- Title
- Activated: a young adult science fiction novel exploring the social media other
- Creator
- Merrylees, Ferne Susan
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2015
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- In a rapidly evolving technological society, adolescents are learning to construct and shape their identities in real and virtual communities. In doing so they are becoming, in a certain sense, posthuman, as they assimilate and depend upon technology to define their lives. The exploration of social media and the technological other in young adult science fiction offers readers a framework with which to consider identity creation by deconstructing the characters that move through these landscapes. This thesis explores these issues through a critical exegesis and a young adult science fiction novel entitled Activated. Activated is set in a city orbiting a devastated Earth and its community is structured by a reputation-based economy. Yet, underneath the shiny realms of the virtual Cyberinth and the promises of ascension to those popular enough, the city is beginning to decay under the weight of dark and terrible secrets. Greyson, Bryn and Lenora become embroiled in a conspiracy involving missing people, disappearing neighbourhoods, and a mysterious leader who is not who he appears to be. What they discover will tear their city apart. Illustrated with examples from both young adult fiction, classic works of literature, and with reference to the novel Activated, the critical exegesis begins with a literature review that explores the development of young adult science fiction and young adult dystopian literature. Chapter Two discusses the creative process of worldbuilding by examining the influence of technology and social media in crafting narrative settings. By examining the works of Aristotle, Cicero, and Kant, through to modern day theories such as Dunbar’s Number, Chapter Three discusses the role of social media in relationships, as well as the growing intimacy between humans and technology. The final chapter examines the representations of language in young adult science fiction and how foreign languages, slang, and the written word can reflect societal issues and concerns. This thesis sheds light on the importance of such fiction in offering adolescent readers a space to reflect on the complexities of identity and relationships, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using technology. My novel, like other science fiction for young adults, empowers readers to reflect on their own relationships as they move through the often transitional and disorienting period of adolescence
- Subject
- Ferne Merrylees; social media; science fiction; young adult; Activated
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1310468
- Identifier
- uon:22039
- Rights
- Copyright 2015 Ferne Susan Merrylees, The creative component of this thesis is currently under embargo and will be available 31.12.2021.
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
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| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 19 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 159 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |