5-Minute Film Festival: Are We Addicted to Technology?
Can’t put down your device? Obsessing over social media? You may want to dig in to this playlist of videos and resources to help educators, parents, and students reflect on their relationship with technology.
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It's the age of mobile. According to , over , and . Research from software analytics company New Relic supposedly found that . But scores of articles about "tech anxiety" and "tech addiction" make it abundantly clear that our relationship with technology is very complicated. As educators, it's worth thinking about how our devices are changing the way we interact with each other. Many of the videos I've gathered below are just for fun, to give us a laugh about our technological foibles, but they can also be conversation starters about how technology saturation affects our lives.
Video Playlist: Technology Addiction
Watch the first video below, or watch the whole playlist on .
- (19:49)
Sorry to start with a 20-minute TED Talk, but frames this conversation really well by asking how tech is changing the landscape of human relationships. Some take issue with her sweeping generalizations, but she poses powerful questions here.
- (03:14)
Are millennials really the most entitled, self-obsessed generation yet? And is there any positive spin on our compulsion to build our "personal brand" on social media? Vanessa Hill of explores the neuroscience behind our narcissism in this adorable paper animation.
- (02:11)
This poignant video hit a nerve -- with 44 million views, I'm guessing many of those are from people who see themselves in the silent lead character growing increasingly isolated as everyone around her stares into their phones.
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Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake take a humorous aim at the annoyance of overexuberant use of hashtags on social media. Heads up for the bleeped but still rather obvious obscenity at the end. Hashtag hilarious!
- (07:17)
Mike Rugnetta of holds forth in his usual rapid-fire style on whether our smartphones are causing our mediated experiences to eclipse our authentic experiences.
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Do you post things on social media and then anxiously refresh to watch the likes and comments roll in? You may be suffering from Instacurity. This campaign is largely a parody, but action on the reveals that it tapped into the collective consciousness.
- (01:26)
Though I haven't been able to find this product for sale in real life, I loved this ad for a bar in Brazil that crafted the perfect solution for getting the full attention of the people you're at the pub with.
- (04:11)
Could it be true that more options make us less happy? If you spend more time browsing your Netflix feed than watching content, you might agree. explores the psychological issues that come from having too many choices.
More Resources on How Technology is Changing Us
One thing is for sure, these devices are not going away anytime soon. It's our responsibility to figure out how to set boundaries and make sure we're being present for our lives in the ways we want to. Of course, "unplugging" or enforcing certain limits for yourself or your children is highly personal and subjective -- you'll see in the articles below that there are a variety of viewpoints on this. Still, I've also gathered some resources with tips for how to do it if you'd like to; if you're anything like me, a little moderation couldn't hurt. As always, please share your own thoughts or resources in the comments below!
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- "," by Jonathan Fader via
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- "," by Liz Soltan via
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- "," by Diana Divecha via
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- "," by Casey N. Cep via
- "," by Alexis Madrigal via
- , Free Toolkit & Lesson Plan