Book Review: Disconnected - Youth, New Media and the Ethics Gap

The diffusion of online communication tools and rise of connectivity opportunities have tremendously diminished the societal borders. These developments have led to the convergence of people and cultures from all over the world. In this regard, without considering their online environments, the physical society surrounding the individuals is not enough to get a grip on their identity and ethical values. Specifically while talking about young generations, one can even claim that their activities in the virtual territory may hold a significant proportion of their identity. In order to facilitate the moral/ethical value development of young people, a thorough investigation of their ethical dispositions in the digital world is necessary. Hence, Carrie James’s recent book Disconnected is a good reference for academics, parents and anyone looking for the ways to assist youngsters in developing their identity, moral and ethical values at the participatory, connected times. The book is published by a prestigious university publisher -The MIT Press-, which is highly committed to contemporary issues in science and technology, and tries to explore new varieties of inquiry through its publications. The books consists of 167 pages (+xxix) and shelters five chapters. The author, Carrie James, is a sociologist and Principal Investigator at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She was also co-director of the Good Play Project with Howard Gardner. The book is a reflection of the data collected throughout the project. In the book, the author tries to delve deep into the minds of teenagers by putting them in a variety of ethical dilemmas. The book further goes beyond the presentation of youngsters’ ethical failures, and underlines the lack of parental involvement in developing healthy digital citizens.