Digital Immigrant/Native Divide

 What is the immigrant/native divide and how has it affected the way students learn?

According to Prensky, the immigrant-native divide is something created between those who have grown up in the digital age vs. those who did not. Prensky explains it like learning a language; the younger generation is more fluent in technology because it is like a first language, whereas the older generation has had to adapt and learn it later in life like a secondary language. Growing up in the age of technology has completely reworked the way students learn and process information. Digital natives like to access their information super quickly, participate in multitasking, and frequent reward. It is much harder for the younger generation of students to excel in current schooling because it is not progressing with the digital natives, and many digital immigrants are teachers and professors that are caught in the old ways of learning. 

According to Prensky, what category do you fall into and how has this affected your learning?

According to Prensky, I fall under the digital native category. I grew up watching TV, listening to music on an iPod touch, and having the internet at my fingertips. This has definitely affected my learning, specifically once I got older and gained access to a smartphone and social media. I started developing attention issues, and it became progressively harder for me to learn traditionally in a classroom. I do think the schooling and teachers need to adapt with the generations, ADHD is skyrocketing and it is difficult for digital natives to learn in ways that may be expected of them. However, I think technology has allowed me to become a quick thinker and learn in a different way than previous generations have.  

https://www.eschoolnews.com/files/2020/05/Top5LanSchool05072020.pdf

Knapp's relationship model and interpersonal relationships

 Knapp's relationship model and my relationship: 

Knapp's relationship model focuses on ten different stages of coming together and growing apart within interpersonal relationships. My boyfriend and I have been together for almost two years, and have been through many phases of Knapp's model. We had previously gone through an initiation and experimentation phase in 2019, when we had formally met and began talking, and went on one date before we mutually fizzled out. However, I wouldn't consider this a part of the termination model because we were never in a committed relationship at this point. We stayed close friends from 2020 through early 2021where our relationship would go back and forth between friendship and something more. We both had relationships or talking phases with other people throughout those years. However, during this phase we would hang out constantly, go to dinner, buy each other gifts and talk about our life experiences daily. This was definitely the intensifying phase, but both of us were too scared to admit our feelings for each other and bring it to the next level until summer 2021, specifically August 2021. This is when we entered the integration phase and really took that step from friendship to a committed relationship. We officially began dating, saying I love you, going on family vacations together, and all that cheesy relationship stuff. I would say this is the phase we are in now, progressing toward the bonding phase however we obviously aren't married or close to it. Of course, our relationship isn't perfect, we have fought, hit roadblocks disagreed, but we have never entered a phase of the termination model because we believe in communication and forgiveness in our relationship. We are constantly working on ourselves and our relationship together, and don't allow our conflicts to progress further than they should. 

How have the impacts of online communication affected this relationship?

There have been both positive and negatives to online communication in our relationship. My boyfriend goes to a different school about an hour away, so calling and texting each other is essential to our relationship and keeping in touch with each other even when we are apart. He is studying abroad next year so once again online communication will be essential to our relationship. Posting about each other and the milestones in our relationship are validating and something that is almost essential to relationships in this generation. Sending each other videos of our future endeavors and ambitions, places we would like to travel together, date ideas, and even houses and wedding venues is something that keeps us excited about our future. 

However, online communication and social media have probably also caused the most disagreements between us. I personally believe social media is incredibly toxic for relationships. Viewing other women or men in a way that would make your partner uncomfortable, easy access to communicating with people your partner isn't okay with, constant comparisons with other people, and other people's relationships. This can all result in feelings of jealousy, resentment, and distrust towards your partner. Smartphones and social media also are huge distractions, and often take away from quality time and really living in important moments with your partner. If it were possible I would avoid social media completely but I do believe it is an important part of relationships in this current age and trust and respect are both necessary qualities when it comes to online communication. 

 

How can social media sites combat mental health issues caused by their platforms?

 Do social networking sites have any responsibility in promoting mental health in their users? 

Social networking sites are not obligated to take their user's mental health into account or promote mental health resources on their platforms, but they most definitely should. Social media has had a major impact on its users, specifically its younger audiences. Teenagers who spend more time on social media are said to have 13-66% higher rates of depression compared to teens that spend less time on social media and their phones in general. There is an obvious correlation between smartphones and socials destroying our youth's mental health, self-confidence, and social lives. 

So how could social networking sites go about combating this?

The amount of time teenagers spend on social media is concerning. Anywhere from 5 to 8 hours per day can be wasted scrolling on these social networking sites. One probably implausible (but I think would be the most effective) way to promote mental health on these sites could be companies installing a screen time feature that only allows for a certain amount of usage each day. When I was younger I remember nickelodeon pausing broadcasting for a day encouraging kids to get outside with their "worldwide day of play." This is a similar idea. If social media only allows for 1-2 hours of usage daily, users will be encouraged to find other more productive and fulfilling ways of keeping themselves busy.

Another way social networking sites could promote mental health could be easy access to hotlines or therapy, and incorporating photos or videos throughout a user's feed including professional help and different ways of strengthening your own mental health as well as dealing with depression or anxiety. Because it is so easy to scroll for hours each day and possibly see things that are triggering or upsetting, I think it is important to get a break from that and see more positive and helpful content to get you out of an anxious or depressive state.  

What factors might influence whether social media has negative influences, like links with depression, versus positive influences, such as boosts in self-esteem?

There is a string of different factors that could create either positive or negative influence from social media, and I do think it is possible to experience both at the same time. Posting a photo of yourself and getting a lot of likes and comments results in positive feelings, whereas scrolling through your feed and seeing unrealistic bodies could result in an unhealthy comparison. It is easy to compare yourself to what you see online. It's called the looking-glass self, always seeing something you could improve about yourself to fit into the beauty standard better instead of seeing the good qualities you have. I also believe screen time and the way people are using social media can change whether the effects are positive or negative. 

Smartphones and social media of course have positives, but I personally think they cause more harm than good. Looking beyond just the mental health aspect, but how social media negatively impacts relationships, love, motivation towards career building, or even physical activity and getting outside. I feel like we don't realize the true consequences of this age of social media. The articles I have linked below continue this conversation of how harmful social media can be.

https://www.marriage.com/advice/relationship/social-media-ruins-relationships/

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/how-social-medias-toxic-content-sends-teens-into-a-dangerous-spiral/

About Me

Hey everyone! My name is Rinoa and I am a freshman at Oregon State. As of now, my major is undecided, but I am interested in sociology and psychology. I have always been a true crime fan and would like to possibly explore criminal psychology with the degree I acquire. My mom is a mental health therapist and has her own practice, and I could see myself doing something similar to a criminal psychologist. Aside from my studies, I enjoy attending sporting events, spending time outdoors, country music, and making new friends!