What might it mean to be ‘digitally mindful’ and does such a thing exist?
I was a part of a discussion about technology and wellbeing today. It was framed around the work of Hugh van Cuylenburg and the Resilience Project. For van Cuylenburg our focus should be on gratitude, empathy and mindfulness.
The focus then moved to Common Sense Media and the addiction to phones. The need for ‘tech-free time’ was brought up. This reminded me of a keynote last year from NSW Secretary of Education, Mark Scott, and his push for deep work, a term attributed to Cal Newport. The suggestion was that to be mindful we need to put the screens away. I was therefore left with the question, what might it mean to be ‘digitally mindful’ and can such a thing exist?
In an article for Common Sense Media, Elizabeth Galicia discusses some strategies families and tech companies can use to foster healthier habits. In addition to screen-free times and parental controls, there is discussion of ‘humane’ design and protection of data. The problem is that there does not seem to be any support for student action?
Maybe this action accounted for through the discussion of citizenship addresses this, but I feel there is a missed opportunity. Rather than wait for the ‘humane’ solutions to arrive, I wonder if there are opporrtunities to create deliberate safe spaces that can be used to support students in learning.
I did this myself with three classes connected together using Edublogs. One of the benefits is that comments were moderated, therefore if there was something shared that was inappropriate then it provided an opportunity for a learning conversation. As danah boyd points out in her seminal book It’s Complicated:
What the drive-in was to teens in the 1950s and the mall in the 1980s, Facebook, texting, Twitter, instant messaging, and other social media are to teens now. Teens flock to them knowing they can socialize with friends and become better acquainted with classmates and peers they don’t know as well.
Although teens will still most likely go online out of school, this safer space within school at least allows them a place to start. We are so adamant about enabling a generation of coders, yet overlook the importance of communication.
A further extension on this is the #IndieWeb and the Domain of One’s Own project. There is something about not only being a part of networked publics online, but also actively engaging with what that actually means. For me, that has come to include commenting, collecting and posting from sites that I have some sort of say over. Some who are currently immersed in what this might mean for education are Greg McVerry and Ian O’Byrne. Although I think that there are currently hurdles around ease and access, for me this is what it means to be ‘digitally mindful’. It is not always easy, but I feel that as I have stepped back from engaging directly on social media I have become more aware of my presence online.
Although we can push for limited screen-time and better technology, I think that the challenge that faces many of us today is being more aware of the technology we have at our mercy and being more informed about what it all might mean.
What do you think? As always, comments and webmentions welcome.
Digital Mindfulness, Can It Exist? by Aaron Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Hey Aaron,
How are habits learned and unlearned? My work with adults reveals as much distraction as we find in our classrooms. Shifting our attention is a necessary skill in the modern world. We can help students be designating times for screen-free interaction while also providing times for students to check their notifications and messages prior to diving headlong into productive screen time. The key, as you mentioned, is creating the digital space for learners to connect and interact. My mind prefers to consider your question as one about human geography instead of digital tools. Yes, my thinking has been influenced by the work of many, including Stephen Downes, George Siemens, and David White.
This is a timely and relevant topic – I am interested in reading what others have to say about “digital mindfulness”.
Bob
Thank you Bob for the comment. I too an intrigued by the notion of ‘human geography’, in particular the notion of networked publics.
Two texts that have inspired my thinking is danah boyd’s It’s Complicated:
And Zeynep Tufekci’s Twitter and Tear Gas:
This blend between online and off also reminds me of Deleuze and Guattari’s notion of assemblage.
Which particular texts have influenced your thinking on the subject Bob?
Digital Mindfulness, Can It Exist? by Aaron
Aaron Davis had a comprehensive overview of what we might mean by “digital mindfulness.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about how we interact with these digital tools and spaces, and the longterm impact they may have on our wellbeing. Perhaps just because we could allow these tools to be ubiquitous in our lives doesn’t mean that we should.
What concerns me is that in my weekly newsletter, I often track intersections between our lives and technology. What concerns me is the onslaught of stories about perfectionism, or perceived perfectionism in social networking behaviors. That is to say that we think we need to look perfect, and have the most perfect life in order to be on social media. If you’re not perfect…then the depression works its way in.
I’m also concerned as I see family members, especially my own children excited by these shiny screens…and become “blue” when they’re ordered to be done for the day.
I recently was part of a special themed issue for Pediatrics in which we all examined different aspects of this screentime debate. You can read more about this work and some of our next steps here.
The “truth” is that I think we’re actively experimenting with these texts and tools. With great power, also comes great responsibility. I’m actively questioning whether or not I’m seeing a lot of that responsibility.
If this is the sort of topic you’re interested about…then we’re definitely interested in hearing more from you in our current research project.
