If you asked me three months ago what the point of trying to create a YouTube channel with my child was, I would have spouted off some nonsense about it being a bonding activity, or about teaching my son how to use the internet wisely. I would have told you that it would be reflective research.
What I didn't tell you was that secretly, I was dying to create something and put it out there. That to a certain degree, I am in it for the likes, the subscribers, the absolutely not guaranteed social status and the chance to be the cool mom for once in my life.
Three months later I am in it for none of the above. I can't even tell you what I am in it for now because I am not even doing it. Not only am I not doing it, I don't feel particularly bad about it. I don't feel bad about it because the amount of time it would take to do the thing, is far more than the amount of time that I have at the moment. One of the perks of adulthood is being able to recognize priorities and apparently, this ain't one of them.
Before you label me a quitter, tell me that I didn't try hard enough, or that I have let someone down, let me assure you, I don't care. Given the fact that there have been barely 5 views on this blog since January, I am going to assume that you, the internet, don't care either.
So why am I sitting here, staving off deep dark feelings of guilt? Why have I attached this level of importance to media and how I choose to use or not use it to interact online? Why do likes matter and why do I let them matter? Why do we turn to the internet when we are not feeling heard?
Why do we assume that there is anyone out there who wants to hear us?
Monday, April 4, 2016
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Truth and reconciliation with the truth about online media
"Mom, you said the 'D' word!"
This came out of the mouth of my 7 year old as we cruised down the highway. My husband and I had been discussing U.S. politics and the horrified voice from the backseat indicated that we had somehow crossed a linguistic line. I ran the mental checks I had in place for moments such as these - had I sworn? No. Had I said something that was a little too off color for tiny ears? No. What had I said?
Donald Trump.
Up until this point we were unaware of the amount of information that our children had picked up from conversation and media. At 7 years old our youngest was far more interested in her Shopkins collection than politics. While we briefed them on Canadian affairs from time to time, we had never really considered bringing foreign affairs into the fold.
It turned out that between overheard conversations, headlines on msn.com and the conversations between her and another 7 year old friend, my darling little girl had concluded that Mr. Trump was a not very nice man. Yes, she had been discussing this with another child, and drawing her conclusions largely from media and hearsay. I am not going to say that I disagree with her opinion. I do however take note of her sources and how these sources are shaping her view of the world around her.
Online media is a wonderful source of information, with some outlets being more trustworthy that others. Headlines have changed from being chosen based on content, to being praised for their worthiness as 'clickbait' designed to bring in the highest number of readers possible while still maintaining some relation to the actual content of the article presented. I have already introduced the concept of peer reviewed research to my oldest child, instructing him to steer clear of wikipedia and .org sites when conducting research. He is only in the 5th grade, but I reason that by teaching him this now, his transition into university will be that much smoother. At 7 years old, there has been no research done in class and no instruction on how to go about finding reliable information on the internet.
This is how my 7 year old became convinced that Donald Trump was going to build a wall between the United States and Mexico that was going to reach all the way up to the sky. It would be so high that not even an airplane could fly over it, and Canadians were going to be incredibly upset that they could no longer take their vacations there. This was all Trump's fault.
So I did what any good mother would do and assured her that while yes, a wall could be built, technically, there was no way to build a wall that tall. Her eyes went wide with conviction and declared it to be true because it was on the internet and, her friend told her so. I wasn't sure what to be more horrified with, the idea that she thought everything on the internet was true (which she reiterated to me repeatedly) or that she believed everything her friends told her. I suppose that the argument could be made that both sources are equally fallible, and when combined with the gullibility of a child, misinformation is bound to happen.
I wonder how many of us over the age of 7 are still being misinformed?
This came out of the mouth of my 7 year old as we cruised down the highway. My husband and I had been discussing U.S. politics and the horrified voice from the backseat indicated that we had somehow crossed a linguistic line. I ran the mental checks I had in place for moments such as these - had I sworn? No. Had I said something that was a little too off color for tiny ears? No. What had I said?
Donald Trump.
Up until this point we were unaware of the amount of information that our children had picked up from conversation and media. At 7 years old our youngest was far more interested in her Shopkins collection than politics. While we briefed them on Canadian affairs from time to time, we had never really considered bringing foreign affairs into the fold.
It turned out that between overheard conversations, headlines on msn.com and the conversations between her and another 7 year old friend, my darling little girl had concluded that Mr. Trump was a not very nice man. Yes, she had been discussing this with another child, and drawing her conclusions largely from media and hearsay. I am not going to say that I disagree with her opinion. I do however take note of her sources and how these sources are shaping her view of the world around her.
Online media is a wonderful source of information, with some outlets being more trustworthy that others. Headlines have changed from being chosen based on content, to being praised for their worthiness as 'clickbait' designed to bring in the highest number of readers possible while still maintaining some relation to the actual content of the article presented. I have already introduced the concept of peer reviewed research to my oldest child, instructing him to steer clear of wikipedia and .org sites when conducting research. He is only in the 5th grade, but I reason that by teaching him this now, his transition into university will be that much smoother. At 7 years old, there has been no research done in class and no instruction on how to go about finding reliable information on the internet.
This is how my 7 year old became convinced that Donald Trump was going to build a wall between the United States and Mexico that was going to reach all the way up to the sky. It would be so high that not even an airplane could fly over it, and Canadians were going to be incredibly upset that they could no longer take their vacations there. This was all Trump's fault.
So I did what any good mother would do and assured her that while yes, a wall could be built, technically, there was no way to build a wall that tall. Her eyes went wide with conviction and declared it to be true because it was on the internet and, her friend told her so. I wasn't sure what to be more horrified with, the idea that she thought everything on the internet was true (which she reiterated to me repeatedly) or that she believed everything her friends told her. I suppose that the argument could be made that both sources are equally fallible, and when combined with the gullibility of a child, misinformation is bound to happen.
I wonder how many of us over the age of 7 are still being misinformed?
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