Erwachsenwerden als Prozess mediatisierter Sozialisation

This study addresses the question of whether or not the omnipresence of digital media influences how young people grow up today. Using an explorative multi-method approach, it analyses adolescents’ adoption of information found online. It combines data from studies and interviews and is therefore able to address not only the conscious acquisition of information but also that which occurs unconsciously or in passing. The study concludes that young people’s use of information which is accessible online is a key element in their development today. Adolescents work on specific developmental tasks with the help of such information, using it as the basis for their decision-making and to enrich or to validate their existing knowledge. However, young people also encounter unexpected or even dangerous content online, which they then have to digest and cope with.