Digital technologies and media, such as the mobile phone and internet, provide an attractive approach to use with this group, as it conforms with their existing practice of using such technology to spontaneously record events from their worlds.
In seeking to make the benefits of life story work available to adolescent care populations through digital technologies, we should realise that simply integrating technology into existing life story work approaches is unlikely to engage adolescents. Additionally, the more adult-led approaches to life story work, which have clear benefits when working with younger children, may need to be altered when working with young people. Digital life story work seeks to be less prescriptive and more participatory than conventional work undertaken with younger children. Nevertheless, there is still the fundamental need to familiarise oneself with records that provide information about the young person’s life and reasons for coming into care and to assess the risks of digital life story work with the individual.
Digital life story work aims to support adolescents in the production of, and reflections upon, the stories they choose to share. However, the introduction and inclusion of digital communication tools does not detract from the central role played by the relationship created during this process. Though the communication media used to facilitate this relationship and portray the young people’s stories are different from traditional life story work, the importance of an engaged, sensitive and caring adult, carer or professional is not.
Adolescents will only share stories if there is an audience to share them with. This audience plays a pivotal role in the construction and production of, and reflections upon, these stories. As storytellers, we may tell the same story differently depending upon this audience. The role of the adult who facilitates digital life story work is complex. For now, it is sufficient to highlight that this adult needs to balance the participatory ethos of digital life story work alongside negotiating the responsible and safe use of digital technologies, whilst also supporting young people’s reflections on what could be a host of fragmented and emotionally sensitive memories.
Adolescents, digital technologies and risk
