The last few weeks have been a busy time for students and families. A lot of firsts for students, whether it’s going to kindergarten or college. One question that is a constant for all families and students is the use of technology, at home and school.
Screens are everywhere. I am using a screen to write this column. I brainstormed some ideas and wrote a few paragraphs in a notebook, specifically because I knew I wanted to write about screens. However, I am now back on a laptop, where I will finish the column.
Not having to physically submit pages is certainly a convenience — one of many — that’s become even more widespread since the release of the first iPhone in 2007. Although our collective memories are fading, there was a time when we didn’t have devices in our pockets used to read, take photos, watch videos or get directions. Now, we also have an oracle that is available day and night to answer any question we might have. The answer may be incorrect, but you can be assured that your AI will provide it with great confidence.
Apple also perfected the tech demo to assure you that its device would lead to a world of possibilities. Every tech demo started with the ease of buying plane tickets to an exotic destination and ended with posting a video of tropical adventures with telegenic and joyful friends and family, which zoomed out to showing the post being viewed and liked by other friends and family. Of course the rest of us also wanted to have adventures.
It could reasonably be argued that many of the conveniences we were promised have come true. Along with convenience, we were also promised a democratization of information and social connections. You could learn from a TED Talk, reconnect with old friends and see family photos taken across the country. A certain microblogging bird, which now goes by the letter X, even got credit for the 2011 Arab Spring. Looking back even a decade, it seems like those were the halcyon days of technology.
If I am being objective, I think it is difficult to confidently state whether these promises were kept or not. However, I would say connections and information are at a crossroads, if not in a state of disarray.
Information can be difficult to trust. Most of the hallmarks of trustworthy information, such as the credibility of the author and standards of the publication, have been eroded. The convenience factor still makes it relatively easy to find good information. However, quality is having trouble competing with quantity. Being inundated with lots of information has created an environment where it becomes easy to forget the qualities of good information. We are not required to accept information at face value or AI overview. There is value in slowing down, reading past the headline and clicking on the sources. Many teachers and librarians are continuing to teach these skills.
We can also reinforce these skills at home. Families can pause the video and discuss the motivations of a YouTuber for their video praising an airline, the embedded cereal product placement or the clever way they solved a problem in a Lego build. It is not all bad. Building critical thinking skills as a student is the best way to develop what’s needed to navigate a world where information is becoming even less trustworthy.
Social media platforms promised that we could stay connected and make new friends in a way that we never could before. There was a time when this was plausible. But very quickly social media became one more advertising platform, rather than a way to stay connected. As broadcast media has become less popular, social media platforms have been able to leverage strategies to microtarget us individually, so that advertising is even more influential on our behavior.
Meta recently settled a lawsuit brought by four state attorneys general, including Colorado, for $17 billion. This settlement could be viewed as a tacit admission of product designs that make individual willpower easy to overcome. Meta is required to make changes to the design of their apps so they are less addictive to those under 18. This is a good first step, but the addictive design qualities will remain for those over 18 and on every other social media platform without broader regulations, as is being tried in the EU and Australia.
School districts such as RFSD are trying to evolve their policies to support learning and reduce distractions. The pressure and challenges faced by young people still exist. And the pressure extends to parents who have to decide whether they will be one of the few who don’t allow their child to have an iPhone. There is an organization called Wait Until 8th that encourages parents not to give smartphones to kids until the end of middle school. Only collective action and time will help us navigate this challenge.
The first step is for families to start modeling thoughtful screen usage at home.
The one connection that many of us have developed is with the mirrored rectangular slab within reach. The longer the reach, the better we will be as individuals and as a community.