Emily Weinstein Email & Phone Number

United States

United States

I co-lead and manage all phases of research and analysis for a suite of projects related to youth and digital life. Current projects include a design-based participatory research study with teens on interventions for digital well-being; a large-scale study on digital dilemmas with survey data, youth advisory groups, and semi-structured interviews; a classroom-based study on new pedagogical approaches to support digital citizenship.

Prior projects include: The Good Participation Project (a large qualitative study of young people's civic and political participation in the digital age) and the Developing Minds and Digital Media project (exploring the intersection of human development and digital media in social and cognitive domains, via exploration of young people's writing and artworks)

Faculty Instructor for T510A: "Digital Dilemmas"Course description: For today's adolescents, development is inextricably bound with digital life. In this course, we ask: what dilemmas are adolescents facing behind their screens? Each week, we engage with a signature digital dilemma and examine current related research as we lean into the complexity surrounding a networked adolescence. We explore issues of identity development in a context where digital posts can travel across space and time toward new meanings. We review the centrality of peer relationships as social media is a source of connection and, at times, conflict and drama. We also consider how civic development and agency unfolds as social media can create powerful venues for civic voice and influence, but also toxic discourse. Course activities invite students to (1) critically consider their own digital lives, (2) re-examine assumptions about teens and technology, and (3) develop grounded perspectives on contemporary issues. Students will also have the opportunity to conduct a research mini project that centers youth voices on digital dilemmas.

Cambridge, Ma

Faculty Instructor for H610h: "Adolescents and Social Media" Course description: The rise of digital device ownership and social media use among adolescents is occurring at a remarkable pace; it is easy to forget that popular apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter are barely a decade old. What do we currently know about adolescents' experiences with social media, and how can we stay informed as the landscape continues to evolve? This module is designed as a forum for critically engaging with current research about adolescents' social and emotional lives and their experiences with networked technologies. We examine six classical topics in adolescence, as they are reconfigured in a digital era: identity, friendship, privacy, well-being, civic engagement, and romantic relationships. With respect to each, we read and critique topical studies and then consider their implications for practice. The studies that we analyze use a range of methodological approaches (e.g., surveys, interviews, digital post analyses, cyber-ethnographies, focus groups, field experiments). We discover how these research methods illuminate different aspects of each topic, and we hone our skills for evaluating and understanding academic research. In the process, we examine how social media intersect with various facets of adolescents' daily lives. For each topic, we also explore how the research helps us better understand and address related `puzzles of practice' faced by families, educators, and schools.

*Growing up in a Media World (J. Blatt) *The Promotion of Social Development in Students and a Sense of Community in Classrooms (R. Selman) *Research Practicum in Prevention Science & Practice (R. Selman)*Field Experience Program (V. Jacobs)

Doctor Of Education - Edd, Human Development & Education

Master Of Education (M.Ed.), Prevention Science And Practice

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Interdisciplinary Studies: Education, Human Development, Communication