I'm currently reading a book called Mind Change, by Susan Greenfield. It's a fascinating exploration of how the brain becomes a mind and how it is being transformed by social media and our obsession with technology.
But first i'll let Louis CK set the stage...
http://www.cnet.com/news/louis-c-k-why-i-wont-let-my-kids-have-cell-phones/
Here's are some facts from Mind Change:
- Oxytocin is a hormone that enhances feelings of well being and increases in production in teenage years
- Dopamine is a neurotransmitter system in the brain that is linked to feelings of pleasure. . Dopamine production reaches its lifetime peak in adolescence.
- Human beings are social creatures. Loneliness is bad for your health. Women with fewer social relationships experience strokes at 2x the rate of those with more. Can increase the incidence of cardiovascular disease through reduced levels of Oxytocin, which surges during close physical contact and is associated with well-being
- 62% of smartphone users check their phones as soon as they wake up. 79% within the first 15 minutes
- Since 1970 the radius of play, namely the amount of space surrounding the home in which a child freely wanders has shrunk by 90%
- In 2012 24% of users of US adult social networking sites reported missing out on a key event or moment in their lives because they were so absorbed in updating their profile
- 52% of Facebook users visit daily, 33% Twitter
- Average smartphone Facebook user checks their profile 14 times a day
- In 1987 humans spent an average of 6 hours a day in face to face social interaction and 4 hours via electronic. In 2007 the proportion had reversed to almost 8 hours a day electronically and only 2.5 hours face to face
- People who report feeling lonely also apparently are more strongly emotionally attached to Facebook
So for this post:
- What conclusions can you draw from the facts given above?
- Do you agree with Louis CK? Should parents be more careful around their children's cell phone use? We're your parent's?
I can say that I am one of the many people that checks my phone the minute I wake up in the morning. I have the need to stay connected, to have someone to talk to because I don't get that in real life as often as I should. I'm so engrossed in my phone because, in reality, I don't make the effort to make empathetic relationships with other people. It's scary because you NEVER know.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with CK that yes, kids are completely enamored with their phones and they depend on it to make them happy. The way I see it though, it's the kids who do nothing but socialize and don't play sports, aren't in any clubs, or in anything that keeps them active that end up forming this emotional attachment to social media.
It's not about the parents being more careful about how often cell phones are used but rather teaching kids the importance of real life relationships with people and pushing into situations that require them to be empathetic.
My parents were not strict about my phone use, I became responsible for my own life and took control. The thing that really helped me the most was putting me into sports and poetry meet ups and I helped myself by putting the phone down and joining clubs.
It's not about our parents being strict on us, it's about us teenagers being strict and real with ourselves.
Growing up my sister was the privileged one when it came to cell phones. Because she was in high school at the time when I was in elementary - middle school, my parents thought that it was more of a necessity for her to have the tech. advantage. I remember my first cell phone was a razor phone, but then I constantly switched phones after that because I would either lose my phone or because my sister had an upgrade, but because of that I wasn't as dependent on cell phones when I was younger. I used to be an outgoing kid who was active, but after my sister moved out my parents finally gave me an Iphone. After that I started to become more like my sister. She used to be stuck to her phone looking on the internet or listening to music and I see myself doing the same things. I try to have more face to face conversations with my parents but I always end up having my phone with me. I can personally verify that all of those facts above are true. I do agree with Louis CK that parents should in a way regulate the cell phone usage of their children, but not to the point where their kids and them are having a sort of falling out. My mom is always telling me that I shouldn't be on the phone so much, but in the end I realize my mistakes and I try to spend more personal time with my parents and actually have conversations where I look them in the face.
ReplyDeleteIn today's world, teenagers seem to be permanently sucked into the cyber world. Adults everywhere remark that our cellphones act as our second skin. And that's true. While riding the bus or train, I observe that there's only about two people who don't have their eyeballs glued to a phone in a crowded train of more than thirty. And I am part of that thirty.
ReplyDeleteI fall into that pool of people in the statistics who check their phones immediately after getting up and check their social media excessively. I don't even use Facebook for anything, but I constantly go on to see what's going on in the world or what are my friends doing. And this is for no particular reason. I don't really care what they're doing, I'm just bored and can't find anything better to do, which I should. I spend more time looking at my phone and watching dramas than talking to my mom after she comes home from work. That's why my mom cherishes the hour we spend during dinner talking with no phones in sight.
These conclusions are all true. If you take a survey about anyone in this school, they'll agree and fulfill the statistics of just visiting Facebook or checking their phones more often than needed alone. These statistics only reinforce this idea of a disconnection between people today. It seems as if no one could hold a decent conversation without the cell phone appearing halfway through. And people think that their 500 friends are really their friends, but really maybe two of them are true and the others are only there for a higher friend count.
I frankly agree with what Louis C.K. has said. My mother did the exact same thing he did, barring me from having a cell phone until it became an absolute necessity in 7th grade. She gave me a basic flip phone, because I only needed it to text/call her when I got on the bus and arrived at school. Now, I have a smartphone, but this was given to me as a reward for my hard work and can be taken away at any time. I have limits set by her, such as data limits, text limits, she is friends with me on Facebook and monitors my activity, and reserves the right to search through my phone whenever she wants. She also clearly states the times when I can't use my cell phone, for example around dinner time.
I think parents just have to be stricter on how much time they spend on their phones. Tell them that when having a conversation, nobody needs to divert their attention away to Facebook. Anything can wait when there's a more important presentation at hand. Again, would anyone like to look back thinking maybe I should have spent more time talking with my loved ones instead of that random acquaintance on Facebook?
