the important things…
Kid one To see ‘important things’ and Internet is basic.
Woman moderator What else?
Kid one That it has games.
Woman moderator But this mobile already has games, right? It has all the games?
Kid one Yes, but I would like that there is a page called ‘thousand games’
Woman moderator There is one?
Kid one No, just imagine…I would like it to exist.
Woman moderator Ok, but we are talking of the mobile or the PC?
Kid one …(hesitating) The PC. I would like a page where you sign in and you get all the games you want and all the games that exist.
Woman moderator And for example, do you play in the net with other kids?
Kid one Yes, the messenger also has something to play.
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator In the messenger you can play too?
Kid one Yes, you can open a section in messenger that has games, it has ‘one’ and cards.
Woman moderator And with who did you play cards?
Kid one With my dad, but with him is only cards.
Woman moderator But, you were not playing with your cousins? With Ramiro and Paloma for example, were you playing something?
Kid one No.
Kid two I was playing something with them and I was visiting in their homes.
Woman moderator You went to their homes to visit them? Did you play with them?
Kid one You can do that in the messenger too. Well not in the msn messenger, for example, you send a letter then you ask for something and the person then reads the letter or it can be a present.
Woman moderator And you sent that to the kids and they also sent something to you?
Kid one Very little and I was asking things from them or I was contacting somebody that I liked. With one kid that had a microphone in the PC we were playing something too…
Woman moderator What kid it was?
Kid one Federico from school.
Woman moderator And did you played like that in internet? (asking ‘kid two’) have you played always like that? He (referring to ‘kid one’) just recently got Internet and he uses it like if he had always had it! I don’t understand that.
Woman moderator Oh, how pretty necklace you have. Where did you get it? It is very nice…
Kid one She bough it in the Internet. (joke, laughs)
Kid two I got it from my mom.
Woman moderator Have you buy something from the Internet?
Kid one No…
Woman moderator Ok…Something else you want to tell me?
Kid one Yes, I feel like eating ice-cream.
Kid two I feel like eating ‘chipa’
Woman moderator I don’t know how to do that.
Kid one Lets make ‘chipa’! We just need to buy a special flour and we can make it.
Woman moderator Can you do that in the microwave? Because I don’t know how…I have no idea how to make it.
END


Speaker Comment
Woman moderator (not clear) How old are you? Nine years, ten?, ok.
(Sol was going to have her birthday on 3 days, that way she was doughty about her age, that was the reason of the conversation and finally we accept 10 as her age)
Well, tell me what technologic devices you have in your homes?

