How to use technology was taught to me in various, but entirely unhelpful ways throughout my growing-up years.

My parent’s approach to the matter was something along the lines of: “scare the kids off the internet and they’ll be safe.” (Cyber Safety 101, woohoo.)

When put that way, clearly this wasn’t a very helpful thing. One has to understand, of course, that my parents only wanted the best for me. They were using the only approach they knew how. They themselves had been scared off the internet – we humans are interesting creatures that fear what we don’t understand.

I did learn at least one helpful thing from my parents. Despite the fact that scaring children off the internet a) doesn’t work and b) isn’t a helpful approach, a general sense of caution around technology and the internet was a good thing engrained in me by my parents.

Kids use the internet all the time. I did. And they know more about it than their parents. I did. But just because kids know a lot about the internet doesn’t mean they know how to use it safely. Because of this, that general sense of caution was really helpful.

In school, we were taught about cyberbullying and what to do if it happened to us. We used our computer lab a lot, spending a lot of time on the Internet for research and projects. We also spent a lot of time on the school laptops and iPads. Whether we were making presentations, doing Kahoots, writing assignments, or playing CoolMathGames – we were learning how to use the technology in an academic context, but not necessarily how to use it safely or how to use it in our personal lives.

I did most of my real learning about technology use on my own. I learned things from experience (prime example: once, going into grade 9, I lost all of the data on my laptop because it got hacked).

The older I got, the more I stayed away from new things. I didn’t want to keep up with all of the new developments in technology. What I had was working for me, and that was good enough.

I still hold as close to that as I can. Of course, what is required of me in terms of technology use is changing almost as much as the technology is. I find myself continuously multiple steps behind, but not far enough to be left behind by the younger generation. My aim is that it stays this way for my own personal technology use.

I think the best approach for teachers would be to openly discuss new technology and social media that their students are using. They should include a section in (maybe) health class about safe technology use. Ribble’s Nine Elements of digital citizenship are a great start.

You’re probably wondering: What does a gruesome book about boys stranded on an island building their own society have to do with this week’s blog post topic about the internet?

I’ll get there. For now, just hang on.

(Click here to refresh your memory about Lord of the Flies.)

Let me start by saying this: I agree that there are positive aspects to social media, as the YouTube video we were watching for class also suggests.

The classic example is the Numa Numa dance guy (2:00 minutes into the video). He uploaded a video of himself dancing to the song in front of his webcam, and many, many people from all over the world quickly joined in on the fun, sharing their joy with the world.

Social media, at its best, can promote solidarity and togetherness. It can create a way in which people who may not even know each other can work together and campaign for causes close to their hearts. It can be a place where people can reflect on their identities, freely and creatively represent themselves, and make a mark for the world around them to see. There are so many ways technology can be used for good purposes, and the video seems to reflect this.

However, the video also seemed to suggest the early stages of an evident theme in our culture today: people are relying on social media for a kind of fulfillment which is supposed to come from human-to-human relationships.

Think about it. Social media influencers are becoming important role models for teens. People across gaming and chatting platforms are becoming closer friends to teens than the community of people around them. The range of porn on the internet offers some strange counterfeit version of sexual intimacy. Students turn to the internet to ask difficult questions before they would to any adult in their lives. I could go on.

The algorithm is tailored to each individual person – why would they resort to an old-fashioned friendship with a real person where their views, thoughts, or interests could be challenged?

My point is this: People are actually starting to replace their face-to-face relationships with attractive but counterfeit relationships with social media, and this is causing a number of other problems.

As social media consumption has risen, so have the rates of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

“[M]ultiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.”

– A HelpGuide.org article about Social Media and Mental Health.

And yet, the pull of this social media is inescapably strong. To quote Jerico Sampang’s blog post for this week titled, “Welcome to the Internet”:

“There are only two industries of note that refer to their demographics as users: illicit drugs and social media platforms. Perhaps I am exaggerating, but the analogy is more than apt. The platforms and apps that we use today are designed to keep users on the platform for as long as possible. By showing users what they want to see, providing outlets for users to participate, and making it heavily accessible, social media platforms create a scenario where users find it difficult to leave.”

I think this is worth noting, especially for us as future educators. Because we are the first (and a half) generation to deal with these statistics, it’s up to us to change them and to equip the generations after us to thrive better than we did in an ever-changing technological landscape.

So, returning to the Lord of the Flies.

A group of boys is stranded on an island with no guidelines for survival. They begin to create their own societal structures in order to stay alive, but this quickly goes downhill and causes mistrust, hatred, destruction, and ultimately, death.

Now are you seeing it?

If you still aren’t, let me spell it out for you.

Social media networks, despite our best efforts, are a desert island. There are no guidelines for survival. The young people using social media platforms (and those “in charge” of these platforms) are beginning to create/have created their own societal structures in order to stay alive. Despite our best efforts, things are still going downhill and causing mistrust, hatred, destruction, and even, in some cases, death.

Am I exaggerating? I don’t know – you tell me.

Don’t get me wrong.

There is nothing wrong with the island.

Social media platforms themselves aren’t bad.

But we need real, strong, tangible guidelines for survival.

As future educators, it’s our responsibility to keep a reproduction of Lord of the Flies  on the internet from happening.

Bernice