METRONEWS
© New Zealand Broadcasting School 2024

The Digital Kiwikid - Web Series

Tom Cuthbert

A three-part web series investigating the Digital Kiwi Kid, their screen habits, and representation.

For our group-based media ecology module we investigated how the digital landscape plays in part in influencing the modern kiwi kid.

We based our series around three main ideas;

1. How the 'Kiwi Kid' identity is portrayed in the media.

2. When and how they access their media.

3. And what content they actually consume, and whether it's fit for their age.

 For this group project I was Director, Editor and Graphics Animator. During the production I was able to develop a good banter with the children involved, which helped us really learn and get stuck into the ideas we wanted to explore.

Alongside the Journalist students in our group we worked to develop a line of questioning that worked to expose their habits and their own understandings of their consumer patterns.

With a simple premise in mind I believe through concise editing and storytelling we were able to produce an engaging three part series that was both informative and entertaining, while keeping a 'style' I would consider very marketable. I also enjoyed this project a lot, as it was fairly light-hearted and fun to produce with the kids themselves.

We investigate what Digital Kiwi Kids believe makes them 'Kiwi', and how they're influenced by digital marketing.
This episode delves into content, how they consume it, and whether NZ based content really competes in a global marketplace.
The final episode explores the habits of kiwi kids in regards to the age restrictions in New Zealand, and their parental viewing habits.