Abstract
The Internet has been praised for offering an unlimited means of accessing and sharing information, as well as new forms of entertainment and diversion. While a good deal of attention has been directed at adult role-playing games (such as World of Warcraft), social networks (such as MySpace and Facebook), and virtual communities (such as Second Life), less is known about websites aimed at children.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Barnes, B. (2008) “Web Playgrounds of the Very Young,” New York Times, December 31.
Benkler, Y. (2007) The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. Yale University Press.
Castronova, E. (2008) Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun Is Changing Reality. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Center for Media Education (CME) (1996) Web of Deception: Threats to Children from Online Marketing. Washington, DC: CME.
De Mesa, A. (2008) “Toy Brands Don’t Play Around in Virtual Worlds,” brandchannel.com, July 14. Online at http://brandchannel.com/start1.asp?fa_id=430.
Grimes, S. and L. Shade (2005) “Neopian Economics of Play: Children’s Cyberpets and Online Communities as Immersive Advertising in NeoPets.com,” International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics 1:2.
Healy, J. (1999) Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds — and What We Can Do About It. New York: Simon & Schuster.
“Hottest Products of 2007: Kids Face Webkinz Shortages” (2007) http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/11/24/hottest-products-of-2007-kids-face-webkinz-shortages/
Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.
Jesdanun, A. (2007) “Sites Introduce Preteens to Online Networking,” USA Today, 13 July. Accessed online at http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2007-07-12-3370531937_x.htm.
Montgomery, K. (2001) “Digital Kids: The New On-Line Children’s Consumer Culture,” in Dorothy G. Singer & Jerome L. Singer (eds), Handbook of Children and the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, pp. 640–643.
Montgomery, K. (2007) Generation Digital: Politics, Commerce, and Childhood in the Age of the Internet. Boston: The MIT Press.
Mosco, V. (1996) Political Economy of Communication. London: Sage.
Nairn, A. (2008) “‘It Does My Head in … Buy It, Buy It, Buy It!’ The Commercialisation of UK Children’s Web Sites,” Young Consumers Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 239–53.
Nelson, M. G. (2007) “Virtual Worlds Aren’t Just for Reaching Adults Anymore,” Clickz, July 5. Accessed online at http://www.clickz.com/3626340.
Olsen, S. (2007) “Are Kids Ready for Ads in Virtual Worlds?” CNET, Oct. 16. Online at http://news.cnet.con/Are-kids-aready-for-ads-n-virtual-worlds/2009-1024_3-6213661.html.
Schor, J. B. (2004) Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture. New York: Scribner.
Seiter, E. (2005) The Internet Playground: Children’s Access, Entertainment, and Mis-education. New York: Peter Lang.
Shirky, C. (2009) Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations. New York: Penguin.
Takahashi, D. (2009) “More than 200 Kids Virtual Worlds in Development,” Venutre Beat, Jan. 26. Accessed on line at http://venturebeat.com/2009/001/26/more-than-200-kids-virtual-world-in-development/.
Taylor, T. L. (2009) Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture. Boston: MIT Press.
“Tweens: A Consuming Army,” (2005) Playthings, September, pp. 42–50.
Wasko, J. (2001) Understanding Disney: The Manufacture of Fantasy. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2010 Janet Wasko
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wasko, J. (2010). Children’s Virtual Worlds: The Latest Commercialization of Children’s Culture. In: Buckingham, D., Tingstad, V. (eds) Childhood and Consumer Culture. Studies in Childhood and Youth. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230281844_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230281844_8
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-30978-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-28184-4
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social Sciences CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)