Sol Computer, TV, microwave
Woman moderator How many televisions?
Sol One TV. Then we have microwave, telephone
Woman moderator One TV, microwave, what else?
Paula Telephone. Oven?
Woman moderator Well, that is not technology, let’s focus on communication technologies and leave out microwave now. What communication technology do you have in your home?
Kid one Well, I told you computer and TV too.
Woman moderator TV, Telephone…
Kid one …and mobile phones!
Woman moderator How many mobile phones?
Kid one Lets see, one, three (counting). We have four.
Woman moderator Four. One for each of you? Wow!
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator Since when do you have cell phones?
Kid one I don’t remember, I think since this year.
Woman moderator And Internet? You have internet since this year too?
Kid two Yes
Woman moderator Well, and from all these things you have which is the one you like the most?
Kid one The PC and mobile phone
Woman moderator More than the TV?
Kid one Well, I do like the TV.
Woman moderator Ok, first the PC and then the mobile phone. And why do you like the PC?
Kid one Because it’s fun
Woman moderator Why is it fun? Tell me…
Kid one Because I can play, chat with my friends and I don’t spend money in phone.
Woman moderator (Laugh)…Ok, what else?
Kid one Because for me the msn messenger is more private for example than the (land) phone.
Kid two Yes, because sometimes when you have two phones (land phones) they can listen from another terminal to everything you say. It has happened to me, they do it like this…(showing)
Woman moderator What do you do when you have two phones and from one they hear you everything. What happens then?
Kid one They do like this and start to listen (showing).
Kid two I have also heard that they can listen when there are two phones.
Woman moderator You have two phones?
Kid one No, but imagine, one of my friends could be talking on the phone saying she likes a guy and that she does not like certain girl and somebody could be hearing that!
Woman moderator And that does not happen with the computer?
Kid one With the computer now there is, how can I call them, like a new messenger and one of my friends know how to read other’s persons conversations…
Woman moderator Yeah, but can you really do that?... So what do you think about that?
Kid one Yes, it can be done. I think that Internet is not very private either. You have to be careful…
Woman moderator But what is what you like the in the PC?
Kid one What I like the most is to play and to talk with my friends.
Woman moderator What game do you like the most?
Kid one Facebook
Woman moderator Facebook, is it a game?
Kid one Well, yes because you can talk to people and do a lot of things. Besides, you can download games to play.
Woman moderator What games do Facebook has?
Kid one I use the ‘pets-society’ and the ‘waca-waca’…
Woman moderator What! What is that ‘pet-society’?
Kid one There is a pet and it has lot of money and businesses, it can buy things and visit friends, take a coffee, buy clothes, build a house, visit people and meet people new people…
Woman moderator But I thought the Facebook was something else. What is the Facebook? (asking kid two) you don’t have Facebook?
Kid two I don’t know if I have…
Kid one In reality it is to talk, and I don’t know, to watch advertising and pictures…
Woman moderator Watch advertising? What kind of advertising? Of what?
Kid one Well, for example when you are playing there is advertising that asks you if you like something or don’t and you ‘have’ to answer.
Woman moderator And you answer?
Kid one Yes. Most of the time I answer those questions with ‘yes, I like’
Woman moderator But, it asks ‘do you like’ what thing?
Kid one Well for example a computer, do you like that it has this and this, speakers, a lot of memory…mmm, I don’t know…
Woman moderator Try to remember! You told me that you answer those questions while playing and that you put “yes I like, yes I like”…You don’t look at the drawings?
Kid one I am not very interested in them…
Woman moderator And why do you put “yes I like, yes I like”?
Kid one Because I am bored (laughs)
Woman moderator But how can you be bored if you are playing?
Kid one Because when a game finishes you don’t have anything to do and there is a pause that can take time.
Woman moderator But imagine that you are playing and the advertising appears on the side, do you answer it?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator Always?
Kid one Not always, once in a while I don’t answer it.
Woman moderator But almost always. How often you answer it?
Kid one Almost always
Woman moderator Without reading it?!
Kid one mmm…(accepting and probably feeling embarrassed)
Woman moderator So this means that you don’t event know what is it about?
Kid one No. Sometimes I have read it, once it was about a shampoo. (changing the topic) Besides I like that in Facebook you can invite friends to play in the games, for example I also play the ‘waka-waka’.
Woman moderator What is the waka-waka? How do you write it?
Kid one W-a-k-a. The game is about a little yellow ball that eats the little circles.
Woman moderator A ball?
Kid two But that is not the ‘waka-waka’, in the school they play it with paper balls.
Kid one No, but that is not the same! This is different…
Kid two They do it like this (showing)…
Woman moderator And in the school they say that it is ‘waka-waka’?. They play like if it was ‘waka-waka’?
Kid two Yes…is ‘waka-waka’
Kid one No, but I don’t remember the name of that, but its not ‘waka-waka’.
Then, there is one game that you build a garden and you can buy seeds and plant them and take care of the plants so you can have more money.
Woman moderator And what for do you want more money?
Kid one I don’t know, is how the game works. You can buy a lot of things. What I like the most about ‘play-fish’, because there are two things about ‘play-fish’. What I like is that you can buy things.
Woman moderator What!
Kid one Yes, for example there is a place that is a business that I don’t remember what’s its name and they sell falls and things like that, everything has a price, in the bottom it says this costs 10 pesos or 20.
Woman moderator But just as a game? You don’t have to put real money?
Kid one Yes, as a game. You have to go to the place where the guys are and pay them.
Woman moderator But do you have to pay with real money?
Kid one Well, no. There is a “fake” cashier so you go there and it asks you some questions, for example, with what credit card you are going to pay, mastercard or visa….
Woman moderator How many questions?
Kid one I think only three.
Woman moderator What is this game?
Kid one ‘Pets-society’
Woman moderator
What is that? Excuse me, I don’t understand. You were talking about ‘waka-waka’ and now ‘Pets-something’ …
Kid one The ‘waka-waka’ is another game.
Woman moderator ‘Waka-waka’ is other game. So ‘play-fish’ is another game in Facebook?
Kid one Is another place where there are games.
Woman moderator In Facebook?
Kid one Yes.
Woman moderator Ok. So that ‘play-fish’ that you use has a cashier and it asks you what credit card to use. So you have to learn how to use your parents’ credit cards, because you don’t have cards obviously.
Kid one Yes, I think so. But once I did not put it and nothing happen.
Woman moderator How you didn’t put it?
Kid one I just didn’t put it.
Woman moderator And what do they say?
Kid one Nothing because I didn’t had a credit card.
Woman moderator And what do they sell there?
Kid one Parrots, falls, boats…
Woman moderator And, if you don’t have money to buy anything in all the game?
Kid one You have to pay with money.
Woman moderator But, if you want to sell something so that you get little money, can you do that in the game so you can buy things?
Kid one No, those things no. You have to get the money from luxury…
Woman moderator I didn’t know about this. And what is the business?
Kid one I don’t remember.
Woman moderator I really didn’t know that. So you buy virtual things, because you don’t have any gold or anything in your house.
Kid one Well if you pay for example a fall then they let you can take it.
Woman moderator You can take it where?
Kid one To your house.
Woman moderator But not to your real house. You can’t put a fall or a parrot in you bedroom?. It is a fake. I mean what they give you is the authorization to take it in the computer and put it somewhere else.?
Woman moderator And a lot of kids buy things?
Kid one No, but I have a friend that bought a horse.
Woman moderator Wow, I didn’t know you could do that…So, what you like the most is the PC.
Kid one And the mobile phone.
Woman moderator And the mobile phone for what?
Kid one To talk with my friends and send them messages. Also to play games when I am bored and because you can take it anywhere.
Woman moderator Why do you like to take it anywhere?
Kid one I don’t know. It is fun…
Woman moderator You have a pink one, right?
Kid one Yes. Jorge has a new one…
Woman moderator And you have it always charged (with money)?
Kid one I don’t know (it means ‘it varies’ or ‘it depends’) I have not been using it lately because I have been at home.
Woman moderator How do you recharge it?
Kid one It asks you something about the card and there’s a code…
Woman moderator What card?
Kid one The Sim card, where there is a chip, there is a code, the sim code…
Woman moderator It asks you what?! Are you sure?
Kid one It’s called the Sim code.
Woman moderator How do you know all this?
Kid one Because my mom said...that…mmm
Woman moderator You also have a mobile phone? (asking to the other kid) Is that the same kind?
Kid two No, is different.
Kid one (trying to put one sim card in a phone) mmm…it asks me that because it knows that it has been a long time that it does not have my chip (referring to the mobile phone)
Woman moderator Ahhh you have another chip?
Kid one Yes, I have mine. This is hers.
Woman moderator And now you put her chip in a new mobile phone? Aahh, ok. So what else you like of the mobile?
Kid one That you can report where you are.
Woman moderator And what other thing you like?
Kid one Of the mobile?
Woman moderator Yes, I mean what do you feel of taking it wherever you go?
Kid one I feel important.
Woman moderator Why do you think the mobile gives importance to the ones that carry one?
Kid one It makes me feel free.
Woman moderator You know what happened when the mobile phones just appeared for the first time? There were these plastic toy mobile phones and even adults were buying this and faking they were speaking like if it was a real mobile! And we could notice that, I catch one doing it! Why do you think they were doing that?
