Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 11
Posts 1 - 10

What’s the big deal about sexting?

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Newspaper | CNN
Date | 2.1.2015
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | law, sexting, threat, youth
Summary | Sexting is not as threatening as everyone thinks - it is developmentally appropriate for teenagers to be exploring their sexuality with all channels available to them. In most cases, sexting is unproblematic except when nude images are shared (this has even resulted in suicides of the victims) or minors are prosecuted for distributing child pornography by sexting (though laws are being adjusted to exclude sexting). But even if it is just consensual sexting among peers, our society tends to overreact about any expression of sexual identity of minors but we condone oversexualized imagery of girls in the media (glossy magazines/animated films).
Image Description | Shutterstock of a male torso using a smartphone.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone

El 21% de los jóvenes está en riesgo de ser adicto a las nuevas tecnologías

(21% of young people are at risk of becoming addicted to new technologies)

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Newspaper | El País
Date | 3.7.2015
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, research/study, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | A lot of young people are addicted to their phones; although they might not know they are addicted, they spend most of their time glued to their phone. Beatriz Valera is 19 and is addicted. She used to spend her days alone on her computer and smartphone. She would only spend time with people online. A psychologist expert in addictions claims that the need to be part of a social group makes people addicted to the digital world. Techno-addicts need to learn how to use their digital devices and how to control themselves. To help them, experts also suggest giving them the same advice as they would give drug addicts. Most of the techno-addicts are between 14 and 30 years old.
Image Description | Photograph of a girl holding a phone that is hiding her face.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone

Comunícate

(Contact)

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Newspaper | El País
Date | 13.2.2015
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | selfie, smartphone, threat
Summary | The author of the article talks about how streets look different now; he used to look at people in the streets, listen to their conversations, but now most of the people outside walk staring at their screens. They talk to people they cannot see, feel, smell. They take pictures of themselves and read e-books. It's a new way of communication that not only occurs in the streets but also in bars, restaurants, alone or in groups. The author claims he is more afraid of the "homo tecnologicus" than cars that don't respect pedestrian crossings.
Image Description | Photograph of a woman with two phones.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone

Más dóciles y más cobardes

(More docile and more coward)

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Newspaper | El País
Date | 28.3.2015
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | addiction, smartphone, threat
Summary | Smartphones and tablets are invading our lives and making us less social. People cannot live without their digital devices; they love them and carry them everywhere. Before smartphones and computers, people had time to think, and information didn't travel at the speed of light. The Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben claimed that we've never been so docile and coward at the same time. Smartphones and tablets are making us lonely. People used to gather around fires, and then around TV. Now everyone has his or her own screen and own headphones.
Image Description | Photograph of three smartphones with a picture of a headphone.
Image Tags | headphones, smartphone

Dumbing Down the Phone for Children

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 12.12.2015
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | childhood, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | Parents all face the problem of their children wishing for smartphones for christmas at some point. Often, parents feel that point arrives too early. There are some possibilities to ease children into new media use, by getting a "dumbphone" for instance which has no internet access. Even smartphones have settings for parental control where curfews can be set when the child/teenager is supposed to sleep and not be able to use the smartphone or to block social media or in-app purchases. It is irresponsible to give young children/teenagers full use of a smartphone but one should give them access to the digital sphere in steps, just as one does not start teaching a child how to cook by handing it all the sharp knives.
Image Description | Photograph of a family in front of christmas tree gathered around a smartphone.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

Facebook 'makes users lonely and angry as they compare themselves to other people's seemingly perfect lives'

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Newspaper | Mirror
Date | 10.11.2015
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | Facebook, research/study, social media, threat
Summary | The Happiness Research Institute conducted a study about social media and the portrayal of users' seemingly perfect and beautiful lives. Users think that other people's lives are better, and they consequently feel sad and angry. In the study, the people who had to quit Facebook saw their happiness level rise, and those who had to continue using the social network didn't see any change. Facebook users seem to be lonely and angry because they constantly compare their life to others', but the seemingly perfect life that other users portray is fake. Although there are advantages in using Facebook, it is important to keep in mind that it also gives people a wrong perception of reality.
Image Description | Series of five photographs: teenage girl looking at her laptop, another teenage girl looking at the laptop, Facebook logo, photograph of Mark Zuckerberg with the dislike button, and another teenage girl with a phone in her hand, looking at her laptop.
Image Tags | computer/laptop, Facebook, female(s), smartphone

Wer nur auf Facebook lebt, stirbt früher

(Those who only live on Facebook die sooner)

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Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 21.10.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Facebook, threat
Summary | Canadian psychologist Susan Pinker says that people who spend more time on Facebook than actually interacting with people face-to-face do not live as long. Face-to-face interaction enables us to develop intimate relationships and friendships that significantly increase our happiness, which in turn increases our life expectancy. New media can create a disparity between how many friends and social interactions one has online versus offline. Offline social interactions are however much richer and more important for a good psychological health.
Image Description | Photograph of a woman looking at her smartphone.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone

La tentation de la déconnexion

(The temptation of being disconnected)

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Newspaper | La Tribune de Genève
Date | 17.1.2015
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, email, smartphone, threat
Summary | There is now a general feeling of overdose or "virtual burnout" with new media. This feeling touches both private and professional spaces. A professor a the University of Neuchatel condemns this phenomenon which can have bad consequences at work. Nowadays, even if we leave our office, our work does not stop; we can still receive emails and feel like we have to respond right away. Some companies have rules: for example, no email after 6 p.m. and during the weekend. This digital overdose also hinders our personal relations with people.
Image Description | Digital image with new media use statistics, and icons related to new media.
Image Tags | computer/laptop, smartphone

Versetzt Whatsapp dem E-Mail den Todesstoss?

(Is WhatsApp giving the e-mail the death blow?)

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Newspaper | Der Bund
Date | 23.10.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | email, threat, WhatsApp
Summary | A rumor is going around that WhatsApp is planning to introduce a document sharing function into the app. This way, Word or PDF documents could be sent through WhatsApp rather than other channels. This might mean the death of emails, a media that already counts as old-fashioned.
Image Description | Photograph of a hand holding a smartphone where there are four social media icons.
Image Tags | hand(s), smartphone, social media

Ständig unanständig

(Constantly rude)

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Newspaper | Beobachter
Date | 10.7.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | politeness, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | People, especially younger generations, have become less considerate of their environment in a variety of ways. One factor causing this decrease in politeness is the smartphone. People are consumed by digital content and less aware of their actual surroundings. For example, when immersed in their smartphone, people might not see if somebody on the street needs help or if another passenger on the bus can’t sit down because one’s bag is on a seat. Personal meetings have also become less focused.
Image Description | Illustration of a cafeteria scene where young people are eating and using their smartphone.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

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