BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Hidden Youth?: The Sociality of Young People "\;Withdrawn" \; in the Bedroom in a Digital Age - Dr Mark Wong\, Social &\; Public Policy\, University of Glasgow DTSTART:20190304T120000Z DTEND:20190304T133000Z UID:TALK120637@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Tellef S. Raabe DESCRIPTION:This presentation critically discusses the sociality of young people who physically shut themselves in the bedroom and do not go outside for months and years on end. This emerging phenomenon is commonly referre d to as “hidden youth” and has become one of the most topical issues i n East Asia. However\, this issue remains under-researched and has limited recognition outside of the Far East. This talk will present insights from the first study of this phenomenon in the UK and Scottish context while s tudying this comparatively across two sites. \n\nThe presentation will que stion common interpretations of “hidden” young people as withdrawn fro m society and challenges assumptions of their self-seclusion and lonelines s inside the bedroom. This reclusive depiction will be contested by drawin g on recent theoretical debates on social connectedness in the digital age . This argument will be explored with interview data from a qualitative st udy conducted with young people “hidden” in the bedroom for 3-48 month s in Hong Kong and Scotland. \nThrough this study\, hidden youth’s socia lity was found to be more nuanced than previously assumed. This presentati on argues technology and online networks can play an especially important role to enable marginalised young people to feel more connected. Young peo ple can become attached to online communities as a reaction to their exper iences of increasing precarity and marginalisation in society. The talk wi ll prompt us to reflect more generally on the impact of technology on soci ety and calls for more debates on the complexities of human sociality in t he digital age. LOCATION:17 Mill Lane\, Room B (1st floor) END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR