Many parents are concerned about porn, sexting and bullying when their children go online. But Jacqueline Ryan Vickery, assistant professor of media arts, found youth use the internet in positive ways, such as writing blogs to explore marginalized identities and build communities.

In Worried About the Wrong Things (MIT Press), she argues that society should focus on the social, technical and material obstacles that prevent low-income and other marginalized young people from joining the community-building and creative experiences that are possible online.