The facts are not surprising. Currently, I have no social media. I do have a YouTube account, if that counts. I deleted all of my accounts about two years ago after I realized how much time I was wasting. Since then, I’ve found doing work less distracting and I’ve certainly read a lot more books. It’s not that I don’t miss social media from time to time: I do. I just feel happier without it, even if sometimes I’m out of the loop.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the Louis CK video. It always takes a comedian to get to the heart of important issues. What resonated me with me especially was when he said that seeing someone’s face will make you think twice about what you say and that behind the mask of Facebook, say, you are immune to other’s feelings.
I do think parents should be more careful around their children’s cell phone use. My parents never had any restrictions on cell phone use because they trust me. Though I wish in some ways they did. Even though I can control myself, you never know if I could accomplish more with stricter limits.
Also, I think it’s important to note that many parents are just as guilty as their children. I’ve seen parents who sit in restaurants with their kids and the adults are the ones playing Candy Crush. I bet that once parents change their social media/technology habits, their children will as well.
Good for you Taylor. It is not an easy thing to do and social media companies make it very difficulty for you to actually accomplish this.
DeleteParents should set better examples for kids. It is unfortunate that we don't put greater restrictions on children using devices.
I do think that in general, most people use their phones way too much.
ReplyDeletePhones are definitely handy, and they’re very convenient when one has to check the weather or look up an address. And obviously, phones have made communication a lot faster and easier.
However, the dawn of social media has made us incredibly dependant on our Blackberries and Androids, and this is undoubtedly a negative result. I’m baffled whenever I meet people who periodically check their social media. It’s fine to check it, but in the middle of a conversation? As soon as you leave school? In between classes?
It’s as if they’re addicted to social media, and I really have no idea why.
The obsession with the number of Facebook friends one has, or the number of “likes” under an Instagram pic is bizarre. I can’t wrap my head around it.
That last fact about lonely people being more attracted to Facebook makes absolute sense to me. I guess there’s a sort of thrill when one looks at a post they made an hour ago and sees that it got 10+ likes...That is almost like a confidence boost, but it’s sad that people base their self-importance on social media.
I wish people, especially teenagers, would learn to balance social media with real life, face-to-face interactions.
As for Louis C.K’s input, I agree - parents should be more careful regarding their children’s cell phones. Kids are kids, and do dumb things, either out of curiosity, or peer pressure, or even a desire to “rebel” against their parents. I don’t want my kids to have smartphones until they’re in high school. Until then they can settle for the old, early 2000s flip phones. I want them to understand that existence is possible without the Internet always readily available to them.
One thing about numbers is that very often they do not lie. It's obvious that as technology has expanded, humans have become more in tune with their devices. It because an invaluable part of our lives. The sense of being able to reach anyone, anywhere makes a person feel almost powerful in a way. It makes us feel as if we are more in control. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing but in a way we've made our world a little smaller, collapsing it to a small phone or laptop.
ReplyDeleteWe've forgotten to take a look around us. One fact that really struck me was the area of play that children had decreased up to 90%. I hadn't realized how true this was until I looked at my own childhood. I was glued to the TV screen the moment I got home - then when we got computers in my house I was glued to the TV screen. It even helped me down the road to getting glasses. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy being outside - in fact, I loved summer camp. But I just liked watching tv more than just playing outside. I think that Louis. C.K is onto something here.
Instead of seizing the more sunny days, as I've grown older I realized that I don't go outside as often despite it being so nice. I've convinced myself that there is "no where else to go" and I sit down absorbed by netflix. I don't necessarily blame my parents, because they did not allow me to watch tv endlessly - usually I read books. But I wish they pushed me to go outside a little bit more - perhaps I wouldn't be so inclined to stay inside when it was beautiful out.
Many parents have used the excuse that they are worried about their children so they need to give them a phone to keep in touch. This also may factor into why the play radius has decreased. The problem with this logic is that it is not based on facts. Historically crime has never been lower in the history of the New York and the US.
DeleteThe facts do not surprise me at all. I know I check my phone way to often. I can't even stay off of it while I'm in school. When I was younger I sed to sit with my sister everyday after school but now we could go a whole afternoon in the house without seeing each other. We just sit in our rooms watching Netflix.
ReplyDeleteMy friends and I have tried to curve this behavior. Whenever we hang out, if someone gets distracted by their phone we tell them to put their phones away. also. We never put the TV on when we hang out, we only talk. I also noticed this when I was babysitting my younger cousins last Friday. They plopped in front of the TV and barely moved until I put them to bed. Therefore, this fact:Since 1970 the radius of play, namely the amount of space surrounding the home in which a child freely wanders has shrunk by 90%" is extremely true.
I think our society has become a place where people walking around with cell phones glued to their ears. They're kids these days that have iPads in kindergarten and receive their first iPhone in the 1st grade.They can't talk to each other when friends hang out for fun or have dinner at home without having phones on the table while their eating. I don't believe kids should have a cell phone except for a cheap pre-paid one with just a half hour of minutes on it to be used only in case of emergency. Mobile phones are a convenience and a tool they are not necessities.
ReplyDeleteWith the new gadgets newer generation is getting more stupid. The biggest problem with a teen having cellphones is that, they will not concentrate on what they should be concentrating( for example homework and studying for tests). Which would cause them to become stupid because they are not focusing on their school work.The withdrawal of education would make our future generation not so bright.