YPulse Youth: Media Mashup Slated for Summer

ypulsemashup.gifMashup is one of those web-wise words that often leaves parents saying ‘huh?’ because it’s applied to so many things.

Mashups go far beyond the familiar concept of emerging technology mushed into new applications…mashups can be music, events, content, even business models, with context well beyond the web world.

Rather than get jumbled in “nerd news” citing specific mashupcamps or examples like TwitterAtlas, there’s a great EduBlog deciphering techno terms in plain ol’ English written by “Cool Cat Teacher.” (gotta love the name)

How does Shaping Youth define a mashup? VERY broadly. Any integrated collaboration, squishing multidisciplinary mindsets into a creative new entity…Like?

Teen scene youth tracker YPulse is hosting a massive mashup featuring experts on youth media from Old School to New School, ‘anytime, anywhere’ mobile-social, wireless technologies, and just about every online/offline facsimile in between.

Anastasia Goodstein, publisher of YPulse, has a solid lineup of idea-driven speakers, and their panelist format looks ripe to attract both the nonprofits & “for profits” with trends, spins and case studies that appeal.

It’s a packed agenda, geared to ANYone with an interest in youth culture, from orgs like ours and youth themselves to sponsors like PhotoBucket. It’s slated for mid-summer, so no chance I’m missing this one to keep my ear to the ground and senses alert on who’s doing what in ‘brandwashing’ and media.

Much like the incredible Guidewire Leadership Conference I attended, I have a feeling there will be both opportunities and opportunists swarming this gig, so Shaping Youth will need to tune in to ALL sides of this equation with eyes wide open. Here are some YPulse podcasts of prior mashups. Hmn…

I’m obviously interested in their media panel on social change, but equally intrigued by how technology is transforming the lives of youth beyond just the way they consume media and marketing.

Specifically, YPulse is delving deeper into examining kids’ relationships to technology itself, as well as its influence on relationships with parents, peers, friends, and family.

Jim Daly of Lucas Foundation’s Edutopia is moderating a panel with The Pew Internet & American Life Project, Ulla Foehr, Co-Author of KFF’s “Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 year olds,” and Anne Collier from Net Family News who I met with Larry Magid at the CyberSafety Summit last fall. (I blurbed it briefly here for Preteen Alliance)

YPulse Mashup keynote speakers?

The dynamic duo of danah boyd and Henry Jenkins, described as “two of the biggest brains out there when it comes to what young people are doing with technology and how it is transforming the media/entertainment landscape.”

And though Jenkins spoke in TSL’s virtual world, and I heard “danah with a small d” at the CyberSafety Summit, the two together sound fascinating.

I tend to like ‘debate’ formats to see ALL sides of things in an information capsule…so wish there was more polarity in this pairing, since the two are so aligned.

Still, they both have copious quantities of research pinging around their brains, so it’s sure to be insightful on any given Q&A. I hope they take questions from the crowd…I have a few I’d like to send in advance.

I’m also curious about Anastasia’s YPulse panel of teen entrepreneurs in the wired world, because no one can represent youth better than youth themselves.

Shaping Youth’s teen and tween advisors keep us off the soapbox, shape our conversation, and guide our counter-marketing endeavors to know where hot buttons are being pushed by parents, peers, and pop culture.

Media Shaping Youth has framed our counter-marketing for the last three years, documenting voices of kids of all ages in podcasts, forums, and film.

Without youth feedback, we’d be talking to the wind, so I’m anxious to hear what’s shaping the worlds of these YPulse teen panelists…

Jet Set vlogger Zadi Dias will put the spotlight on Catherine Cook, the amazing teen co-founder of MyYearbook, as well as the teen CEO of Teen Media Productions, teen president of Whateverlife and the host of Emo Girl TalkThis ought to be interesting. (Sheesh, I was only Senior Class President. These kids are uber entrepreneurs.)

I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from this mashup…

Shaping Youth holds a camera to the lens of our culture to put the focus on the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to media shaping youth…so I’m anxious to find out where all this is headed.

As for “Old School to New School” media, the entertainment panel will talk about print’s adaptation and outreach to stay relevant to teens, including HarperTeen FanLit, Hearst Magazines’ buyout of eCrush and eSPIN and CondeNet (clever name) launching its own social network for teen girls, Flip.com

Egad, the trends just keep on comin’…My mind is boggling with media saturation already.

I’ll be interviewing YPulse publisher Anastasia Goodstein about her new book, “Totally Wired, What Tweens and Teens are REALLY Doing Online” soon, and glean more details on their mashup then.

Hate to ‘mash and dash’ but I’m on some flaming deadlines…

You can find out more from YPulse directly on their dedicated mashup microsite as well as their Totally Wired blog.

In fact, there’s a great YPulse post today on teaching teens to “think before they post,” (MySpace, visuals, photos, etc.)

It has two PSA videos from the Ad Council which are compelling, but use the same ol’ teen technique of the shame-blame-game/shock-the-shorts off kids so they’re afraid to touch the keyboard.

Guess I prefer media literacy to bubble-wrapping children with fear-based threats, BUT it’s a long-lived ad strategy that seems to keep working.

Talk about a mashup…it’s ‘media literacy meets fear factor’…Then again, if it’s an effective intervention to cyber-stalking, so be it.

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