Kid one Because they wanted to feel important.
Woman moderator Yes, because they wanted to feel important. Exactly, because the mobile phone gave you something…I don’t know what…And what else the mobile phone gives you? Tell me…
Kid one Well, it is fun because you can get to know new places. The same with the PC.
Woman moderator How can you know new places?
Kid one For example in the PC you can go to a webpage and you type something and have results, imagine! and then you can get all the pages you want, for fun, for laziness and for everything…
Woman moderator Ahhh…(laughs) And for the school?
Kid one The PC?
Woman moderator Yes
Kid one I don’t use it in the school.
Woman moderator No?
Kid one No, only when I work in the house.
Woman moderator Why?
Kid one Because they called my attention for something I was looking.
Woman moderator What were you looking?
Kid one Information of…(something)
Woman moderator And where did you looked for that?
Kid one In Internet.
Woman moderator But where in Internet?
Kid one In google, I typed something…I didn’t used wikipedia…
Woman moderator And why you didn’t use wikipedia?
Kid one …(not clear)…
Woman moderator What is wikipedia and what is google?
Kid one Google is an internet page.
Woman moderator For what?
Kid one To search.
Woman moderator So is a search-engine.
Kid one And wikipedia is an encyclopedia in Internet.
Woman moderator And what did you find?
Kid one Something about sharks, octopus, spiders….
Woman moderator Do you know any other site? What is your home-site when you open the web browser in your PC?
Kid one In Internet I go to google, but is a new page because there are two, one that has a white thing and another one that is new.
Woman moderator Ok. To which do you go?
Kid one To the new one.
Woman moderator And what is there? Where do you go when you go there?
Kid one Immediately Facebook starts…
Woman moderator AAAhhh…ok
Kid one And then there is are many tabs, one of them has games.
Woman moderator In this new google place there are games that are also in Facebook?
Kid one They are normal games, there is one that you use it like this…you have to put your password…
Woman moderator But they are not Disney games that you used to like a lot? Remember?
Kid one If I want Disney I have to write ‘disneylandia’.
Woman moderator You don’t go to those anymore? You used to like them a lot…and now?
Kid one I don’t know why I don’t use it much, sometimes I used them, but now I like other games, some new ones…There are other that you put something…
Woman moderator What other places there are?
Kid one Well I like Disney but when I go to the Disney page I don’t like it because the page never lets you go in…
Woman moderator Why? What do you mean it does not let you in?
Kid one I don’t know, the other day I went to the page and it never loaded or it said something and then started loading again.
Woman moderator Ahh, it was very slow.
Kid one Yes.
Woman moderator Mmm. Then when you go to play to what page you go always.
Kid one To Facebook.
Woman moderator I didn’t know Facebook had games.
Kid one Well, in reality sometimes I leave Facebook open and use something else to play with my friends.
Woman moderator For example?
Kid one I go to other games in other tab or other window.
Woman moderator How many tabs do you open?
Kid one Sometimes even 5.
Woman moderator What does that mean?
Kid one Well I open Facebook then I go to ‘pets’ in another page and then I open other tab or window and open something else and the messenger.
Woman moderator You open all these pages at the same time and you play and talk to everybody at the same time?
Kid one More or less…yes.
Woman moderator And if somebody comes to the messenger you start chatting too?
Kid one Yes, it can get crazy.
Woman moderator Yes, I am sure! And when you talk to your friends in the Facebook what do you talk about?
Kid one When my friends get online I like to talk to them through messenger because I like it more than the Facebook chat…so I close the Facebook and start talking in the MSN messenger.
Woman moderator So you can talk in any of them? (Facebook and messenger)
Kid one Yes, but I use messenger.
Woman moderator Why?
Kid one It is easier. You can talk in Facebook too, but I like more the messenger…
Woman moderator What do you like of it?
Kid one I think it is more comfortable to talk?
Woman moderator Why?
Kid one I don’t know…
Woman moderator I cannot say the difference because I have never had a Facebook. And how many friends you have in Facebook?
Kid one 16
Woman moderator 16 friends in Facebook? And who they are?
Kid one I have to mention all of them?
Woman moderator Well I want to know where are they from. Are they cousins, neighbors, classmates…?
Kid one Relatives and classmates from school.
Woman moderator What relatives?
Kid one Uncles, cousins and parents.
Woman moderator What uncles?
Kid one Uncle Pato and Sergio.
Woman moderator And Santiago?
Kid one No
Woman moderator So how do you talk with Santiago then, by messenger?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator Ahhhhh. What a ‘mess’ is this. So how do you find them? Do you find them directly? Do you call them? How is this?
Kid one In the messenger you can talk by the phone too.
Woman moderator How?
Kid one You can have a phone and then you talk.
Woman moderator So you listen to the voice and you answer by writing?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator And the picture? …(not clear)
Kid one …I write different in the messenger. For example “I like you” I write ‘Ily’ and how are you ‘howdy’ or ‘whatdy’ is what do you do…
Woman moderator So you cut all the words?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator (Addressing kid two) Hey! with you I have not talked. Tell me what do you have in your house?
Kid two I have PC, mobile phone.
Woman moderator PC with Internet?
Kid two I think so.
Woman moderator How do you know if you have Internet? Do you have messenger?
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator Then you have internet.
Kid one Yes, she has Internet, but sometimes it does not connect. The PC has something wrong…
Woman moderator So they don’t let you use it?
Kid two No, what happens is that when I go out, then I try to go in and its says I cant connect again. It shows a message.
Woman moderator Can your mom use the internet?
Kid one The thing is that her mom could help her fix the internet.
Woman moderator How many sisters you have?
Kid two I have one
Woman moderator How old is her?
Kid two 13
Woman moderator And she does not explain you how to use the Internet?
Kid two Well, the same happens to her.
Woman moderator Ahhh, so you have the same problem.
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator So you cannot use the internet for the school or anything?! And did you asked your mom about that?
Kid two Well, my father comes from work before my mom.
Woman moderator So you are paying internet and you cant use it?! Not even for the school?
Kid two Yes. For the school yes, but to the messenger no.
Woman moderator Ahh, you can’t ‘talk’ (means chat). How long ago you use the internet? A long time?
Kid two I don’t remember…
Woman moderator Do you have a mobile? What do you do when it is not charged? (it means when it does not have money.
Kid two Well then I call my dad and he buys the card…
Woman moderator And your sister also has a mobile phone?
Kid two Yes
Woman moderator How many TVs you have at home?
Kid two Three
Woman moderator Three TVs?! Wow! One in each room?
Kid two One in my sister’s room, one in my room and the other in my parents’ bedroom.
Woman moderator Wow! One in each room. Then you must watch the TV alone?.
Kid one No, with my sister.
Woman moderator Always with your sister?
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator Yes. In what room?
Kid two In mine, but sometimes I go to my sister’s room or my parents room.
Woman moderator So you always watch TV together?’
Kid two Well almost, not always. Sometimes we go to different rooms.
Woman moderator And you each watch your own TV so that you can see different programs that you each like?
Kid two Yes
Woman moderator What programs?
Kid two I watch sometimes Disney Channel and my sister I don’t know what she watches…anything
Woman moderator And what do you watch together?
Kid two ‘Almost angels’(adolescents soap opera Third year.)
Woman moderator You watch that together?
Kid two Yes
Woman moderator So you tell each other: ‘Almost angels’ is going to start! Lets watch it!
Kid two Yes, because we both like ‘Almost angels’ a lot so we tell each other that, for example, if one is doing homework the other must tell her that ‘Almost angels’ is going to start and viceversa.
Woman moderator And then you watch it together? And you talk about that too? You discuss about the show?
Kid two Yes, we say we don’t like that girl and things like that…
Woman moderator Yes and you discuss about the characters, about what is going to happen?
Kid two Well, when I have to go to the bathroom I have to ask what happened, that is why I don’t like to go to the bathroom.
Woman moderator And you watch the advertizing? Or do you change the channel? Do you do sapping (change the channel)?
Kid two Sometimes we change the channel to see the time or just to see what is in the other channel.
Woman moderator What do you do, you change it too? (asking kid one)
Kid one Well some programs do not have a lot of breaks. (advertising)
Woman moderator It does not have breaks?
Kid one Is because it does not have a lot of cuts, instead it shows parts of the next episode of “teenagers” or it asks questions, for example if you like the show you can send a message or something…
Woman moderator And you like that show? What else do they advertize during ‘Almost angels’?
Kid one The shoes “Sally” and chocolates ‘x’
Woman moderator Which chocolate?
Kid two One that comes in a big bottle with a little drawing.
Woman moderator Have you tried that chocolate?
Kid two I think we have, yes.
Woman moderator You bought it? (asking kid one)
Kid one No, I didn’t. I don’t like chocolate that much.
Woman moderator Do you remember the name of the chocolates?
Kid two No.
Woman moderator It has been a long time since they put chocolates in the advertizing?
Kid two Yes.
Kid one What they put is that one girl says ‘Ohhh, it’s a shame the chocolates ended!’…
Kid two Ahh, I remember they show some ‘chocolates Mariel’
Woman moderator What?
Kid two Yes they come in a small box.
Woman moderator What chocolates do you know? Do you like chocolates?
Kid two Yes, I like them.
Kid one I don’t like them, but I know some brands.
Woman moderator What kind?
Kid one Well for example the ones ‘pretty cow’.
