Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 109
Posts 81 - 90

Los ‘smartphones’ no van a volver idiotas a tus hijos

(Smartphones are not going to make your kids dumb)

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Newspaper | El País
Date | 8.6.2016
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, childhood, research/study, smartphone, threat
Summary | Although it is hard to measure the impact of new media use on the brain, recent studies show that an appropriate use of screens can encourage learning skills. However, some studies show that a frequent use of screens for children under 5 may harm their developing brain. New technologies are always received with some apprehension; for instance, Socrates warned people that writing would be harmful for cognitive abilities such as memory. Although we don't know exactly what the consequences of an extended use of screens are, children under 2 should not be using any screen. A Professor at Harvard claims that although it might not be good for young children to use screens, they are not going to be dumb if they use them. Also, many experts agree with the fact that a passive use of screens (TV, tablets, etc.) is negative for a child's development. Children under 3 need a good balance of activities.
Image Description | Video of different children using tablets, and photograph of an adult and a child in front of a TV screen.
Image Tags | game, school, tablet, TV

GIF Rapt

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Newspaper | The Independent
Date | 6.4.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | GIFs, language threat, smartphone, threat
Summary | According to the author of the article, GIFs are becoming a new language. We don't need words to communicate; in today's society, people prefer sending short clips. Why are GIFs so popular? Smartphones may be the reason. We don't use smartphones to think and spend too much time reading/writing long texts. We use them to get to the point, and GIFs are convenient if we want to communicate quickly. People don't need words anymore; they can type a word and choose the relevant GIFs they want to attach to their messages. Every generation considers each new medium as a threat to humanity (e.g. writing, TV, Twitter, etc.). Still, the author claims that we seem to be heading towards a word-less culture.
Image Description | N/A

Think millennials have it tough? For 'Generation K', life is even harsher

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 19.3.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | addiction, smartphone, youth
Summary | Today's teenagers talk about the struggles and fears they face nowadays (e.g. job insecurity, distrust in government). They think that life is tougher for them than for their parent's generation. The author of the article suggests that despite people's hyperconnectivity, today's teenagers are lonely. They also prefer hanging out with friends face-to-face even though virtual communication is the norm or standard. This generation is also very creative and active on social media; they want to make things and not only consume/buy things.
Image Description | Illustration of Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games) with a smartphone, photograph of teenagers on their smartphones (their face is either cut off from the picture or blurred), photograph of Bernie Sanders' supporters, and portrait of Felix Kjellberg (famous on YouTube).
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

‘We’ve grown up with some frightening events’: UK teenagers' hopes and fears

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 19.3.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | addiction, smartphone, social media, youth
Summary | Five teenagers and young adults talk about the society they live in (jobs, school, alcohol, social media, etc.). They blame social media for being a waste of time and for favoring bullying. Moreover, social media are responsible for spreading certain norms that young people are expected to follow (e.g. ideals of beauty for men and women). One teenage girl claims that social media make people competitive. Even though she agrees that smartphones are addictive, it would be hard for her to live without it because she wouldn't want to miss out on things.
Image Description | Series of six photographs: two teenage girls on their smartphone are sitting back to back, and portraits of the five interviewees.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

'Everyone could know what I was doing': the millennials not using social media

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 17.3.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | smartphone, social media, technology-free, youth
Summary | The majority of millenials are active on social media; those who are not explain why they decided not to have a social media account. Although the young interviewees admit that social network sites are useful to stay in touch with people far away and to organize parties and other events, they also think that they can be detrimental. For example, some of the interviewees feel uncomfortable with the fact that people share intimate details about their lives online, and with the fact that everyone knows everything about other people. Also, some people think that it is a waste of time and that it is useless.
Image Description | Series of five photographs representing the interviewees.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s)

Cellphones really are addictive. Here's why.

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Newspaper | Washington Post
Date | 8.2.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, smartphone, technology-free
Summary | The author reports of her journey of trying to reduce her smartphone use. She decided to start regulating her new media use in her everyday life because she knows the amazing feeling of being free of the internet for a while. Her family takes a technology free vacation every year. Smartphones attract our gaze in an addictive way, similar to casino slot machinces, studies confirm. Exessive smartphone use causes health issues such as sleep deprivation, high blood pressure, and car accidents.
Image Description | iStock photograph of a surprised man looking at his smartphone while lying in bed.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone

Please, don't silence your cellphones

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Newspaper | Washington Post
Date | 16.4.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | smartphone, technology-free, threat
Summary | AMC's entertainment chief executive commented that they are considering letting moviegoers use their smartphones in AMC theaters. The reasoning behind this statement being that it is no longer possible to tell young adults today to put away their smartphones for two hours. This statement was met with a lot of public anger about smartphones entering even the sanctity of the cinema. AMC quickly rectified the statement saying that texting will not be allowed in their theaters in the foreseeable future.
Image Description | Illustration of a (abstracted, faceless) movie theater audience on top of a huge smartphone screen.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

Field studies of the offspring

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Newspaper | Washington Post
Date | 31.5.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | Facebook, smartphone, Snapchat, technology-free, youth
Summary | The research center conducts in depth interviews with today’s teenagers, the so-called Generation Z or digital natives, on behalf of various corporations. The aim of the study is to find out about this generation’s relationship with new technologies. They all value mobile/digital communication very highly, to the extent that many choose online colleges, online shopping, and home office work over actually having to physically go somewhere to study, work, or shop. They report of the abundance of messages each day and that they also highly value their offline hobbies, such as reading or knitting.
Image Description | Collage-like illustration of youths and online and offline activities.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone, social media

CALLING ALL PARENTS Being glued to your smartphone is putting your children’s lives in danger

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Newspaper | The Sun
Date | 6.6.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | addiction, childhood, research/study, smartphone, threat
Summary | A new study showed that parents who are addicted to their phones are putting their children's life in danger. Parents are distracted by their phone while they should be looking after their child. Adults should turn off their phones when they are with their children; it can save their kids' lives in certain situations.
Image Description | Series of two photograph: young mom with 2 toddlers on a swing; she is talking on the phone while looking at her tablet, and another young mom on her phone while looking at her tablet; she is pushing a stroller. Video of a mother who does not like the negative effects of social media on her kids; she uses a gun to shoot her kids' smartphones.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone, tablet

HAVE YOU BEEN PHUBBED OFF? Research shows people are snubbing friends for phones

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Newspaper | The Sun
Date | 9.6.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | addiction, research/study, smartphone
Summary | Phubbing (snubbing + phone) is becoming the norm; more and more people choose their phone over their friends. The study revealed that users are addicted because they don't want to miss out on what's happening around them, and because they can't control themselves. Also, users who have been "phubbed" don't think that the practice is rude.
Image Description | Series of three photographs: woman looking at ther phone and man sitting next to her looking away, crowd at a graduation ceremony, and man taking a picture or selfie (his face is blurry and the phone is in sharp focus).
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

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