BIG Symposium 2026: Children as Cultural Producers – Value, Agency, and Expression
How do children and young people shape culture through their own creative expressions? The 2026 BiG - Barnkultur i Göteborg symposium explores children's roles as cultural producers.
Programme
15:15–16:15: Children and young people and the 'Digital Good/Bad': Mis/Dis/Mal-information and Media Education
John Potter, Professor of Media in Education, University College London (UCL)
How do children and young people experience digital media, misinformation and artificial intelligence? Drawing on research into children's everyday media practices and creative expression, John Potter explores how media education can engage with children's perspectives, experiences and agency.
The presentation considers the relationship between media literacy and media education, and how creative media production can open up conversations about children's digital lives, hopes, fears and visions of the future.
16:15–16:40: Coffee break
16:40–17:30: Following Children's Pictures – Values, Meanings, and Uses Across Contexts
Johanna Sjöberg, Associate Professor in Child Studies, Linköping University
What do children's pictures do in society, and what does society do with children's pictures?
Johanna Sjöberg explores how children's pictures are valued, interpreted and used across different settings, including schools, museums, cultural heritage institutions, the art world and academia.
The presentation examines the social significance of children's visual expressions and how different perspectives influence our understanding of children's pictures and their roles as cultural producers.
17:30–18:00: Questions, discussion and concluding remarks
About the speakers
John Potter is Professor of Media in Education at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London. His research focuses on media education, digital literacies, participatory research and children's experiences of media, technology and play. He is Director of the UCL REMAP Centre (Researching Education, Media, Arts, and Play).
Johanna Sjöberg is Associate Professor and Docent in Child Studies at Linköping University. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on children and childhood, with particular interests in visual culture, consumption and cultural heritage.
More information
More information about the research environment BiG - Barnkulturforskning i Göteborg