Social Media is the New Smoking
I’m Michael, and I’m an addict. That’s where this comes from: a place of acknowledgment. I know that social media plays too large a role in my life. I know it has made me unhappy; I know it has robbed me of precious time; I know that it has done these things by design.
I know it’s doing the same things to students. And we’re allowing it.
Some class projects even use social media directly. I’ve seen quite a few examples (on social media, appropriately) in which students program a Twitter bot, for example. And not for older high schoolers; I’m talking about middle school students. I’m sure the project was exciting. I’m sure there was some valuable instructional content.
Was it responsible?
As I think back on my long relationship with the internet and social media, I’m not so sure it can be.
Some History
I came of age exactly as social media took wing. I remember being a freshman at Ursinus College when thefacebook dot com became available to more than a few select universities. We were all ecstatic, and couldn’t wait to put our profiles up. This was before privacy settings, of course. Hell, we could view other dorm rooms’ iTunes playlists over the shared dorm LAN. It felt collegial, given how little privacy one has in a dorm anyway.
And updating statuses! Michael is...: the possibilities were endless. How to be funny, yet poignant? How to communicate anguish across the network? How to let people know I no longer want to feel lonely? It was like, it was like...
It was like the next generation of AOL Instant Messenger Away Messages.
AIM was, weird chatrooms notwithstanding, probably my generation’s first exposure to the powerful experience that is talking to friends on the internet. AIM is, embarrassingly, how I became a quick typist-when carrying on three or four deep conversations at once, what other alternative was there? It’s how I learned to express myself honestly, an important developmental milestone for an introvert like me. I suspect this experience was not so unique to kids of the late nineties.
And the Away Messages became a novel way of expression, I dunno, emotional depth? A way of saying-and-not-saying. In some (most?) cases they were definitionally passive-aggressive. But they taught us how to broadcast.
Then came LiveJournal. Xanga. MySpace. Friendster? Facebook.
We were being taught how to share, and how to feel rewarded by interaction with what we shared.
So now…
…we’ve been living in this world where we are the product, and we know it’s harmful. We know the companies dominating the internet’s conversations are not moral actors, and we are complicit by using their products. Yet we keep scrolling. This is addictive behavior. It is not a revelation if one has even an iota of self-awareness. When you mindlessly open Twitter for the tenth time in an hour, you are feeding a craving.
Educators are supposed to know better. We technologists in particular are asked for our expertise on screen time — how much is too much? When is the right age for kids to get an Instagram account?
And even if we decry the evils of social media to concerned parents, how much moral authority can we muster while our phone buzzes in our pockets, letting us know there’s new information available!, feeding our reptilian need for stimuli?
One might argue that social media has value, that, as Facebook puts it, connecting people is a net benefit. Connecting people isbeneficial. That is not the purpose of social media, at least not what it’s become. On these platforms, the adage “If you don’t know what you’re being sold, you’re the product” reaches maximum truth. That’s why the interface is designed to keep you on. That’s why, when you try to leave, they try so hard to get you back. I mean they don’t break your kneecaps or anything, but they definitely guilt you into staying.
This is not the behavior of a friend. It is, without a shadow of doubt, abusive.
So what? Am I telling you to quit social media? I’m definitely telling you it’s the healthier option. But y’all are adults. Those are your choices to make.
But at the same time, I’m also saying that using social media in classrooms is morally suspect. It’s not a popular opinion. But given what we’re learning about device usage and the mental health of adolescents, I’m not sure we have an alternative.
Keep the kids logged off.
