06-26-2022 - We are Addicted New Animals in A New World We Don't Understand - Self Study Entry 2

 

So, what can we do?

In my last post I was writing about the addictive nature of technology and how much of our lives are wasted in doom-scrolling and Snapchat streaks. We are new creatures, in a new environment...

McLuhan Can Teach Us Some Important Stuff

Remember Marshall McLuhan's laws of media? The blessing, the improvement to our life, it is also a curse. It creates a new society. "The "Laws of the Media" are observations on the operation and effects of human artifacts on man and society, since, Hass further notes, a human artifact "is not merely an implement for working upon something, but an extension of our body, effected by the artificial addition of organs;... to which, to a greater or lesser degree, we owe our civilization." (McLuhan, M., 2017)

Because the things we create are extensions of us, they alter us. They alter society. And because of that, when we created the internet, and smartphones, we created new versions of ourselves, and a new society. 

The big problem is that we have not created the rules for this society yet, and we haven't figured out what we are yet. Cell phones are rewiring our brains. (CBC) In a very real way, we are changing ourselves and we do not know what the effects of this change will be.

Ribble Can Lead the Way

So what can we do? If we are new beings in a new world, creating our own rules, in a live experiment, like I said in my last post, what can we latch onto for support? Ribble may be the answer. According to Mike Ribble's Digital citizenship in schools : nine elements all students should know, there are several areas we need to address. 

The 9 areas we need to address:

Access - We need to address the inequality present in access to technology. Not everyone has a cell phone, or access to the internet.

Digital Commerce - We need to create an understanding of safety, when buying and selling things online. We need better protections and a more regulated e-commerce market.

Digital Communication - Do we understand the means of communication and when each is appropriate? To me, this is linked intrinsically with etiquette. Electronic standards of conduct or procedure. Do users consider others when using digital technologies?

Digital Law - The laws are trying to catch up with the technology as it develops, and beyond that, people need to understand the laws as they exist. Right now, both parts of this equation are still evolving - the law, and our understanding of it. 

Digital Rights and Responsibilities - Citizenship is an important part of this too. Protecting our rights and the rights of others. Treating others appropriately and understanding how to do that is an important missing piece. Right now, students are discreet recording others and sharing private information and conversations. 

Digital Health and Wellness - We are still trying to understand how cell phones are changing us. We have a long way to go. But we know that anxiety and depression are on the rise, particularly in young women. (Mackson, Brochu, P. M., & Schneider, B. A., 2019)

Digital Security - We need to protect ourselves online and we are not doing that. We all skip the terms of use, and privacy rules. We accept all cookies, we make our profiles public and add all our information. We need to understand so much, and we haven't bothered. 

In the End... Most Importantly

Digital Literacy - We are not literate in this technology. We are not literate in its effects on us. We are not literate in the new versions of ourselves that we have created. We need teachers to be literate in all of these things, so that we can educate others. We need users' manuals for the tech, for society, and for ourselves.