About Us
The Issue
Youth do not always understand the risks associated with sharing information online. Most resources about digital literacy are geared towards concepts of cyberbullying, online stranger-danger, and in general 'thinking before posting'. While these issues are important, we stress that exchanges of online information involve more than the obvious parties- they actually involve third parties, affiliates, trusted partners and other organizations (i.e. databrokers). When youth are online, everything they post, click, search, and/or do is gathered, packaged, and sold. Every day is permanent.
The Grant
CSUN Marketing professors Kristen Walker and Tina Kiesler were awarded a grant from the Digital Trust Foundation in April 2015. It is one of only two Online Privacy Campaigns for Youth funded through the Foundation. The grant allows Walker and Kiesler to reinforce the skills their students learn in the Interactive Marketing minor that debuted in the Fall 2014.
The Research
In this year-long project, CSUN students worked with Los Angeles area middle-school students to research youth information use and abuse online.
The Mission
Together the CSUN students and middle school aged youth developed
educational social media marketing campaigns designed to enhance digital literacy and responsible online behavior. The goal is to increase knowledge of digital literacy, while developing critical thinking and creative communication skills before putting personal information online.