The BBC has announced Dixi, a new online-only children’s show which will focus on how kids interact across a fictional social network.
The show will include point of view selfie-style footage and will focus on Shari, whose profile on the Dixi social network is hacked and her password changed.
With the help of her friends, Shari sets out to find out who ‘murdered’ her Dixi profile and attempts to recover her digital identity.
Dixi will be broadcast in the form of 30 episodes in the form of blog posts, uploaded every Monday to Friday before and after school. As well as an inventive way to tell the story, the reasoning behind the selfie-centric approach is to inform younger viewers about how their own online profiles could be compromised.
Cheryl Taylor, Controller of CBBC, says: “It’s important to raise awareness about safety online and Dixi does this in an engaging, educational and entertaining way.
“To kick off, we’re releasing the Dixi website and a song to coincide with Safer Internet Day on 11 February. Titled IRL, the song highlights that everything you do online can have consequences in ‘real life’, a message that is central to the show.”
For those who’ve spent the last decade living under a rock, IRL is internet shorthand for ‘In Real Life,’ or any activity which happens offline.
Increasingly, the lines between IRL and online have become blurred with people landing in legal hot water over stupid or offensive tweets and online messages. In a post-social media world, consequences will never be the same, as a tragic real-life tale revealed.
Dixi is the latest big online push from the BBC, following similar plans to debut teen-oriented BBC Three content on iPlayer first, ahead of a terrestrial broadcast. Dixi is different in that it will exist exclusively online.
Patrick Healy, head of product for BBC Children’s added: “We know children’s media habits are changing and we must innovate to reach audiences whenever and wherever they are.
“By the new approach to release content across the day, Dixi is a great example of how rich online content can work across multiple platforms and at the same time help children and parents engage with important issues and continue their learning online.”
The first episodes of Dixi will be broadcast on February 24.
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