With the advent of social media, we have very quickly developed new ways of consuming and sharing content, products, and services. Social media has fostered new behaviors, new ways of interacting, and new expectations toward others and ourselves. It is well known that social media promotes superficiality, creates new emotional dangers, increases the incidence of depression among young people, and leads to app addiction. Not to mention that its strategies of influence have weakened democracies in various parts of the world.

We’ve known this for some time now, but the Netflix film *The Social Dilemma* presents these issues in a very educational way, drawing on the testimonies of those who created social media and are well aware of its impact on society.

The fact is that, in the face of such a significant and ubiquitous phenomenon, schools need to play an educational role in raising awareness about what is happening in the world and even in guiding students toward healthier ways of using social media.

Even if we assume that minors under a certain age cannot access certain social media platforms, even if we argue that students only use them—legitimately or illegitimately—outside of school, and even if we ban cell phones during recess and in class, their existence—and the way your students, their friends, and family members use or will use them—is part of what happens in your school community. Furthermore, every student in a school will join a social media platform at some point. Therefore, students need to learn at school what these platforms are for, what dangers they pose, and how to use them appropriately and with a certain level of safety and ethics.

Nowadays, in order to claim that critical thinking is being developed in relation to the media, social media and how it works must be taken into account. Otherwise, students will not leave school equipped to deal with today’s world. It is impossible to escape social media: that is where we find friends, family, professional contacts, up-to-date information, and, quite simply, a way to pass the time during those unbearable moments of boredom.

What, after all, do we need to learn in school?

Students need to know that cell phones and social media are addictive and drive people away from those closest to them. They should develop an awareness of when it is appropriate and when it is inappropriate to keep their cell phones on and within reach. After all, a cell phone will draw attention whenever it’s accessible and distract from other matters. Perhaps they’ll conclude that having a cell phone nearby while the teacher is explaining something, while they’re talking with friends, while they’re having lunch or dinner with their family, and while they’re concentrating on solving problems isn’t a good idea.

We need to show students that social media platforms send each person different information about friends and acquaintances, as well as from bots and advertisements, and that their sole reason for doing so is to grab their attention. These platforms use algorithms (bots, artificial intelligence) to control this. Whatever grabs their attention will reach them. They should always be mindful of what social media is sending them, because this reveals a lot about them: ads for makeup, colleges, medicine, alcohol, celebrities, or sports? Is this information relevant? Does it enrich their lives or create desires and frustrations? Is it true? Is it good for them? Is it worth spending time on? What is the algorithm “thinking” about you?!

Students also need to know that social media exploits their most vulnerable feelings: envy, sadness, boredom, fear, and resentment. Social media algorithms identify the images that attract you the most: if you’re preoccupied with unattainable beauty standards, you’ll keep looking at images of unattainable beauty standards and keep receiving more images of that kind, until envy turns into depression and you no longer know what to do except look at images of unattainable beauty standards. If you’re angry, you’ll receive messages that reinforce your anger (toward fans of another team, election candidates, politics in general), until you become such a resentful person that you do something reckless at odd moments (including in the classroom), and so on. Students need to understand these mechanisms and learn to be wary when they’re feeling very sad, very irritated, and unable to put their phones down. That’s when it’s long past time to turn off notifications, uninstall some apps, or turn off your phone for a while.

It is also worth noting that information overload distracts us and leads to more superficial interpretations of what we read. Students should be encouraged to seek out a variety of information rather than settling for what they are given, and they should continue to read increasingly longer texts, even if they are digital.

In addition to all this, they must learn to recognize fake news (which always plays on emotions) and understand that they should never share it. They must learn the rules of social media behavior and protect—as much as possible—their own privacy and that of their acquaintances.

Another important topic to address in schools is showing that, just as no media is neutral, artificial intelligence algorithms are not either—and they are far more powerful—and their creators must be held accountable for their effects.  In this way, students can begin to understand, in high school and college, that they can and should demand laws ensuring the non-harmful use of technology in society, and programmers can and should also realize that their work involves, above all else, ethics.

Preparing students to navigate this world is not easy, but it is essential. This work can be done in traditional classrooms through hands-on activities related to any subject area, or it can be carried out in weekly classes dedicated to digital literacy. Schools that implement consistent digital literacy programs can be certain that they are contributing to their students’ physical and mental well-being, as well as to a more just and democratic society. This is certainly worth every minute devoted to the subject!

 

 

References:

AZULAY, Stella; CHAVES, Petria; KOTSCHO, Mariana; VON STAA, Betina. DEBATE: “The Dilemma of Networks.” Stella Azulay, September 30, 2020. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAW44jESk3g Accessed October 5, 2020.

PETTY, Bethany. *Create: Illuminate Student Voice Through Student Choice*. Dave Burguess Consulting, San Diego, 2020.

PETTY, Bethany. *Illuminate: Technology-Enhanced Learning*. Dave Burgess Consulting, San Diego, 2018.

SHEIBE, Cyndy, and ROGOW, Faith. *The Teacher’s Guide to Media Literacy*. Corwin, Thousand Oaks, 2012.

SOFFEL, Jenny. What Are the 21st-Century Skills Every Student Needs? World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/03/21st-century-skills-future-jobs-students/ Accessed on: October 5, 2020

 

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