Meet me at the Coconut Gate at 8.30: ‘Mikmak’ as a Site of Socialisation
Meet me at the Coconut Gate at 8.30: ‘Mikmak’ as a Site of Socialisation

Summary/Abstract: Discussion of trans-media platforms over the last two decades has focused, among other things, on the social significance of such media products. Researchers have asked to what extent they promote democratic values, freedom of action and creativity and hence what is their contribution to the socialisation of children. This study seeks to engage with this discussion by investigating the impact of ‘Mikmak,’ a trans-media project directed at children which includes an internet site, computer game, feature film and television series. The study, which is rooted in part on culture studies, combines a semiotic analysis of ‘Mikmak’ content and ethnographic study of participants in it. Content analysis reveals a strong connection between the platform’s content and an individualist orientation in Israeli society over the last two decades, although this is only partially true of the way children in the 7-11 year age group play the game. This age group clearly prefers the computer game, and while playing together they actually counter the individualist ideas promoted by the ‘Mikmak’ platform. This may be explained by the fact that collectivist values are still important in Israeli society, as reflected in traditional children’s games. We conclude, therefore, that individualist content and a creative undermining of it are both rooted in Israeli cultural narratives, and that the potential contribution of media content to socialisation of children is contingent on its reception by them.

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