Towards contemporary play: Sociocultural theory and the digital-consumerist context

Abstract

This article introduces the notion of ‘contemporary’ play in relation to existing ideas about children’s play, learning and development from a sociocultural perspective. The need to think about the nature of contemporary play is considered in response to arguments suggesting that the quality of children’s play has declined in line with their increased access to digital technologies, digital media and consumer-based products. In this article, the notion of the digital-consumerist context is explored as a way of thinking about how the increased availability of these technologies, media and products has evolved and converged to create a particular site for development which connects with existing understandings about play as a leading activity and the role of mature play in children’s development. Rather than positioning technologies, media and products as causes of deficiencies in children’s play, it is suggested instead that the digital-consumerist context promotes a form of direct cultural participation for young children (0–8 years of age) with the potential for realising multiple ways of participating in a continuum of digital to non-digital experiences. These experiences are framed as a form of cultural connection that aligns with existing sociocultural accounts of play as a process of cultural interpretation. This raises questions regarding the role of contemporary play in the digital-consumerist context, particularly in terms of the relationship between play and development in the early years.