Response to Marc Prensky and Paul Kirschner

 I think the biggest effect on students thinking patterns today is caused by phone usage; primarily, social media. From personal and from my friend's experience, we'll use our phones for around four hours (give or take depending on the day). If I get rid of social media apps such as Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, and Snapchat, that number drops down to thirty minutes or so. My peers and I have a tendency to use social media as a means to escape even the slightest feelings of boredom and anxiety. I can really only speak from my experience but I'd guess almost everyone my age is guilty of this too. For example, say I'm standing in line for something. It's difficult to resist the urge to pull out my phone. I forget how to just stand still and just be comfortable, and I feel awkward that I'm the only one whose attention isn't invested in something else. These short moments of boredom are easy to avoid with a phone. Instantly, you can see what your friends are saying, read an article, or watch a video, just in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately because of this reason, I think it's easy to lose touch with yourself. If you're constantly stimulated, you have no time to deal with certain thoughts and feelings. Eventually, these things can build up until you're unable to avoid them through your phone. But boredom and anxiety are healthy in small amounts. Boredom can lead to curiosity, and anxiety can lead to mindfulness. But since the vast majority of people my age (including myself) avoid these things instantly with the push of a button, we never exercise these qualities.

    In the article, "The myths of the digital native and the multitasker, Kirschner explains that just because a generation grew up using the internet, does not mean that they are digitally literate. He goes on to say that just because students use a "large quantity and variety of technologies for communication," they are not using it in ways that would be beneficial as opposed to digital immigrants. For the most part, students are using technology to be entertained. I agree with what Kirschner says, but in the article, he compares students to adults. Adults may use technology as a means of productivity more than students will, but I think it's the age gap that explains why adults would be more digitally literate than students. When Students mature, they will certainly have more knowledge of the components that go into being "digitally literate" than the digital natives, since they grew up using these platforms.

Meet Colin!

    A friend of mine named Colin lives three hours away from me. Although the distance is somewhat of a drive, just the other day he came to visit in a spur of the moment decision. Neither of us had anything going on and it had been a while since we've seen each other. He left Portland at around 4pm and wasn't even planning on staying the night, he had planned to stop by, say hi for a few hours then head back. Luckily my roommates and I convinced him to spend the night and he crashed on our couch. I think this recent story is a great example of where our position is at in the Knapps Relationship Model, The integration stage.

    I had first met Colin during the 8th-grade summer. From our short encounter, I hadn't anticipated that he would be one of my best friends all throughout high school. Shortly after high school graduation, it was apparent that I would be moving away so we wouldn't be able to hang out as much as we did before. Luckily, we would still be able to stay in touch through any form of online communication. When reaching out to Colin, it was somewhat difficult because he would rarely reply to Snapchat's, or it would take him a few days to open the message. Eventually, he wouldn't even open my Snapchat messages at all. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed. But knowing Colin, I knew that if he was upset with me he would've said something. In another attempt to reach out, I called him. When he picked up, he was cheery and everything was as it was before I left. He informed me he deleted Snapchat and that's why he hadn't seen any messages from me. 

    Because I was so reliant on a social media app, it caused me distress and worry. If I had used any other form of communication like text or call, it could've been avoided. Although it was just a small issue, I think it goes to show how integrated these apps are for people my age. I often forget that Instagram and Snapchat are just apps and that you shouldn't worry if someone takes a while to respond. Their online presence is not their life and they often have other things going on.

Social Media's Role in Mental Health

    All social media platforms have positives and negatives. Some are more harmful than others while other platforms can be beneficial. It's a difficult thing to measure though because everyone interacts with these sites differently. Snapchat, for example, can be a great way to stay in touch with friends and even family. In my community and at my age, Snapchat is the main method of not only communication within interpersonal relationships, but it can also be used to broadcast some type of media to everyone you are "friends" with. Similar to Snapchat, this could be a negative aspect of Instagram. This broadcasting of a photo or video gives off the illusion that one's life may be more glamourous than it really is. If other users don't recognize this, they will often compare themselves to the life that the person portrays. Instagram can also be beneficial for the spread of information and increase awareness of relevant issues. For example, in my community, many people will post links to news articles discussing a range of topics from environmental issues, to government spending. 

I do think it would be beneficial for social networking sites to promote mental health. Instagram recently stopped displaying the amount of likes posts get which I think is a great step in the right direction. I do not think promoting mental health is the responsibility of the platform though. People choose to go on the sites and if they notice that the site negatively influences them, they should use it less. With that being said, many social networking sites find ways to make their platform more addictive. I think this is immoral and should not be allowed because it makes it difficult for those who are negatively affected by social media to quit. I'll include a link below for an article that discusses how social media is built to be addictive in depth.

The Secret Ways Social Media Is Built To Be Addictive

About Me

    Hello! I'm from Portland Oregon. I graduated from Wilson Highschool last year and decided to move to Bend for the year with a few of my friends rather than living on campus. I'm currently dual-enrolled at both OSU and COCC and I'm studying biology. I'm not sure where I wanna go with biology yet. I might incorporate sustainability or environmental science into my education because of my appreciation for the outdoors. If I could find an occupation in which I help preserve our natural world I think I'd be content. The reason I moved to Bend is because of its proximity to both Mt. Bachelor and Smith Rock. Both of which are prime locations for my two passions; climbing and skiing. I have yet to actually climb Smith Rock since moving to Bend but once it gets a little warmer, I'm hoping to go there frequently. As for skiing, I've already gotten great use out of my pass and I'm hoping to continue going up as often as my schedule allows.