Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash.
Upon reflecting on my recent Technology Use Map post and subsequent comment about the alternative tension pair proposed by Dave Cormier (2018), I’ve concluded that my hesitation with expanding my digital presence is rooted in skepticism of the coercive nature of social media (Consilience Project, Dec 5, 2021) and the growing issues of mis/disinformation that are eroding collective understanding and undermining coordination. (Consilience Project, Jan 30, 2022)
Whereas social media could be a hub for collaboration and constructive debate, it’s progressively devolving into an algorithmically driven arena of performative nonsense to maximize engagement that has led to real-world harms (Hemendinger, 2023) and the breakdown of civic engagement (Olaniran and Williams, 2020). I’m reminded of a quote from Sacha Baron Cohen’s speech at the Anti-Defamation League’s Never Is Now Summit in 2019 “Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach”. Unfortunately, marginal opinions and perspectives are amplified and given disproportionate exposure because of our inherent attention bias toward prestigious, in-group, moral or emotional (PRIME) information (Burke, 2023) to maximize time on screen (Greenwood, 2021).
Nevertheless, I also recognize that absence and inaction change nothing.
Reviewing the Unit 2 readings, the themes of inequality in digital participation (Hargittai and Walejko, 2008) and the ongoing digital divide (Tsiplakides, 2018) are important challenges for educators and educational technologists in every sector. In growing my digital presence and identity, I intend to focus on numerous education technology-related topics, however, the impact of socioeconomic status on digital literacy and participation will often be a common focus.
Additionally, I intend to become more comfortable with academic writing and critical discourse while expanding my pedagogy and learning science knowledge. To achieve growth in my DIDP, I will use my MALAT blog to post content beyond the mandated curricular activities and engage my classmates in interesting conversations and exchanges of ideas.
References
Burke, T. (2023, Aug 16). Social-media algorithms have hijacked “social learning”. KellogInsight. https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/social-media-algorithms-have-hijacked-social-learning
Cohen, S. B. (2019, November 21). ADL 2019 Never is Now Summit keynote address [Speech transcript]. Anti-defamation league. https://www.adl.org/resources/news/sacha-baron-cohens-keynote-address-adls-2019-never-now-summit-anti-semitism-and-hate
Cormier, D. (2018, March 13). Digital practices mapping – Intro activity for digital literacies course. Dave’s Educational Blog. https://davecormier.com/edblog/2018/03/31/digital-practices-mapping-intro-activity-for-digital-literacies-course/
Greenwood, A. (2021, February 25). Enrage to engage: How social media’s algorithms disseminate radical content to maximise screen time. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/enrage-engage-how-social-medias-algorithms-radical-screen-greenwood/
Hargittai, E., & Walejko, G. (2008). The participation divide: Content creation and sharing in the digital age. Information, Community and Society, 11(2), 239-256. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691180801946150
Hemendinger, E. (2023, June 15). Mounting research documents on the harmful effects of social media use on mental health. DCReport. https://www.dcreport.org/2023/06/15/mounting-research-documents-the-harmful-effects-of-social-media-use-on-mental-health/
Olaniran, B., & Williams, I. (2020). Social media effects: Hijacking democracy and civility in civic engagement. In: Jones, J., Trice, M. (Eds) Platforms, protests, and the challenge of networked democracy. Rhetoric, politics and society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36525-7_5
The Consilience Project. (2022, January 30). How to mislead with facts. https://consilienceproject.org/social-media-enables-undue-influence/
The Consilience Project. (2021, December 5). Social media enables undue influence. https://consilienceproject.org/social-media-enables-undue-influence/
Tsiplakides, I. (2018). Social Inclusion and equity in modern information and knowledge societies. Journal of Sociology and Anthropology. 2(1):9-13. doi: 10.12691/jsa-2-1-2. https://pubs.sciepub.com/jsa/2/1/2
Chris, I feel the same way about the way social media has devolved. It is very difficult to abstain from social-media engagement, when it seems to be a prerequisite in this epoch of digital culture and society. It is a strange state of being when it seems everyone around you is happily swimming in a bubbling pool of acid, wondering why you haven’t jumped in. “It’s not that bad once you get used to it!”
To quote one of Sacha Baron Cohen’s characters: “Owz anyone out there meant to restecp each otha?”
Thank’s Stephen, that’s a great analogy. I’ve likened it to swimming in a swamp, trying not to get eaten by the gators but the acid imagery is spot on. Even just being on social media can feel like being dissolved into it.
If you haven’t watched it yet, the pro-social YouTube video in the unit 3 readings touches on this well in an exercise with the audience. There’s a funny image they briefly flashed on the screen that I went looking for “The 7 Sins in the digital world”: https://twitter.com/AriDavidPaul/status/984999126571118593/photo/1
Paul, A. D. [@AriDavidPaul]. (2018, April 13). The 7 sins in the digital world [Image attached] [Post]. X. https://twitter.com/AriDavidPaul/status/984999126571118593