Somni Porta
Feb. 13, 2020
Participatory Culture in a Networked Era by Henry Jenkins, Mizuko Ito, danah boyd. Polity Press, 2016. (Chapters 4 & 5)
Connected Learning infographic,
Textransformations: Interactive Art Practice as Connected Learning
What is my relationship with technology? On a social level, I have 15 close ‘friends’ on Facebook and 15 classmates or professors who follow me on Twitter. (My teenage daughter laughs at my low number of followers, especially since she has hundreds of followers. I guess I am not that ‘cool’ mom.) On a political level, I am a member of four Whatsapp Group (Fix Education in Edison, Chamber Orchestra, and JP Stevens Hawks Soccer) and Linkedin. I am also a member of the MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association), the LGMD (Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Association), and the Dartmouth Parents Group. According to cultural anthropologist and educational ethnographer Mimi Ito, I belong to three ‘affinity networks’: academic, civic, and career. I use social media mainly to connect and share ideas with like-minded people; my networks are essential parts of my life as a parent, educator, and citizen. Therefore, David Hodgson’s Connected Learning infographic resonated with me since it provided a visual depiction of my healthy relationship with technology.
My children’s and students’ relationship with social media is more complicated. Since children’s brains are still developing, they may not have developed the ability to reflect, regulate, and restrain. There has been a gamut of theories written about children’s technology, and as an informed parent, I have read several articles on how Steve Jobs was a “Low-Tech Parent” (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/fashion/steve-jobs-apple-was-a-low-tech-parent.html) and how both tech giants Bill Gates and Steve Jobs limit their kids’ screen time (https://www.businessinsider.com/screen-time-limits-bill-gates-steve-jobs-red-flag-2017-10. (I am not sure about Mark Zuckerberg’s kids since they are too young for a cell phone.) How ironic, or even hypocritical: two tech titans limiting their own kids’ screen time. What are the detrimental effects of unlimited cell phone use? Dr. Zamora asks, “At what cost”? Our focus, our concentration, our vision, our ability to think critically, our ability to interact with loved ones — and, most importantly, our humanity?
So, I followed suit: my children did not get their first smartphone until the old age of 15. They had to use a flip phone to make calls home. They had to make small talk with other students. They had to make eye contact with people. I was the most hated mom during their early teen years, but they loved to read books during their formative years; they were able to have conversations with their peers, teachers, and coaches; they went outside and rode their bikes.
I am not alone in my early cynicism of technology. Critics of social media are Jaron Lanier (http://www.jaronlanier.com), whom Dr. Zamora cited in her article “Textransformation: Interactive Artwork as Connected Learning,” wrote a book titled Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Media Right Now. Theorists such as Lanier propose abstinence from social media. Would you disconnect yourself from your networks? No, I would not detach myself from my networks because I will lose access to information, and information is power. Or as Ito posits, “It is not a simple binary” of a turning on/turning off social media.
Mimi Ito also cites, and then rejects David Buckingham, an inoculation theorist, who believes in protecting children and teens from the Internet, especially Wikipedia and comic books. Instead, Ito proposes a middle ground: “I don’t think that inoculation or abstinence helps people cope with contemporary media ecosystems.” Yes, we need to help our children and students develop media literacy by teaching and cultivating the ideals of “mindfulness, awareness, and restraint.”
Entering into the conversation: Henry Jenkins, Professor of Communications, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at USC; Mizuko Ito, Anthropologist at UC-Irvine; and danah boyd, Media Scholar and Researcher provide divergent perspectives on the ideals of awareness, mindfulness, and restraint. They argue for a participatory mindset in classrooms, in academic settings, in political spheres, and in commercial spaces by ‘participating’ in a written discussion in their book: Participatory Culture in a Networked Era. Here, we see content (i.e., participatory learning) mirroring structure (i.e., conversation).
Step 1: Awareness
In “Chapter 5: Commercial Culture,” danah boyd provided a historical background on Web 2.0, where there was a shift to “real-time interaction,” “blurring of private and public activities,” and the emergence of capitalism into the web. No longer was the Internet a subculture filled with techies and computer geeks. Even though the Internet became an integral part of mainstream culture, danah boyd cautions us on the utopian notion of the Internet as a form of social enlightenment, democratic participation, and equity. She provides an illuminating perspective in the sub-chapter, “Inside the Belly of the Beast,” where she exposes the paradox of institutions, including the tech industry. She surmises, “…I was actually surprised to learn that many people within corporations were very critical of the institutions that they were part of, very passionate about making institutional change, and very determined to leverage the beast.” The “beast” here is the Internet. We need to be aware that there are web entities who want to manipulate web consumers by using data mining and surveillance and spreading hateful rhetoric. We need to be critical thinkers and consumers by asking questions and analyzing the motivations of businesses, government entities, nonprofits, and so forth. In turn, we need to teach our children and students to be critical thinkers so that they can “interrogate the manipulation that they are experiencing.”
On the educational front, Mimi Ito describes the realities in a classroom setting. Some students are not interested in grades. Some students are lonely and do not have friends in school. Some students are not interested in the traditional curriculum, standardized test scores, SATs, or ACTs. What are educators going to do with this group of disinterested, disconnected students? One possible solution is the Internet. danah boyd offers her experience as a lonely teenager trying to “escape the hypocrisy of her hometown” by finding friends on the Internet. In fact, all three media scholars — Jenkins, Ito, and boyd — contend that educators need to promote participatory (Jenkins) or connected (Ito) learning experiences for their students. One shift that Ito proposes in terms of the grading of writing. Instead of waiting for the teacher (or professor) to grade an essay, the student should share their writing with a broader community to seek feedback from their audience. As an English teacher, I like this shift from a traditional, teacher-centered approach to writing to one that is more student-driven. However, I do believe that teachers should provide feedback or suggestions for improvement after the peer review, especially when students are emerging writers.
