Social media research: Major funding

I doubt there was ever a faster-moving subject for research: studying digital natives! They will be constantly moving under the microscope. For that reason, the financial commitment, and the scope of the study, this is a significant milestone in our understanding how young people use the social Web and digital media. The MacArthur Foundation has just announced it's committing $50 million over the next five years for research designed to help "build the field of digital media and learning," the foundation announced. Now the public discussion can get both more granular and broader, moving beyond the incessant message to parents that they need to fear social networking. I'm also excited to see the MacArthur researchers will be paying particular attention to how to teaching media literacy and critical thinking in and out of the classroom, "ethical uses of digital media," and "engaging young people directly via Global Kids, a nonprofit youth development organization, and a University of Chicago effort to expand after-school media literacy programs in Chicago. Here's MacArthur's site on the project and researcher Danah Boyd's blog post on the announcement and an associated conversation.