Kid two Yes, they have messages like ‘I love you’ ‘I am your friend’…
Woman moderator But do you remember the brand of the chocolates?
Kid one Yes, one of them is ‘Abal’
Woman moderator That is a game.
Kid one Ahhh, yes I remember the one that is named ‘two hearts’
Woman moderator Yes, it is true they exist. What is the chocolate you like the most?
Kid one ‘Two hearts’
Kid two The one with the messages.
Woman moderator The one with the messages?
Kid two Yes, because I like that chocolate.
Woman moderator And all your classmates have PC? (asking kid two)
Kid two Yes, I think they do.
Woman moderator And all of them have mobile too?
Kid two I have no idea
Woman moderator You don’t know?
Kid two No.
Woman moderator They don’t take it to school?
Kid two/Kid one No.
Woman moderator And do you like to have mobile?
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator When did you receive it as a present?
Kid one I think last year.
Woman moderator And do you feel good to have it? Like ‘kid one’?
Kid two Yes. No I don’t use it a lot, but I used to receive a lot of messages from a woman that worked in my mom’s job, but they she stopped working there and we stop sending too much messages and then we stopped completely.
Woman moderator So when you were younger you liked to send messages more? What about now?
Kid two Now I don’t use the mobile a lot anymore. I use it only to play and to see the time.
Woman moderator The mobile shows the time?
Kid two Yes, it always shows it.
Woman moderator And you don’t want a watch to see the time?
Kid two I don’t know…
Kid one I like to see the time in the mobile too because I don’t understand the other watches. Only the ones that show the time like ‘five then two dots, thirty’ (digital display watch)
Woman moderator You do understand those…
Kid two I also prefer the ones with the two dots (digital display watch)
Woman moderator Lets see, tell me what time is in that clock? (to kid one)
Kid one In which one?
Woman moderator That one…(pointing)
Kid two Well that is easy. It’s 2:10pm…
Woman moderator Very well. So you can read that kind of clock if it has numbers, but still you both prefer a digital display.
Kid two Yes, It is better with numbers.
Woman moderator I like this, look at my watch…
Kid one It is big so you can see the numbers easy
Woman moderator So, then the mobile phone makes you feel what?
Kid one Important.
Kid two I don’t use it that much, but when I go out I take it.
Woman moderator For what?
Kid two I don’t know.
Kid one To feel important in the city center (a ‘joke’)
Woman moderator (laughs)
Kid two So that they look at me with the mobile. I fell like older, I don’t know…
Woman moderator So you feel older with the mobile, ok. Do you thing the mobile is a thing for adults?
Kid two Yes, I thing is for adults so when I use it I feel older.
Woman moderator So when you take it you see the time and play games?
Kid two I need it for the time not for the games.
Woman moderator But when you take it with you can always play. And you like to show it when you go out? Where do you take it?
Kid two When they invite me for example for ice-cream, that I don’t really like, or some other place then I take it.
Woman moderator And you take it out?
Kid two Yes, and when I am bored I take it out.
Woman moderator And when you are bored, when you feel lonely, when they are not playing with you, do you take it out knowing that you will have something to do? That is the idea?
Kid two Yes, it is like that.
Woman moderator And when you are having fun do you take it out?
Kid two No
Woman moderator So…
Kid one (Constantly saying jokes or making fun of kid two) …playing with the mobile all the time…
Kid two Well when I am playing with someone I play with the person and when I am bored I play with my phone.
Woman moderator Do you feel bad when the girls don’t invite you to play?
Kid one (joke) …because she is playing with the mobile…
Woman moderator If you would have to give up something what would you give up? TV, PC or mobile?
Kid two I would give up the TV.
Woman moderator You would give up the TV…and would you for example like a TV in the mobile?
Kid two No
Woman moderator What would you give up? (asking kid one)
Kid one I would take two things and give up two things.
Woman moderator What would you give up?
Kid one I would give up the TV and the PC and would keep the music and the mobile.
Woman moderator What music? MP3?
Kid one Well the music, in general
Woman moderator Well yes, but I thought you had MP3
Kid one Yes I have.
Woman moderator And you use it? (asking ‘kid two’)
Kid two it The MP3, yes I use.
Woman moderator For what?
Kid two To listen to music
Woman moderator Yes, but where do you use it?
Kid two When I go out and in my house for example when I don’t have anything to do and I want to listen to music. Because I don’t like the ‘regeton’.
Kid one I like regeton. (starts dancing and singing ‘regeton’)
Woman moderator And you have a lot of songs? Where do you get the music from?
Kid two I don’t put it, the neighbor from downstairs puts it.
Woman moderator The neighbor?
Kid two Yes, he has an MP3 and he puts the songs in mine.
Woman moderator And your sister has MP3 too?
Kid two Yes she has, but mine is blue and hers is red.
Woman moderator And you ‘kid one’, do you have MP3?
Kid one Yes, but it’s not mine, it’s my mom’s, but I listen to music in the PC.
Woman moderator What music do you like?
Kid one I don’t really like regeton, I like ‘calamaro’, The ‘oreja de vangog’ and I don’t remember…
Woman moderator When do yo listen to music?
Kid one When I am bored, when I am cleaning…
Woman moderator Yes it is nice to listen while cleaning.
Kid one Yes.
Woman moderator Ok ‘kid one’ then you said you would give up 2 things, the TV and the PC. So you would keep the mobile?
Kid one Yes.
Woman moderator If you don’t use the mobile very much why would you keep it?
Kid one Because it makes me feel important.
Woman moderator Ahh, yes and the PC nobody sees it, nobody knows you have it.
Writing in the messenger doesn’t make you feel important?
Kid one No, because I can also send messages with the mobile.
Woman moderator So it’s the same for you to talk with the PC or with the mobile. How do you think the mobile phones of the future would be?
Kid one The ones of the future…(thinking) I think the person is going to be visible from the shoulders up and you don’t need to send messages because you can see the person and talk.
Woman moderator So you would be able to see the person?
Kid one Yes.
Kid two The person shows, really? Do those mobiles exist already?
Woman moderator Not yet, but they are making them. They are investigating how to make them. In Japan.
Kid one And then you don’t need to put money on the SIM card very often because you can put even 500 pesos and they would be saved in a metal part of the mobile.
Woman moderator What else would you like in your mobile?
Kid one I don’t know, Internet no.
Woman moderator You don’t want a mobile with Internet?
Kid one No. I will like one that sends me the news, for example ‘there is a fire in a building’ or something like that.
Woman moderator You like the news?
Kid one I like interesting and important things. For example, to see ‘Almost angels’ (as a joke)
Woman moderator (laughs) And you ‘kid two’? How do you imagine?…Wait a minute you say you would give up what?
Kid two I would give up the TV and would keep the PC and mobile.
Woman moderator And what do you like more the PC or the mobile?
Kid two The PC.
Woman moderator Why?
Kid two Because if I connect to the Internet I can chat and play.
Woman moderator But if you can play and send messages through the mobile?
Do you send messages from mobile?
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator How do you imagine the mobile of the future?
Kid two I don’t know…I have never thought about it…
Woman moderator How would you like it to be?
Kid one (joking) I would like a squared one with keyboard and you can manage it with a little pencil…
Woman moderator Without keyboard?
Kid one Yes
Woman moderator What else would you want? TV in the mobile, only the important things…
Kid one To see ‘important things’ and Internet is basic.
Woman moderator What else?
Kid one That it has games.
Woman moderator But this mobile already has games, right? It has all the games?
Kid one Yes, but I would like that there is a page called ‘thousand games’
Woman moderator There is one?
Kid one No, just imagine…I would like it to exist.
Woman moderator Ok, but we are talking of the mobile or the PC?
Kid one …(hesitating) The PC. I would like a page where you sign in and you get all the games you want and all the games that exist.
Woman moderator And for example, do you play in the net with other kids?
Kid one Yes, the messenger also has something to play.
Kid two Yes.
Woman moderator In the messenger you can play too?
Kid one Yes, you can open a section in messenger that has games, it has ‘one’ and cards.
Woman moderator And with who did you play cards?
Kid one With my dad, but with him is only cards.
Woman moderator But, you were not playing with your cousins? With Ramiro and Paloma for example, were you playing something?
Kid one No.
Kid two I was playing something with them and I was visiting in their homes.
Woman moderator You went to their homes to visit them? Did you play with them?
Kid one You can do that in the messenger too. Well not in the msn messenger, for example, you send a letter then you ask for something and the person then reads the letter or it can be a present.
Woman moderator And you sent that to the kids and they also sent something to you?
Kid one Very little and I was asking things from them or I was contacting somebody that I liked. With one kid that had a microphone in the PC we were playing something too…
Woman moderator What kid it was?
Kid one Federico from school.
Woman moderator And did you played like that in internet? (asking ‘kid two’) have you played always like that? He (referring to ‘kid one’) just recently got Internet and he uses it like if he had always had it! I don’t understand that.
Woman moderator Oh, how pretty necklace you have. Where did you get it? It is very nice…
Kid one She bough it in the Internet. (joke, laughs)
Kid two I got it from my mom.
Woman moderator Have you buy something from the Internet?
Kid one No…
Woman moderator Ok…Something else you want to tell me?
Kid one Yes, I feel like eating ice-cream.
Kid two I feel like eating ‘chipa’
Woman moderator I don’t know how to do that.
Kid one Lets make ‘chipa’! We just need to buy a special flour and we can make it.
Woman moderator Can you do that in the microwave? Because I don’t know how…I have no idea how to make it.
END

