Outsmart Your Smartphone

B Outsmart Your Smartphone NOTICE & NOTE This author writes about how teenagers use technology and makes suggestions for using it responsibly. 1 As you read, use the side margins to make notes about the text. A dolescence has always been a hero’s journey of growing independence, exploration, and self-discovery. When smartphones swept onto the scene in 2008, teenagers used them for familiar purposes—to connect to each other and share interests out of adults’ view. But was the technology itself significantly changing the landscape of teen life? At first, people took sides on this issue based on their own gut feelings. Now with more than a decade of experience, it’s possible to hold a more informed perspective on the effects of engaging with social media and life online. In writing my book The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age, I studied the current research and interviewed hundreds of teenagers around the country. I can say without hesitation that though social media is a useful and enticing tool, it poses unique risks to adolescent well-being. perspective (p∂r-sp≈k´t∆v) n. A perspective is a viewpoint on or understanding of something. ANALYZE STRUCTURE 2 Annotate: Mark all the positive effects of using social media listed in paragraph 2. Infer: How might identifying these benefits at the beginning of her argument help the author achieve her purpose? 3 NOTICE & NOTE CONTRASTS AND CONTRADICTIONS When you notice a difference between two or more elements in the text, you’ve found a Contrasts and Contradictions signpost. Notice & Note: Mark the two sentences in paragraph 3 that introduce a sharp contrast or contradiction. Analyze: Why does the author point out this contrast? stimulant (st∆m´y∂-l∂nt) n. A stimulant is an agent that excites or temporarily speeds up mental and/or physical functions. deliberate (d∆-l∆b´∂r-∆t) adj. Deliberate decision-making activity is the process of making a choice only after carefully considering its likely effects. 4 5 The benefits of social media are obvious. You can use smartphones and social media to build healthy relationships and a sense of belonging. You can partner with others to help, share, volunteer, collaborate. Never before have middle school students been able to take a class with students in China. You can get in touch with total strangers who like the same rock band, write fan fiction together with people anywhere in the world, or join an online gaming group. Texting and social networking sites make it easier to connect with kids right where you are, too. Social networking lets you get together with friends where your parents aren’t around. Expressing yourself, figuring out who you are and developing a sense of self and identity that’s separate from your parents and family are important parts of adolescent development. But there’s more to the story. While it’s tempting to believe that social media is just a new version of what’s always been, with the same dangers and benefits, studies suggest that’s just not true. A growing body of scientific evidence and everyday experience show that social media is not simply a natural and healthy extension of teens’ social lives and development. It can negatively affect the brain and behavior in ways that mimic addiction, adversely affect learning, distort normal aspects of social and emotional development, and increase anxiety. There is too much research and too much everyday evidence now for us to ignore the risks. You have to approach social media with restraint and caution if you want to avoid harm. How and how often you use social media matters. Ninetytwo percent of teens report going online daily. Twenty-four percent of them say they are online “almost constantly,” according to a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center. More than half (fifty-six percent) of teens, ages thirteen to seventeen, go online several times a day. Most use mobile devices and three-quarters of the teens say they have access to a smartphone. The more time you spend texting or online, the greater the risks of harm. This is especially concerning in adolescence. It’s a critical window of time for brain growth, physical development, and social and emotional development. Social media is a stimulant to the brain. Texting and other use triggers release of dopamine, a natural chemical that produces a pleasurable sensation that most brains crave to repeat. But the more you use social media, the more you want to use it, and that impulse can override the deliberate decision-making activity of the part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. It also creates a sense of urgency. You feel compelled to react or respond right away and hit send. 6 7 8 9 The combination of the stimulants to the brain and the fact that you feel anonymous or at a distance from the person you’re communicating with can lead you to behave differently than you would face to face. You become impulsive, quick to act and react, even when it carries a risk. You feel less inhibited, more likely to say mean or careless things without a thought to the impact of your words, or the consequences. It’s easy to say things you later wish you hadn’t. On the receiving (or waiting) end, you feel anxious when someone doesn’t respond right away, or you feel antsy or bored when there’s a lull in communication. Every ping, buzz, or text you send or receive keeps you hooked. A false sense of privacy can trick you into thinking it’s safe to share anything—or text or post private or inflammatory1 things. Plenty of teens have found themselves entangled in social drama made worse when posts went viral. At the most tragic extreme, social media has provided a platform for cyberbullying. In a study of teens and social media use, nine out of ten teens reported that they had seen bullying online. Bullying gets a lot of attention and for good reason, but let’s look at other common social media behaviors or beliefs with negative consequences. First, texting is easier than talking and seems like the same thing, but it isn’t. Social media is no substitute for face-to-face conversation or hanging out, a handshake or comforting hug, shared laughter or even shared quiet time. Texting, tweeting, email and other text-only forms of messaging eliminate two essential aspects of human communication: the power of voice and the ability to see the impact of your words. 1 inflammatory: provocative; likely to provoke a strong reaction. Don’t forget to Notice & Note as you read the text. inhibited (∆n-h∆b´∆t-∂d) adj. If you feel inhibited, you feel restrained, held back, or self-conscious. ANALYZE RHETORICAL DEVICES Annotate: Review paragraphs 5 and 6. Mark the sentences in which the author uses direct address. Analyze: What is the impact of using direct address to convey this particular information? 10 11 12 ANALYZE STRUCTURE Annotate: In paragraph 13, mark the effect of “constant connectivity,” according to the author. Then mark what that, in turn, can cause. Evaluate: Does this cause-effect relationship help the author support her argument? Explain. 13 14 Tone of voice gives meaning to our words. You might use the phrase “I hate you!” jokingly to mean “I’m so jealous of you!” but what if that’s not clear? Even a simple text like “sorry” can be difficult to decipher—are you being snarky or sincere? Distanced from the impact your words have on others, you can’t see their reaction or correct a misunderstanding. Also, when texting takes the place of face-to-face talking, you don’t get the real-time practice of conversation skills and the confidence that goes with it. You can’t get a driver’s license just by passing an online test. You have to log hours of actual driving time to develop the real-time, real life skills to drive. The same in-real-life practice is required for the social and emotional skills you need to navigate life. Direct communication is one of the most important. Second, social media expands social networks, but not necessarily the deeper stuff of meaningful friendship. Research and life experience tell us that “likes” and casual online “friends” are no substitute for friendship. Friendship includes a deeper knowing of one another, shared respect and trust, and acceptance. It’s easy to think that your “street smarts”—your ability to assess if someone is trustworthy or not—work just as well on social media sites as in real life, but research tells us that we tend to trust too easily online. Social media was designed to be a way to connect people. But it also has put a crimp in teens’ ability to connect in deep and meaningful ways. Some find it harder to be emotionally vulnerable and emotionally honest with one another. Emotional growth and learning how to be a partner in relationship are hard work, and part of natural development that emerges in adolescence. But it takes time and practice to develop that natural capacity. The default text of hey what’s up? mutes those moments for more textured conversations. You might find it easier to say things that are serious and important to you by texting, where you don’t feel as vulnerable as you might face to face. Ultimately, though, it’s important in life to be able to say directly to people what’s on your mind and what’s in your heart, and have difficult conversations. That takes practice. Third, the “everywhere, always on” presence of social media and life online creates new kinds of psychological issues. The constant connectivity can create psychological dependence. This can cause anxiety when you’re separated from your phone or unable to go online. Some teens experience a form of separation anxiety if they don’t have their phone, or if an adult takes it away. If you are “always on,” the fear of missing out often creates anxiety with no relief. On social media, like never before, you can see every party, every event, every “inside joke” that you are