Promoting Knowledge? : A Study of Young People's Perceived and Actual Internet Practices

Much of the existing literature on the Internet centres on a binary classification of haves and have-nots. I have chosen instead to focus on the difference in Internet use and skills and a more broadly interpreted notion of digital competence among young people, seen in relation to the new Norwegian educational reform; The Knowledge Promotion. This thesis examines the role of the Internet from young people’s perspective. My aim was to examine the concept of digital competence through studying young people’s ways of using the Internet, and to discuss whether the educational reform “The Knowledge Promotion” is deterministic in assuming young people’s usage in one certain way. I have chosen to use Science and Technology in Society studies (STS) as my main theoretical approach, but my literature will also consist of material from other disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, media studies and educational studies. My empirical research consists of qualitative interviews and also practical tests conducted with thirteen young people