Step 2: Mindfulness
How much time to spend on your cell phone? on social media? According to Juliet Childers in “Instant Gratification Loops and how Facebook was Designed to get you,” U.S. users spend 5 hours per day on their cell phones. How much time do you spend on your phones? How many times to do check your notifications? By checking on screen time usage on our iPhones, it helps us to be mindful of our technology consumptions. Or, be as danah boyd suggests be “actively engaged in technology” by writing blogs, sharing information, producing videos and podcast” rather than “passively consuming.”
Step 3: Restraint
From there, we can exert restraint. Reduce our time on social media. Spend more time with loved ones. Go for a walk. Enjoy nature.
Discussion Questions:
1.) Which affinity networks are you part of?
2.) In light of the research, what are your thoughts on multitasking? (Please refer to the video of the dentist multi-tasking.)
A dentist was filmed riding a hoverboard while extracting a patient’s tooth
I am not alone in my early cynicism of technology. Critics of social media are Jaron Lanier (http://www.jaronlanier.com), whom Dr. Zamora cited in her article “Textransformation: Interactive Artwork as Connected Learning,” wrote a book titled Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Media Right Now. Theorists such as Lanier propose abstinence from social media. Would you disconnect yourself from your networks? No, I would not detach myself from my networks because I will lose access to information, and information is power. Or as Ito posits, “It is not a simple binary” of a turning on/turning off social media.
Mimi Ito also cites, and then rejects David Buckingham, an inoculation theorist, who believes in protecting children and teens from the Internet, especially Wikipedia and comic books. Instead, Ito proposes a middle ground: “I don’t think that inoculation or abstinence helps people cope with contemporary media ecosystems.” Yes, we need to help our children and students develop media literacy by teaching and cultivating the ideals of “mindfulness, awareness, and restraint.”
Entering into the conversation: Henry Jenkins, Professor of Communications, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at USC; Mizuko Ito, Anthropologist at UC-Irvine; and danah boyd, Media Scholar and Researcher provide divergent perspectives on the ideals of awareness, mindfulness, and restraint. They argue for a participatory mindset in classrooms, in academic settings, in political spheres, and in commercial spaces by ‘participating’ in a written discussion in their book: Participatory Culture in a Networked Era. Here, we see content (i.e., participatory learning) mirroring structure (i.e., conversation).
Step 1: Awareness
In “Chapter 5: Commercial Culture,” danah boyd provided a historical background on Web 2.0, where there was a shift to “real-time interaction,” “blurring of private and public activities,” and the emergence of capitalism into the web. No longer was the Internet a subculture filled with techies and computer geeks. Even though the Internet became an integral part of mainstream culture, danah boyd cautions us on the utopian notion of the Internet as a form of social enlightenment, democratic participation, and equity. She provides an illuminating perspective in the sub-chapter, “Inside the Belly of the Beast,” where she exposes the paradox of institutions, including the tech industry. She surmises, “…I was actually surprised to learn that many people within corporations were very critical of the institutions that they were part of, very passionate about making institutional change, and very determined to leverage the beast.” The “beast” here is the Internet. We need to be aware that there are web entities who want to manipulate web consumers by using data mining and surveillance and spreading hateful rhetoric. We need to be critical thinkers and consumers by asking questions and analyzing the motivations of businesses, government entities, nonprofits, and so forth. In turn, we need to teach our children and students to be critical thinkers so that they can “interrogate the manipulation that they are experiencing.”
On the educational front, Mimi Ito describes the realities in a classroom setting. Some students are not interested in grades. Some students are lonely and do not have friends in school. Some students are not interested in the traditional curriculum, standardized test scores, SATs, or ACTs. What are educators going to do with this group of disinterested, disconnected students? One possible solution is the Internet. danah boyd offers her experience as a lonely teenager trying to “escape the hypocrisy of her hometown” by finding friends on the Internet. In fact, all three media scholars — Jenkins, Ito, and boyd — contend that educators need to promote participatory (Jenkins) or connected (Ito) learning experiences for their students. One shift that Ito proposes in terms of the grading of writing. Instead of waiting for the teacher (or professor) to grade an essay, the student should share their writing with a broader community to seek feedback from their audience. As an English teacher, I like this shift from a traditional, teacher-centered approach to writing to one that is more student-driven. However, I do believe that teachers should provide feedback or suggestions for improvement after the peer review, especially when students are emerging writers.
Step 2: Mindfulness
How much time to spend on your cell phone? on social media? According to Juliet Childers in “Instant Gratification Loops and how Facebook was Designed to get you,” U.S. users spend 5 hours per day on their cell phones. How much time do you spend on your phones? How many times to do check your notifications? By checking on screen time usage on our iPhones, it helps us to be mindful of our technology consumptions. Or, be as danah boyd suggests be “actively engaged in technology” by writing blogs, sharing information, producing videos and podcast” rather than “passively consuming.”
Step 3: Restraint
From there, we can exert restraint. Reduce our time on social media. Spend more time with loved ones. Go for a walk. Enjoy nature.
Discussion Questions:
1.) Which affinity networks are you part of?
2.) In light of the research, what are your thoughts on multitasking? (Please refer to the video of the dentist multi-tasking.)
A dentist was filmed riding a hoverboard while extracting a patient’s tooth
3.) What is your reaction to the articles on Steve Jobs being a low-tech parent?
4.) What are some of your favorite quotations, insights, or takeaways from the reading selections?