Abstract
This chapter highlights how at a young age children are first introduced to projected objects, like a teddy bear, but quickly are inculcated into a digital world of what may be referred to as the Internet of Toys. Later children move on to apps on smartphones, games on tablets or other dedicated digital technologies. From a child’s earliest days until adulthood, they are brought up in a culture of digital technology that impacts them in ways that last throughout their lives. Technologies are becoming increasingly humanlike, as robotics grow to serve the interests of children and adults. Newer technologies—robotics and voice-activated digital media—have changed the landscape regarding mediated social connections, as self-talk transforms into talk with Siri and Alexa.
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Alperstein, N.M. (2019). Jacking in to an Extended Reality. In: Celebrity and Mediated Social Connections. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17902-1_3
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