SP Seminar Series

Shanly Dixon, Concordia University,
"MySpace is No Place for Moms; Regulation and Surveillance of
Young People's Play",
Thursday, November 1st,
12:30 to 1:30 pm.

Shanly Dixon
PhD Candidate
Humanities Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program
Concordia University

"MySpace is No Place for Moms; Regulation and Surveillance of
Young People's Play"

Thursday, November 1st
Location: Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Room D528
Time: 12:30 to 1:30 pm

From the spaces of playgrounds and parks to neighborhood streets, public space no longer appears safe for young people. As their play, leisure time and social activities become increasingly organized and supervised by adults, children's autonomous play moves indoors into the domestic space of playrooms and bedrooms. Adults equip children's domestic space with technologically enticing alternatives to public space in an effort to keep them safely inside. Households become 'media saturated' spaces.

However, even these digital play spaces increasingly become sites of moral panic as children are seen to be at risk in online play spaces. In response to fears about children's safety, a market of products has developed, designed to protect children in both physical and virtual spaces. This paper examines nostalgia for past childhoods, the culture of fear surrounding contemporary childhood and raises questions regarding the potential consequences of using technology for the surveillance and regulation of young people.

Everyone welcome!