Carla and Florencia 16 and 18 years old

BRIEF RESUME

Carla and Florencia are relatives. It is very interesting to find out that, although closely related once one of them, Florencia in this case, changes school for college and starts work, the differences as to how they deal with the means of communication are really important.

Both have almost all the technology available to kids. Carla seems to know quite clearly that internet makes her lose a lot of time but it is impossible for her to set a limit to it.

Facebook, MSN, cell phones are an important part of their lives: “indispensable”

“a complement”. “Part of their own bodies” as Mac Luhan said.

Carla likes the same game that little kids play: the Farm. Television is also for her something that is all the time switched on. Florencia, who is working and studying at University feels, instead, that technology is important but with a limit and for a clear purpose.

It is also interesting to see the way these girls express themselves about their complete lack of confidence in the institutions in general and in the political institutions in particular. This aspect matches the results of the research on “Young people and their every day life”, where we investigate confidence on institutions and people in general.[1]

The possibilities of using these means as a way to change things and to participate almost do not exist. They do not believe that what they can do or say will be heard .

They say: “…the ones that are now in power ask us how we envision the future, but we don’t see the future and it is getting worse all the time”. And then add: “Well, I think they link to hope, the hope of changing something, but deep inside you really know nothing is going to change. I´d tell them that we are not going to be able to change the world, even if joining groups to do so”.

These adolescents come from a middle class family and the situation in Argentina is really worse especially for this social level.

We have also noticed an important difference between the answers from vulnerable kids and the ones that belong to wealthier families. The first ones have nothing to lose and new technology is their opportunity to improve their already hard life. It also happens with music: the Hip Hop and the Rappers are the voice of the most vulnerable.

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[1] Merlo Flores, Tatiana; Los jóvenes y su vida cotidiana, Edtorial EDUCA, 1998/2000/2005/2008/2010, Buenos Aires

TRANSCRIPTION (ENGLISH VERSION)

