An article pops up in my NEWS feed about the ails of AI or I overhear concerned parents talking about how to limit their child\u2019s phone use and it takes everything in me to not roll my eyes. I have a visceral overreaction that causes me to snark under my breath, \u201cthis technology is here and is not going away, just get over yourself and embrace the change\u201d. I believe my reaction is a byproduct of the constant back and forth in media boundary settings that have caused me mental fatigue on the sudject.\u00a0 I do not even want to hear it anymore.<\/p>\n
Reading the social media and AI articles in the Atlantic magazine have reminded me that we can positively embrace change but do not have to allow it to go unchecked and uncontrolled. \u00a0If we blindly jump on this bandwagon, our society may be in jeopardy (eye roll).\u00a0 Experiencing the last few years of politics in the USA, has revealed the polarization of our nation. Jonathan Haidt talks of Madison\u2019 s Federalist No. 10 papers which shows the propensity for people to form sides and be against the other, often around \u201cfrivolous\u201d topics.[1]<\/a> We naturally divide.\u00a0 I have not experienced more polarization in my lifetime than now, and I do see social media\u2019s role in it.\u00a0 Social media has provided a platform where bad behavior is rewarded.\u00a0 The more inflammatory or emotional a post is the more it gets liked and shared.[2]<\/a> Our cancel culture is the perfect example of this.\u00a0 It seems we have lost the ability to relate and sharpen each other by considering each other\u2019s viewpoints.<\/p>\n I believe the greatest ail that social media and AI have perpetuated is the breakdown of relationship. This is especially true for the younger generations who can live in a virtual world where they do not know the identity of anyone for sure, leading to distrust[3]<\/a>. People loose social interaction skills by lack of in person relationships[4]<\/a>. Relationships are more disposable when you attain your worth from a broad, shallow audience who can give you a thousand likes one day and rip you down in comments the next[5]<\/a>\u00a0 This has led to a mental health crisis in our youth where there is anxiety and less ambition for relationships, work, independence and excelling in education.[6]<\/a> Personally, I have seen these things to be true in raising my kids, teaching college students and employing or working on a team with this age group.\u00a0 I admit, I often get frustrated with the lack of motivation and fragility that I perceive as laziness and weakness.\u00a0 After reading \u201cEnd the Phone-Based Childhood Now\u201d I have more compassion and empathy.\u00a0 The psychological effects that the online life has had on our youth has robbed them from social and mental stability. They go into life with a greater timidity then the generations before.\u00a0 The younger generation need things like \u201csafe spaces\u201d and \u201ctrigger warnings\u201d for their fragile state.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 I find it interesting that most youth don\u2019t even like the phone-based life they are trapped in.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n While the affects can be seen greatly in the younger generations, I wish for more dialogue around the effects on the older generations.\u00a0 I often see parents who are addicted to their phones trying to parent their children through social media boundaries. This feels like the saying, do what I preach, not what I do.\u00a0 Many of my clients, who are middle aged or seniors, are emersed in phone games, You Tube and social media for most of the day.\u00a0 Some even admit that they have lost the ability to work or even do basic daily tasks because of the addiction to their phones.\u00a0 Motivation is zapped from them and their physical bodies are unable to perform normal tasks.<\/p>\n I appreciate that there are seemingly effective options to keep social media in check.\u00a0 Reprograming platforms to not easily award extreme behavior and authentication of accounts[9]<\/a> seem like two feasible options. Clearly marking AI generated content to create transparency and holding platforms responsible would be beneficial social policies to put trust back into people and content.[10]<\/a>\u00a0 We as communities can advocate for such changes in grassroots efforts that Americans[11]<\/a> are know for, restoring hope that change can be made.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Haidt, Johnathan \u201cWhy the Past Ten Years have been Uniquely Stupid\u201d The Atlantic; 2022; 9https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2022\/05\/social-media-democracy-trust-babel\/629369\/<\/p>\n [2] Haidt, Johnathan, Tobias Rose-Stockwell \u201cThe Dark Psychology of Social Networks\u201d The Atlantic. December 2019: 5<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> [Haidt 2022, 12]<\/p>\n [4]Haidt, Johnathan. \u00a0\u201cBased Childhood Now End the Phone-Based Childhood Now\u201d The Atlantic, 2024: 6<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> [Haidt 2024, 7]<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> [Haidt 2024, 1-2}<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> [Haidt 2024, 8-9]<\/p>\n [8] [Haidt 2024, 9]<\/p>\n [9]<\/a>\u00a0 [Haidt 2019, 34]<\/p>\n