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Thank you for the comment Ian. I think that perfectionism is an interesting area. I must say that I probably could do more to appreciate the transition to the visual medium. Is perfection in written different to that of visuals?
An interesting read, Aaron. I think quality over quantity is a big factor too. It’s so easy to waste time being connected but not really doing anything. Having a project or purpose (e.g. connecting globally) is going to be better than mindless scrolling, taking selfies etc…
That is a good way of putting it Kathleen. I remember @GustafsonBrad talking about being more purposeful in intentionally modelling appropriate practices around things like selfies. Guess it is about starting with why and for whom.
Reading “Twitter & “Tear Gas” and finding parallels to my research. I think it’s a mix of the why, what, and how. Also, wondering how much of the FOMO and zombie scrolling of social media is contrived motivation from a make believe stick (Skinnerian Box).
via Twitter
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Great advice @mrkrndvs! If we want people to mindful of their digital spaces we need to give them their own space online. Not sure I would delineate between being mindful and digital mindfulness. You should be present in all your actions offline or on,
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I did a microcast response as well: jgregorymcverry.com/podcast/2topon… (quickthoughts.jgregorymcverry.com/s/xjCGj)
I agree with your point about a focus on wellbeing. My problem is that so often the conversation seems to be that ‘wellbeing’ is somehow analogue. Seligman has written about the place of the ‘digital’ in supporting human flourishing?
A quote from my post on digital mindfulness captured by Irene Stewart.
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@mrkndvs Great point about mindfulness being framed “only as disconnecting” you ruined my next 2toPonder. Here is a cool idea from @dogtrax https://twitter.com/dogtrax/status/1055757721461501952?s=19
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Bestaat er zoiets als Digitale Mindfulness?
Dat is de vraag die Aaron Davis zich stelt in een boeiende blogpost over tieners die zich online manifesteren, veel op hun mobiel bezig zijn en daar kritiek over krijgen. Maar tegelijk biedt het onderwijs lessen aan waarin ze leren programmeren. Het is logisch dat ze veel online zijn en dat ze de online ruimte gebruiken op een manier die voor hen passend is. Aaron quote danah boyd die als wetenschapper heel goed weet wat speelt met jongeren en hun online gedrag.
Ik zie dat tevens van dichtbij met mijn dochter. Nu ze 12 is en naar de middelbare school gaat, verandert haar online gedrag. Haar telefoon is een directe verbinding niet alleen met vriendinnen van school maar eveneens voor het sport team én de lezers van haar fanfictie die ze online schrijft en publiceert.
Digital Mindfulness, Can It Exist? is een aanrader om eens door te lezen. Net als de rest van het blog van Aaron.
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Luca Bravo
(Translation via Google)
Is there such a thing as Digital Mindfulness?
That is the question that Aaron Davis poses in a fascinating blog post about teenagers who manifest themselves online, are busy on their mobile and criticize them. But at the same time, education offers lessons in which they learn to program. It is logical that they are a lot online and that they use the online space in a way that is appropriate for them. Aaron quotes danah boyd who, as a scientist, knows very well what to play with young people and their online behavior.
I also see that closely with my daughter. Now that she is 12 and goes to high school, her online behavior changes. Her phone is a direct connection not only with friends from school but also for the sports team and the readers of her fanfiction that she writes and publishes online.
Digital Mindfulness, Can It Exist? is a must to read. Just like the rest of Aaron’s blog.
Thank you for the thoughts and reflections. Apologies if Google’s translation does not capture what you were trying to say.
I sometimes fear my daughters growing older. I think that the place of technology is an interesting topic that probably is not discussed enough. Bigger than just banning devices.
Some great points here Greg. I particularly liked your rephrasing of digital mindfulness as ‘being mindful of the digital’. This was epitomised to me on the weekend in a post on mindfulness that seemed to lack any awareness of the underlying data inherent within platform capitalism.
I also agree about the finding the balance between the technology and the human. I have really enjoyed Douglas Rushkoff’s exploration of this area with the Team Human podcast. I look forward to reading the book too when it comes out.
Cherie Lacey, Catherine Caudwell and Alex Beattie touch on the irony of the humane movement. Although those such as Tristan Harris are pushing back on the structures put in place by platform capitalism, they still fall back on traditional notion of a templated sense of identity and self. This has me thinking about digital mindfulness.
Marginalia
Alexandra Samuel looks at the research into unplugging. She frames this around four questions:
What’s the problem we’re trying to address by unplugging?
What else would we (or our kids) do with this time?
What do we give up when we unplug?
How does unplugging help prepare us for our daily lives in a digital world?
Maybe a part of the solution is not ‘unplugging’, but being more digitally mindful? Amber Case has listed some interesting strategies associated with this topic.
Cliff Manning discusses the Digital Resilience Framework:
This has me rethinking the idea of digital mindfulness and Ian O’Byrne’s point that it is a collective action.