Woman moderator We are with Carla, who is 16, and with Florencia, who is 18. Well, the first question is: What kind of technology you have at home? For example, you have TV…
Florencia TV, PC, Mobile, MP3
Carla Printer
Woman moderator Could you say what device you use the most?
Florencia The PC
Woman moderator Carla?
Carla …. And the Mobile
Woman moderator Good. Do you watch TV? How many hours you watch TV?
Carla 3 hours maximum during the programs I like, but not all day.
Woman moderator But the TV is on at home almost all the time or not?
Carla Yes, all day.
Woman moderator But you don’t give it attention all day.
Carla No.
Woman moderator What do you prefer then?
Carla The PC.
Florencia PC and the Mobile.
Woman moderator The PC and Mobile. Ok, and what do you use the PC and mobile for? Carla?
Carla The PC to do homework, to be online, to be on Facebook. The mobile to talk with friends, parents and to listen to music, too.
Woman moderator You listen to music in the mobile. How do you do it? You put music there? It comes with music?
Carla No. I download music with the USB cable and then I pass them to the mobile.
Woman moderator How did you learn to do that?
Carla My older brother taught me.
Woman moderator Ok. And you Florencia? What do you use the most?
Florencia The PC or the Mobile. The PC for work and to be online and the mobile for messages or to talk. Is basic.
Woman moderator Basic use. And what about games. Do you play online games?
Florencia Yes, “My Farm” in Facebook
Woman moderator Ohm, yeah that game in Facebook we were watching the other day. How did you learn about it?
Florencia I received an invitation in the email, then I started playing and I got hooked. Now every time I go on Facebook I am attracted to it. But only that game.
Woman moderator But, what are the main reasons you play that game? Because is fun, it amuses you?
Florencia Yes…
Woman moderator For what else you use the PC?
Florencia For homework in the University.
Woman moderator What other devices do you use? You mentioned digital camera, mp3, and mp4…
Florencia MP3&MP4, to listen to music if I go to a long trip and the camera, sometimes, not often, it is not a device that I use a lot.
Woman moderator And when you use the PC, which is the device you both use the most, how would you describe the use you make of it? Carla?
Carla Bad, very bad. (Laughs, a little ashamed)
Woman moderator (Laughs) Why very bad?
Carla Because I don’t study or I don’t do home shores because I am online or in Facebook. The only time I use the PC for something good is when I do homework there. Sometimes I say “I want to study”, but I stay in the computer…
Woman moderator But how long do you use it? You spend a long time in the PC? How long?
Carla Yes, relatively a lot of time. Well, it depends. If I come late from school, I don’t spend too much time in the PC, but I arrive home early then I go to the PC for a while, then to sleep (to take a nap) then I wake up and go to the PC.
Woman moderator And what do you do? How do you describe everything you do in the PC?
Carla Well, when I arrive home I turn the PC on, if my brother or mom has not yet turned it on. Then I go to Facebook and MSN, then I talk to somebody or not. Then I eat and if I don’t have some homework to do I do it, then I go to sleep (nap) and when I wake up I check if somebody has contacted me and if not, I get online.
Woman moderator And you Florencia?
Florencia I connect to Facebook to chat in the office, but in the afternoon, not in the morning. I don’t spend there too much hours, I am aware that it “hooks you”.
Woman moderator How does people get “hooked”? What do you think?
Florencia Because you procrastinate on what you really have to do. It is a distraction.
Woman moderator But do you think you loose time and it is the trend, but you don’t stop using it. Ok.
Florencia Well you have to put a limit to the distraction. The problem is that if I stay in internet until midnight and then I have accumulated 200 hours of work, then that is the problem, of course. But, well I do it just to distract for a while, to look for something, to talk to someone I don’t see everyday…just to distract a little bit.
Woman moderator But if you can be reunited with people that you have not seen since junior high school for example. Do you think is useful for keeping you in touch?
Florencia Yes, for being in communication…
Carla (Mobile rings, talks on mobile)
Woman moderator And for information…How did you learn to look for information?
Florencia In Internet…just going there. Going to Google or Encarta.
Woman moderator Ok, Carla is looking for something in Wikipedia…What do you do when you don’t find some information in Wikipedia?
Florencia Well, then you have to look in some other source or some ‘old’ source, such as a dictionary.
Woman moderator But, now is easier to find something in Internet.
Florencia Yes, now is much more practical to find some info in Internet. But you need to know how to find info.
Woman moderator How do you define ‘to look’ for info? Has it happened to you that you don’t find some information because you don’t know how to look for it?
Florencia Well, yes sometimes you don’t find the info, but also sometimes you find erroneous information, or somebody that puts and opinion then you have a different version. You have to know how to look for information. For instance, professors from the university say they write there…
Woman moderator Do you trust in what they write? Do you know how it works?
Florencia I don’t really know how it works…Well they register there and send their email info.
Woman moderator Well going back to the connection with people that you don’t see anymore. Do you think is a way to come closer to them?
Florencia Yes, because now we are in our own lives, in different workplaces or study and with the Internet we just need a short time at night to keep the contact, for example in the nights.
Woman moderator You keep contact trough Facebook or MSN?
Florencia Through MSN.
Woman moderator But you have other way of keeping contact or mainly through Internet?
Florencia No, also by phone, we talk once per week by phone. But if not, we talk in the PC.
Woman moderator Ok. What do you think motivates people to participate in Facebook?
Florencia Well you have to be very careful. I don’t like it in the sense that sometimes you don’t know who you have there. You can have the neighbor or the person that you met sometime but never talked again or you can find somebody that you really want to talk to and you can re-encounter people.
Woman moderator What happens when you re-encounter somebody, you talk through another media?
Florencia Yes, then you chat in MSN. For example, Diego’s friends organized a get-together the other day. They contacted by Facebook, they joined a school group and they talked to each other and get together during the weekend.
Woman moderator Then how would you describe Facebook or MSN?
Florencia MSN is a practical medium, like the phone and Facebook is a way to re-encounter people, to see pictures, to remember teachers, things, classes…
Woman moderator And you Carla? What do you think is the use of Facebook? Can you define?
Carla Well, is to re-encounter people, to see people you had to leave even if you didn’t wanted to leave them and also, well, to play.
Woman moderator You play in the PC and in Facebook? How do you play? Do you have competitions of one against each other? You play against the PC?
Carla We play in the PC; I play to the common games like the ‘My Farm’ where you make points and your friends too, so there is a ranking.
Woman moderator And at the same time you talk about that.
Carla Yes for example ‘x’ person has 900 points and I have 700, so he #1 and I am #2. That appears there.
Woman moderator And the email, do you use the email a lot?
Carla No.
Florencia No. Well to send documents, or send documents to myself, or to talk to my brother that does not have Facebook, he uses his jobs email.
Woman moderator
And the mobile, how do you use it? I see that Carla has her super-phone always at hand. What use you give it?
Carla It looks like a block (laughs) Well, I use it wrong because it never had credit…(laughs)
Florencia There is something in Facebook, for example they join the groups and they support some cause. And they created one for lowering phone rates…
Woman moderator How is that thing of the groups? Why it happens?
Florencia Well, you can create one or you can join one. There you can comment everything…
Woman moderator And why that happens? What do you think makes a person to join a group like that for example?
Florencia Some people join a lot of irrelevant groups and spend their credit.
Carla There was one group in which it was like sending a message to your mom.
Woman moderator And you Carla? What do you use? I see that now you are going into the news section of “My Farm”.
Carla Well I use to send messages, unless is something urgent. Besides, to be in contact with my mom.
Woman moderator And the groups? What other groups can you describe?
Florencia Well, for example when we went to a school trip and we took pictures of the trip and in the group everybody shared the pictures and they gave their opinion about the trip.
Woman moderator Why do you think they join the groups? That was a particular case of a reduced group that participated in the trip.
Florencia To unite, to share the pictures.
Woman moderator Why do you think people join and become fan of such thing?
Florencia Well, the older people don’t join, they don’t do ‘silly’ things.
Carla I don’t know why people join. I don’t comment, I just join the groups…
Woman moderator You know that some groups have a lot of members. Why do you joined?
Carla Because I felt identified with the cause.
Woman moderator Because you agreed with the cause.
Florencia There are also pro-Argentina groups. We are not against anybody, but we are for a common future, for us.
Woman moderator There was another about…
Florencia with the gay marriage, they all joined a group. People were commenting and they seem not to be against gay marriage. It seems like something normal.Now
Woman moderator
Ok. Do you think the people join because they think they are going to achieve something by joining?
Florencia You don’t achieve anything…I don’t think they work.
Woman moderator You think they don’t work. And you Carla?
Carla There was a group against insecurity, they wanted to make a march in the main square, there was one guy that I know who organizing everything and the people joined with the hope or achieving something.
Woman moderator Do you think that the group should be accompanied by other activities such a march or you think that the Facebook group is enough?
Florencia For me there has to be something else…
Carla It depends, because if you have one group that…(loud dog barking)…for instance the group “I don’t like teachers” can organize a march, it can be useful…(not clear)
