Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 16
Posts 1 - 10

Quand le smartphone fait de l'ombre au bébé

(When smartphones eclipse babies)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | La Tribune de Genève
Date | 13.6.2017
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, childhood, smartphone, technology-free, threat
Summary | More and more parents take a lot of pictures of their newborn before holding him/her for the first time. As a result, a hospital in the Swiss German part of Switzerland decided to impose a new rule: no screen during mother-baby nap. The problem especially affects the younger generation (under 30). Parents seem to pay more attention to their smartphone, which is alarming. For instance, mothers post pictures of themselves in labor. There are no special rules in Geneva, but doctors and midwives are thinking about alternatives. An excessive use of smartphones can also have a negative impact on children's development.
Image Description | Photograph of a hand taking a picture of a newborn with a smartphone
Image Tags | hand(s), smartphone

Quand l'usage du smartphone risque de virer à l'addiction

(When the use of smartphone can lead to addiction)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Les Echos
Date | 8.2.2017
Language | French
Country | France
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, smartphone, technology-free, threat
Summary | A third of young people between 18 and 24 claim that they look at their phone more than 50 times a day. People are more and more addicted to their smartphone, and we should be worried about that. The "Days without smartphones" were created 16 years ago because of this new trend. 41% of French people state that they look at their smartphone in the middle of the night, and 81% say that they use their smartphone while having a meal with friends or family. People are anxious if they don't have their phone. We talk about nomophobia to characterize this new health problem.
Image Description | Photograph of three young people looking at their phone and smiling
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

Le point à la fin du SMS: un mauvais signe

(A period at the end of a text: a bad sign)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Le Monde
Date | 5.1.2016
Language | French
Country | France
Topic Tags | abbreviations, misunderstanding, punctuation, spelling, texting, word/writing
Summary | Texting is becoming very popular among younger people who will soon be getting their smartphone transplanted on their hand. The language of texting is "cool", does not necessarily follow traditional rules, uses phonetics and abbreviations. Moreover, to replace the tone of voice and other nonverbal cues that are lacking in writing, people use emoticons. Now, it seems that adding a period at the end of a text can lead to misunderstandings.
Image Description | Photograph of a businessman walking and looking at his phone
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone

Figures libres. Naissance de la philoselfie

(Freestyle. Birth of philoselfie)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Le Monde
Date | 5.5.2016
Language | French
Country | France
Topic Tags | selfie, virtual reality
Summary | The word "selfie" was created in 2002. Then it was used to designate a picture of oneself taken with a smartphone. In 2013, "selfie" was chosen as word of the year. Elsa Godard explores in her book "Je selfie donc je suis" how this recent digital activity expresses different relationships: with oneself, others, time, space, language, desire. She also tries to understand the relationship between real and virtual.
Image Description | Photograph of a smartphone on a selfie stick.
Image Tags | selfie stick, smartphone

«Le mobile est le meilleur ami des Milléniums»

("Mobile phone is Millennials' best friend")

Hyperlink

Newspaper | 24 heures
Date | 16.3.2017
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, pornography, smartphone, youth
Summary | Céline Cabourg and Boris Manenti answer some questions related to Millennials and their digital world. They say that today, the gap between teenagers and adults is getting more important. For instance, one teenager told Manenti that adults have different Facebook profiles; they only post pictures of their family and their vacation. In sum, they don't use social media the same way as young people. Moreover, teenagers view their smartphone as their best friend and not as a tool. What about "You Porn Generation"? It is true that children as young as 10 can have access to porn. Parents have an important role to play in their relationship with their children, and they should have open discussions with them.
Image Description | Photograph of three teenagers (one girl and two boys) on their smartphones
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

Pourquoi il ne faut surtout pas finir ses textos par un point

(Why we shouldn't end a text with a period)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Le Figaro
Date | 10.12.2015
Language | French
Country | France
Topic Tags | punctuation, research/study, texting
Summary | The University of Binghamton conducted a study and revealed that text messages that end with a period are considered less sincere and mean. The exclamation mark is seen as a more sincere option. The period has an expressive function.
Image Description | Photograph of a woman looking at her phone and looking perplexed.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone

Les jeunes passent plus de temps sur le net

(Young people spend more time online)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | 20 minutes
Date | 9.11.2016
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, research/study, smartphone, social media, threat, youth
Summary | According to a study, young people spend an average of 2 hours and 30 minutes online during the week, and 3 hours and 40 minutes on the weekend. Also, young people cannot live without their smartphone. They don't usually use their phone to make phone calls or text; they rather use their phone for social media (e.g. Snapchat, Instagram). Even though young people spend a lot of time on their phone, they still meet with friends face-to-face. Smartphones do not replace physical relationships. Finally, families should have rules for new media use at home.
Image Description | Photograph of a group of teenagers (their faces are cut off from the picture); they are sitting next to each other using their phones.
Image Tags | smartphone

"Je suis accro aux jeux sur smartphone"

("I am addicted to smartphone games")

Hyperlink

Newspaper | 24 heures
Date | 11.5.2014
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, smartphone, technology-free, threat
Summary | Anne is a 40-year old mom and she was addicted to the game Candy Crush. She used to spend most of her time online to play that game; she would even play instead of spending time with her family. Then, one day, she saw a TV show where two women were sitting at the kitchen table and were both on their phone without talking. Anne realized that she had made a huge mistake. She went back to real life and felt much better. Now she realizes how unhealthy her life was.
Image Description | Photograph of two hands playing Candy Crush on a smartphone.
Image Tags | hand(s), smartphone

Toujours plus accro aux smartphones

(More and more addicted to smartphones)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Le Matin
Date | 3.12.2014
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, smartphone, technology-free, threat
Summary | We carry our smartphone everywhere: bed, bathroom, work, train etc., which can render people addicted. Corine Kibora (spokeswoman at Addiction Switzerland) claims that people can be addicted to social media, news applications, emails etc. When a smartphone disturbs someone's eating, sleeping, or work habits, there is a problem. There can be health issues (eyes tired, sleep disorders) and social issues (personal relations and communication). Kibora suggests setting a schedule; no smartphone during dinner for example.
Image Description | Photograph of a man lying in bed with his smartphone in his hand.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone

La tentation de la déconnexion

(The temptation of being disconnected)

Hyperlink

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

Page 1 of 2
Back | Next