Digital Mapping: Where does your time on the Internet fall?
Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants
At the age of 80, my father has a smartphone, but rarely thinks to go on the World Wide Web. It scares him because every touch on the screen could lead him to somewhere he didn't want to go to. The Internet is a foreign land to him. One wrong turn could lead to the wrong part of the city or even worse, he could get lost.On the other side of the spectrum, I have friends who are a few years younger than me, who post 15-20 instagram stories a day, has over 1000+ posts, 500+ people that they are following, and has 500+ followers as well. I joke that their smartphone is like their 3rd arm, because they are able to take so many photos, videos, have the time to post them with cute stickers, etc...and it's a part of their everyday lives.
These were my first thoughts as I read up about Marc Prensky's idea of "digital natives" and "digital immigrants" back in 2001. According to Marc Presnky, students today are "digital natives" because they have grown up with the Internet, computers, and video games readily accessible to them. For those who have grown up prior to the Internet boom, he labeled them "digital immigrants" because at one point in their lives they did not have access to the Internet, and once it became available, they had to adapt and learn to use the Internet.
It's pretty easy to say that my father is a digital immigrant who is having a very difficult time adapting to the ways of the web. As for my friends, they don't think twice to the amount of content, interaction, and time they spend online.
Visitors and Residents
More recently, thanks to the work of David White, the terminology and thinking has changed more to the idea of "visitors" and "residents" where your age and technical knowledge is not the main set of criteria. David White states that visitors to the Web have a goal set in mind and they select the appropriate digital tool (web browser, app, etc...) to accomplish their goal. Visitors come and go online without others really knowing that they were there. On the other hand, residents are those who go online to connect with others in some shape or form. Their social presence is visible online as they leave comments, have online discussions, and so forth. David White also goes on to point out that we are continually shifting back and forth as a resident and visitor, depending on what we desire to do online. David White encourages people to digitally map their online usage to see how they use the Internet. Going back to the example of my father, although he rarely does a Google search, he still loves using his texting apps to stay connected with his friends and checking the weather constantly andMy Digital Map and Reflection
I followed the steps as indicated in David White's video on mapping out his own digital map to make one for myself.
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| Images/icons from Google Images |
Overall, I wasn't very surprised that most of my online usage fell into the visitor and personal quadrant. I had to sit and think real hard as to where I am engaged in conversations online and that mostly fell into the online forum for technology coordinators. It is probably the only place where I don't mind engaging in discussions of how to fix this, how do we bypass that, what does this mean type of conversations. It is strictly business. I peruse through my personal Facebook account and Instagram accounts but it's really just to catch up on my friend's lives - and usually results with a "like." I was extremely relieved when a parent volunteer wanted to up our school's social presence on Facebook and Twitter since I clearly had no desire to post daily updates.
The main reason for me though as to why I'd prefer to be a visitor has to do with the idea of how big and wide my digital footprint is online. As I read through David White's descriptions, the thing that stuck in my head is that even as a visitor, we are still leaving our presence online. Although it may not be socially visible, the amount of data being collected about the digital me is getting more worrisome for several reasons. A lot of personal information is being stored online, our likes and interests are being saved for advertisers to market products to us, and our facial imprints are being stored so that tagging could be made easier. I got an Amazon Echo pretty early on because it was nice and convenient, but after a while, I muted my Amazon Echo, then decided to get rid of it altogether after seeing more ads pop up about items that I was talking about with my wife. I sometimes wonder that by leaving a lot of comments or engaging in online discussions, I am leaving tidbits of information online that a computer algorithm could then profile me and learn more about my likes/dislikes, preferences, etc... I haven't gotten to the level of paranoia where I am deleting my Facebook or Instagram account, or completely cutting the chord to the Internet, but I make sure to keep things as private as possible and to limit how much I say and do online.
So, while I do believe talking about our online presence and digital mapping to our students is worthwhile and engaging, it is also important to have discussions about being a good and smart digital citizen.
Hi David! You brought up a point about our data bring collected online. It seems that this is inevitable, even if we read the fine print, because some of the biggest networks require data collection. However, when we participate in online communities as residents, we are willingly sharing ideas and learning from others, so it does not feel like the same invasion of privacy. I would argue that data and privacy issues are a separate consideration, and these concerns should not stop us from using 21st century technology to improve our educational practices. But I agree that there is probably so much of our information that is collected online that is not represented in this model, and we should hold companies accountable for increasing their transparency into how and why they collect it.
ReplyDeleteDavid, you bring up a great point about how our data and usage of the internet and all of our electronics now are being tracked by companies to see what we want and what we want to buy. I thought I was being a "Visitor" to many of my sites, but you are so right that we are actually leaving footprints because of the companies who are tracking where we visit, what we check on, and so forth.
ReplyDeleteI too had the creepy experience of my Alexa obviously listening in on my conversations. I knew at the time that what I physically typed into my search bars was being tracked, but I didn't realize my phone and Alexa were also literally "listening" to me. I also disconnected my Alexa and shoved her in a drawer! I can't get rid of my phone, obviously, so they do still have me being tracked by what I say, which is very scary. While right now it seems to be about tracking what we want to buy in order to make money, I do worry about what it will be used for in the future. Why aren't the FBI getting involved in putting restrictions on what these private companies are allowed to do in terms of listening in and invading privacy in our very homes? Here is an article from Forbes.com that gives some information about how Amazon is using Alexa as well as some tips for how to increase our privacy: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2019/04/19/alexa-is-listening-all-the-time-heres-how-to-stop-it/#4b8d2c1a5e2d. Here is another article from Bloomber.com explaining how Amazon analyzes the Alexa data and what they are using it for: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-10/is-anyone-listening-to-you-on-alexa-a-global-team-reviews-audio.
I agree that while we can't really do anything about our technology listening to us seemingly as private citizens except try to unplug, mute it, and get away from "listening" technology, it is vital that we let our students in on all of this and tell them about how they are being manipulated by the companies. They need to be aware of the tactics so that they can make smart decisions when seeing ads and making their choices. We need to teach them to be critical consumers as well as how to be a responsible user of the internet. They need to know that when they are being "visitors" that they are still being tracked and leaving their footprint no matter what.
Hi Lauren, Thanks for the links! Interesting reading.
Delete"Even as a visitor, we are still leaving our presence online". This is a powerful statement, and something we always need to be cognizant of. As educators it is our job to help our students begin to understand how algorithms work and how data is collected on us. Our students are much more public than the majority of us- there is nothing wrong with that as long as we help them navigate. Thanks for sharing the analogy of your dad, it made a great introduction and had me curious to read on. Be sure to add your new blog to your next map!
ReplyDeleteHi David,
ReplyDeleteHa! Your dad sounds like my parents! I get it, though. I was surprised to see you are a Visitor, also. As a tech teacher, I thought you would have more of a Resident presence online, but after reading your blog, I understand. That is how I feel, too. I like my privacy! Thanks for sharing!