Woman moderator Do you think that if we have a group against insecurity and there are 200,000 people that joined, do you think that if Facebook invites them they would go?
Florencia I could, but it has to be transmitted by other media.
Woman moderator Carla?
Carla The same. Sometimes I see groups where they say they want to organize a march (in Latin America ‘to march’ means ‘to demonstrate’ or protest against something in the streets), but I didn’t believe. There was a group where the organizers are too young, like 16, they can’t organize a march. Nobody is going to pay attention to it.
Woman moderator Why not?
Carla Because in Facebook they were feeling like adults, but in reality they don’t have the capacity or support to organize a march.
Woman moderator Why, because he is 16, because it comes from a young man or because it comes from Facebook?
Carla Well, because is not the same that Susana Gimenez (celebrity) says that they are going to organize a march than a 16 year old that nobody knows.
Woman moderator So it is important that the organizer is known or that he/she has convocation status (power), but if it comes from any other person, then it does not work.
Carla Of course…(Mobile rings, answers mobile, talks)
Woman moderator Ok. And you Florence? Do you think the same? The march has to be announced by an ‘adult’ or can it be announced by an unknown guy? And if there is an invitation to a march, is it more easily for you to see it in Facebook?
Florencia For me the march has to be announced also in other media, not only in Facebook. It has to be informed to everybody in general and the best way for adults to know about a march is the mass media, not Facebook. Because if you tell your parents you are going to a march organized by a guy at school, they would say, “Oh, that is not going to work”…and the enthusiasm diminishes.
Woman moderator They feel it wouldn’t be enough. So it has to be mentioned in other media, otherwise it wouldn’t work and there wouldn’t be change…
Florencia Yes…
Woman moderator And you (addressing both)…would you participate in a movement like that?
Florencia I don’t think so…I wouldn’t participate in a march with 10 other teens, I think that is something useless.
Carla No
Woman moderator You don’t Carla. Not through Facebook because of what we were discussing, but if it is announced in other media?
Florencia I think it is very nice that is organized by a teenager that organized a group and that really wants to do something, but no…
Woman moderator But, what other things can a group do or generate? I mean, I create a group and you joined the group because you felt identified with the cause, but is there something else that you do in addition to “join”.
Carla Well for example there are other groups, like the one I joined against the killing of the dogs.
Florencia …And they put images. They inform very extensively about the issue, whereas the group of the march just ‘calls’ or ‘invites’ people to march
Carla But I think they are organizations. Because I joined that and they show a video of where they burn the dogs…so if you have a dog or a pet or something like that then you don’t want to watch that video because you feel very bad. Then I received an email where they asked you to pay 10 pesos or something like that to help that organization, it was a gall that was organizing that, she wanted to do something.
Woman moderator Would you help? Would you collaborate on that movement?
Carla Now no because I am young, but later yes…
Woman moderator So, you would like to participate…
Florencia Well, I would like to know if the money really goes to the movement or it “gets lost”.
Woman moderator How would you know where the money goes?
Florencia Well, I would like to know if the Foundation has something more serious, such as a website, not just a group in Facebook. I would need another reference. There was another group named “Lets help x…” I don’t remember the full name. It was about a couple had a kid and this had a problem (disease) and they needed money because the baby was in a treatment and needed a special milk. They showed pictures of the baby with the parents. This is something different because it’s the life of a kid and it is a delicate topic. That group was truth, you could distinguish it was truth because the family had their friends in the group and they were commenting that they know the family or that they had relationships with the family and knew how they needed the help.
Woman moderator In this cases you think that technology can help?
Carla Then there was another group about a kid that was lost and it asked people to comment if they had seen it and they thanked the help and posted a number.
Woman moderator What do you do when you see a group like that or when you receive by email about something like that?
Carla I didn’t join that group, because I didn’t know the kid. I went in to see if I knew him, but no. If I would have know the name of the kid then I would have joined and help…
Woman moderator So for you is important that you know the name…what does that make you feel? Assurance that it is truth?
Carla Naturally…because I know that it is truth and that they are not going to disappear later.
Woman moderator If you don’t know the name you wouldn’t join or participate?
Carla Maybe I would join, I would give some money, but I wouldn’t look for the kid or maybe if you I found him then…I don’t know, I never found a lost kid (laughs).
Woman moderator Florencia, you were saying that you would forward it?
Florencia Yes, I would forward it minimum. It wouldn’t bother me.
Woman moderator We were talking about technology, the PC, mobile, Internet and Facebook. How do you think this technology can help teenagers to solve their problems?
Carla Yes
Woman moderator How?
Carla Well, for example there was a guy that had a problem in school, I didn’t have a problem with him, but he had problems and I went into a group and it read “stop an injustice”. Then I noticed that it was about a guy I knew that had problems in school and I showed my mom who it was because I had been away from him because they had blamed the guy for selling and consuming drugs. In the group he was saying that it is enough of problems that were going on and all the guys I know were in the group so I felt like I was not alone, that we all had fear when going “to dance” (or to a party). I realize that all the young people was going through the same thing…
Woman moderator And why is that important? To realize that you are not the only on, that everybody is going through the same thing…
Carla I don’t know…
Florencia Because it is published in the whole world and you don’t feel alone, because other people go through what you go through and you know that somebody else is in the same situation so there should be a solution.
Carla I agree…
Woman moderator And what do you need to find a solution?
Florencia There has to be a change from “very high” (politically) and it would be good if people know what goes on in young’s people life…
Carla Yes, but the president is not going to be worried about young people being worried about insecurity at parties or dances…they don’t care.
Woman moderator You think they don’t care? Or that your worries never reach the politicians? What do you think you have to do so that your worries are listened?
Florencia If we known somebody that is in power, but the ones that are now in power asks us how we want to see the future, but we don’t see the future and it is worse all the time.
Woman moderator You don’t see the future? You don’t see possibilities for change?
Florencia No.
Woman moderator And what happens when you see that these things happen and young people get together in groups to support a cause in Facebook, but nothing happens. How does that make you feel? Why do you think that happens?
Florencia The parent’s work, they have an education and they are not secure when you go out…
Woman moderator And you Carla. Why do you think young people (teenagers) join groups in Facebook? What are they looking for?
Carla Well, I think they join with the hope of changing something, but inside you really know you are not going to change anything. I tell them that we are not going to change the world, even if we join groups.
Woman moderator You think you are not going to change the world? (Laughs)
Carla No. I join because I really feel identified with something, because the groups have a description of what they are, for example, with the groups against the “teachers” they say “we don’t like the teachers because they don’t let us do this and that” and with the group about security issues, the guy from the group said that sometimes we are scared and you go out with fear and it is true, I really felt identified with that, that is why I joined because I know that it is a reality. You can’t even talk with the mobile in public, you have to hide the mobile.
Florencia They are everyday things that you live yourself.
Carla You don’t join because everybody joins, but because you know the cause is true.
Woman moderator So you join because you feel identified, because the same thing happens to you and you feel that everybody feels the same way. It is not like somebody wants to collect signatures for something?
Florencia Regarding the group of the animal killings, it is like in the past when they used to collect signatures and then they achieved something. But I don’t know if it works the same way.
Carla If it is an organization it works, especially if there is an adult or parent involved, a layer or something important, I mean, the ones that can change something, the ones involved in the government. They will be heard.
Woman moderator So you think there is a need to involve adults in the movements? Do you think they don’t get involved and they don’t listen to you?
Florencia Maybe there is a lack of communication…. or more precisely, they could care more about young people’s problems.
Carla Well, for example, it happens with the teacher of human rights, when we talk about the times/phenomena we are living in, she make us reflect and think about the future, but other people could listen too, the rectors, the government.
Woman moderator Why do you think the people get together in Facebook or in the chats or even in the blogs? I don’t know if you have one. Do you think that is better than collecting signatures? Is it easier?
Florencia Well, it is easier and more practical to do it in the Net than to look for people personally.
Woman moderator You think that is the reason. And you Carla, what do you think?
Carla The same. It is better because, for example, if there are 10 guys “marching” in the main square and there are police officers there, maybe they don’t arrest them, but they can tell them something. In Facebook if somebody important from the government sees a comment (criticism) they can’t do anything because they only see my name and surname.
