This assignment started off by watching a video of the song “Ya Got Trouble” from the movie “The Music Man”, and reading about the context of the song. Next, I had to read a spoof article describing how toddlers are a risk to smartphones and tablets. Following this, I watched professor Gernsbacher’s lecture video, titled “The Internet and Development”, and had to read a couple tweets relating to the topic. Finally, I had to make a discussion board post where I stated which finding from the lecture of a positive effect of the internet on development I appreciate most and why, and which reason for why these positive effects are not better known I appreciate most and why.
The context of the song is that the singer, a character named Harold Hill, travels from town to town, swindling people into paying him to create a marching band, and then he leaves after he receives the money. In the video, he tried to convince the characters that their male children were up to no good spending time at the new pool table, and that a marching band would keep them out of trouble.
The spoof article describes how toddlers are dirty and clumsy, and pose more of a risk to screens than the screens pose to them. It showcases tweets from people about their young children damaging these devices, such as by bringing it in the bath, chewing on it, kicking balls into it, and more.
Professor Gernsbacher’s lecture video is centered around 2 main parts, which are listing positive effects of the Internet on development, and why we don’t hear about these effects more often.
Some of the positive effects include that toddlers learn new words just as well through conversations on Skype as through conversations in person, that grade school age children who spend more time surfing the Internet report feeling less lonely, and that the majority of teenagers have had social media experiences that make them feel good about themselves.
Some of the reasons why we don’t hear about these more often included that we have always feared new technology, that if it bleeds, it leads, and that there is a sense that children are vulnerable and need protection.
One of the tweets showcases the fear feedback loop, where kids do something a lot, adults get worried, people do studies on this, only the negative effects are covered by the press, and people get more worried. The other tweet echoes this, saying we care about our kids but there is a lot of junk science out there that is published that makes us more worried.
In my discussion board post, I discussed how the positive effect of the internet on development that I appreciate most from professor Gernsbacher’s video was “Did you know that in a U.S. survey of over 600 teenagers, the majority of teenagers have had social media experiences that make them feel good about themselves?”. This is because I frequently use social media such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, and they make me feel good about myself too. Seeing pictures and updates from people I love and care about is a great for me to keep up with their lives, and see a lot of positive things going on for them. Most media portrays how social media comes with many negative outcomes, but my experiences represent this positive effect instead!
The reason why these positive effects aren’t better known that I appreciate most is that “there’s a well known journalistic principle that states if it bleeds, it leads”, meaning, that provocative stories are those the media print because they fascinate the public. This is also depicted in one of the tweets, where it says that “press covers only studies showing negative results”. I appreciate this the most because it just sticks out to me as so inherently true, and I have experienced it many times when it comes to social media and the internet. There are so many positive things that the internet brings, yet it still provokes concern and those are the feelings that are showcased in articles and news segments.
Reflecting on this assignment, I do not really think the song or the spoof article were necessary for my learning. However, they brought some entertainment, so I do not regret that they were included.
As for the lecture video, I liked how professor Gernsbacher included some great effects of the internet, and also explained why they aren’t more well known. Even if she would have listed just one of those things, I would have learned something, but it was cool to learn about both. There were some fascinating research she referred to that I had not heard about. She also referred to some things she has mentioned before, which is helpful because bringing it up again facilitates my retention of that going forward.
Although short, I think the inclusion of the tweets was helpful. They did a good job at showcasing how adults can get scared about how a new technology may effect their children, and how this increases due to poor scientific research. Hopefully something can be done to avoid junk research getting published, because it leads to unnecessary anxiety.
Additionally, in the discussion board post, it was good to talk about the parts of the lecture video that I appreciated most. Talking about what I appreciate is nice because it allows me to stay more engaged and interested in the topic. Professor Gernsbacher has done a great job with giving her students choices during assignments, and this is just another example of this!
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