Woman moderator You are not identified, they don’t know who it is. They cannot retaliate.
Carla Yes, they cannot identify me because there are a lot of persons with my name and surname. Or if they really want to find me then they can look for me and then kill me…
Woman moderator (nervious laugh) So there is some kind of fear that they find you even if there is privacy…?
Florencia Well if you post something then that has consequences… For example, I don’t know if an 18 year old needs an authorization from a parent to organize a march. In that sense, there is a limit to the privacy and you cannot do whatever you want.
Woman moderator So they join in order to participate without having too much problems?.
Carla Yes, they only want to participate by joining the group in order to give the support to another person. For example, all the groups I joined, my friends were there so I didn’t make any comment. Not a single one.
Woman moderator And for what do you use it normally (the FB group)?. To comment daily happenings or for what?
Carla Well sometimes you talked to one person, but not a lot…Once they showed pictures of the killing of an animal and I wanted to comment something, but I known that doesn’t help a lot. Besides, I am just a young person, I am not going to join an organization!
Woman moderator And when you grow up? Do you think you could do that?
Carla I don’t know if I would join or be in charge of something like that, but I would probably help, for example by giving 10 pesos to somebody, that is possible.
Woman moderator If you could define what is the difference of the use you make of the technology and the use adults make. What differences can you find? What advantages and disadvantages you find?
Florencia Well we are more active with technology, because we learned how to use it since we were little and we have learned more. About the utility we make of technology I think it benefits adults more because adults don’t get hooked and they don’t do a lot of silly things like we do with technology like spending 4 hours playing in FB.
Woman moderator Ok. And what can you say of you knowing more about the computer than your parents?
Florencia Now that we have the technology they had to call us to eat all the time and we were still in the computer. Is a very practical tool, before it was more difficult to find information. However it hooks you.
Woman moderator How the learning process happened? You were saying that it was…(laughs)
Carla You just learn! (Laughs)
Florencia Well, like a kid who discovers new things.
Woman moderator And your learning process? How was it? You mentioned that your older brother taught you. What other ways you used to learn?
Florencia In the school.
Carla In the school at first, all the programs required to make homework, like Word… (Laughs). Later…I remember that when I started getting to know the MSN and all those programs they didn’t let me connect to long because there was 1 PC for 3 students. Then when some PC was free I would connect and that’s how I learned…by getting online.
Woman moderator So you learned alone, just by going in and trying what has to be done or by watching what others do…
Carla Yes…
Florencia Yes, its not so difficult to learn to use them…
Woman moderator If you would have to choose one technological device of all the ones we talked about. If you would keep just one, which one would you keep?
Florencia With the PC.
Carla Well, I don’t know because in some years with the mobile you could be online and use everything even if you are not at home. And you can’t take the PC to speak when you go out.
Woman moderator So you would choose a mobile that has “everything”?
Carla Yes, of course.
Woman moderator What would “everything” be for example?
Carla A mobile that has MSN, Facebook and Google. There are already mobiles like that…
Woman moderator And for what would you use it?
Carla For the same…(laughs)
Florencia And you would be online 24 hours (laughs)
Carla Of course…(addressing Florencia) Because if in the future we need to choose one device and you choose the PC, how are you going to be online when you are not at home?
Florencia I would connect in the university (laughs)
Woman moderator Lets see not why Florencia chooses the PC? (Laughs)
Carla If we go out of the school and I want to call mom, how do you do it? If you have a cell phone you can do it…
Woman moderator You Florencia choose the PC. Why? What would the PC allow you to do?
Florencia Well, the search machines, the net and besides, there are pages where you can send mobile messages…so I just prefer the PC. It’s a global network.
Carla But if you have the same programs and pages in the Mobile? (Insisting on the supremacy of smart mobile over PC) why would you need a PC?
Florencia I would choose the PC. If I go out I always go to place were there is a PC.
Woman moderator Ok. Carla, you prefer the mobile. What happens when you don’t have the Mobile?
Carla I would feel like dying, very bad! When I am bored in the school when we are not doing anything (laughs)…when we have “group hour” I use the headphone or also in the bus I use them so I don’t get bored. I need it for everything, if I want to call my mom or my friends.
Woman moderator And you Florencia. What would a day without PC be for you?
Florencia It would complicate my life because I use it for many things. I wouldn’t survive, I would have to go to an “Internet café” or struggle to find the information somewhere.
Woman moderator How would you describe these devices (Mobile and PC)? How would you describe their importance for you?
Carla I can’t go out of the house without the mobile. If I need to call I use the mobile, if I need to see the time, to calculate something and to send a message.
Woman moderator How would you describe the mobile? If you could give it a name or an adjective? How would you name it?
Carla How would I (thinking)…mmm, I would call it ‘indispensable’.
Woman moderator And you Florencia. How would you call the PC?
Florencia As ‘complement’. I can live without it, but it is a very important complement.
Woman moderator And the kids that are 16 or 18 or similar age (teenagers) what does these technologies such as the PC, Facebook, mobile, MSN represent for kids your age?
Carla Well the same, the adults already know that if a teenager does not have a PC or mobile then that’s weird. They know that nowadays every teenager from 12-year old up have a mobile, even a little one. They know how important is for a teenager.
Nowadays both parents work so the kids have to be communicated. For example to know were the kids are.
Woman moderator To know were the kids are. Ok. And if you wouldn’t have these tools, what would you do?
Florencia I don’t know…
Woman moderator So these tools allow or make possible…what?
Florencia Is faster…
Carla The communication! If I wouldn’t have the mobile or if I don’t have credit in it then I would have to use the public phone.
Woman moderator (Laughs)
Florencia Also with the Internet you can communicate very fast when you are in university, for instance, if I need to send a document before 10am I can even send it 5min. before 10am and it would arrive. Those are the things…
Woman moderator Is practical.
Carla It is practical.
Woman moderator Ok. Let me see, I think we are ready or if we have something else. Oh yeah, if you could dream with something, some technological device, what kind of device would it be and what use would you make of it?
Carla A PC in a mobile.
Florencia …(Not clear)
Carla A robot too…
Woman moderator A robot for what for example?
Carla That does something and that has everything…the three things together…
Woman moderator Going back to Facebook and to the things that you post or that you don’t post. If you could say how many contacts you have, would you remember?
Florencia I have around 200.
Woman moderator In Facebook or in MSN?
Florencia In Facebook. In MSN I have many more. In the Face I have a lot from ‘somewhere’, some from the university and others from psychology groups and other groups. Then I have the people I don’t know, but I still add them, for example, the friend of a cousin, I add it.
Woman moderator So you add those kinds of people?
Florencia Yes, only if I have friends in common.
Woman moderator And you Carla. How many contacts you have?
Carla In Facebook around 500.
Woman moderator (Laughs) So you know 500 persons?
Carla No. But I have my friends, my acquaintances, friends of my friends from other school, neighbors, casual acquaintances and other that I don’t know, but I have common friends with them.
Woman moderator And about what you were saying about not putting some things…
Carla Well some girls post ‘I went to India for 3 days, call me to this phone #’. I wouldn’t put that. Besides, some people are always checking what is going on with other friends. The other day they send me a ‘chain mail’ by MSN that said that if you add ‘Ana’, but it was a boy, he talked with girls and recruited girls for models, but at the end they raped them. Everybody knew about it.
That’s when you realize you cannot post everything you are doing, you have to be careful with what you post.
Woman moderator You realize that is not necessary to post all that, you have to be careful. Does that happen to somebody close to you or you just heard about it?
Florencia I knew about that girl in Internet. They organized a march. The man that raped that girl had already been in jail, he was on parole. He raped her and then killed her. She was a friend of a friend of mine.
Woman moderator So you knew about that through Facebook, even if it didn’t happened because of Facebook.
Florencia I heard about that also in the news, but I didn’t know that people (friends in Facebook) knew her.
Woman moderator Is good to be careful when posting information. And when you find out about those kinds of happenings what do you do? Do you forward it? Do you comment about it?
Florencia You forward it. It does not cost anything.
Woman moderator Just to spread the information.
Woman moderator And you Carla?
Carla Well yes, you have to be aware. There was a 13-year old guy with 1000 friends, where from did he get so many friends? The other day a guy added me; we didn’t have any friends in common. I didn’t know him so I didn’t accept him. Sometimes they are girls too and I don’t add them because I don’t know who they are. I think some people just add others to show off how much friends they have.
Woman moderator Why do you think that happens? Than people add others just to show off.
Carla Because they want to brag about having a lot of friends, I am so popular and is somehow illogical because how many friends can a 13 year old have? Not that much.
Woman moderator Ok, so I think we are done. Something else?
Carla My farm is bigger (referring to some Facebook ‘game’ application)
Woman moderator (Laughs) Ahh your land has increased! Now you have to pick up the crop. …Ok girls, nothing else.