You’ve Got an iMessage: Stop Using “Bad” Tech

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Social media and current technological tools hurt people. This paper explores people’s harmful exposure to “bad” technology since childhood and how this has radically transformed their communication modes and social interactions.

There is a disturbing trend. Tech companies, peers, and cultural narratives instilled – you are not “cool” if you don’t own the latest iPhone or maintain a presence on Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat. There is no doubt that many people’s formative years are now increasingly shaped by digital interactions. It is, however, understood that there are stark consequences of bad tech and social media overuse on mental health and interactions with others. I consider how “bad technology” harms us early on by surveilling us, increasing insecurities, and transforming our communication. I attempt to suggest potential paths to safeguard our well-being.

Why is Bad Tech Harmful?

Harms from Systems’ Surveillance

The technology we use daily surveils us. We trade our privacy for the illusion of convenience offered by smartphones. Not only does it track us when doing simple tasks such as eating (e.g., ordering food from UberEats? ), but it also deprives us of our ability to learn and associate with others in educational settings. In schools, children are subject to harm from the EdTech Surveillance Industry, resulting in the loss of their trust and data. Universities also leverage such tools; for instance, Courseworks provides the convenience of a single platform but comes with costly surveillance.

Harms from Other People

Feelings of Validation: People’s Opium

Social media involves mechanisms that exploit people’s psychological vulnerabilities, especially among children. While it has been proven that young brains are even more vulnerable to social media than adults as they begin socializing at school and developing their personalities, such mechanisms may negatively impact anyone, from children to elders. The “Likes” and “followers” used on platforms for social validation feed the egos of users and create a dopamine rush similar to addictive substances. The psychological lure of “likes” and such metrics’ decrease can trigger users’ anxiety, depression, and feelings of inadequacy.

External validation challenges people to mimic what is posted online. Influencers often portray curated lives that establish unattainable standards for appearance and popularity, amplifying vulnerable adults’ and youngsters’ insecurities and stifling identity development. These glamorous lifestyles incentivize people to portray an image far from who they really are, causing their relationship with themselves to deteriorate. Promoting such comparison culture contributes to social isolation as we retreat into digital spaces, distancing ourselves from real-life interactions.

Goodbye, old friend.

People’s reliance on technology to communicate with colleagues, friends, and family instead of in-person modes of communication increasingly isolates them and strains relationships. Worse, some lead a virtual life in a Metaverse or video games such as Second Life, where players get married through avatars. Truth is: Early on, we have forgotten that in-person interactions are irreplaceable to nurturing bonds with others, building trust with genuine emotions instead of smiling emojis, and making memories to look back on, unlike ephemeral social media stories.

How to Mitigate Harm?

Against Harm from Systems’ Surveillance

Regulatory Potential Paths

The U.S. regulatory framework that addresses technology use is fragmented but evolving.

Protecting Children: Strengthening COPPA

Although the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) prohibits data collection from children under 13 without parental consent, teenagers aged 13-17 remain vulnerable (Federal Trade Commission). Thus, COPPA could be expanded to cover teenagers aged 13-17. Recent legislative proposals, such as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), aim to fill some gaps by imposing that organizations disable addictive features with options for teens aged 13 to 16 and conduct stricter privacy controls with increased transparency requirements (Richard Blumenthal).

Protecting All: The EU’s Approach

The GDPR grants teens the “right to be forgotten,” which removes their data upon request. Perhaps U.S. regulators could also consider that right from teens to elders. The Digital Services Act (DSA), effective as of 2023, complements the GDPR by requiring platforms to implement stricter age verification measures and prohibit targeted advertising for minors. These measures provide a precautionary approach, prioritizing harm prevention over retrospective enforcement.

A complete regulatory ban on technology is not the best way forward. Instead, promoting its constructive use, particularly among children, through education would foster a culture of critical engagement with technology.

Building Better Tech

Schools

Instead of EdTech? , schools and science teachers can incorporate better tools like Wikipedia, coding tutorials or workshops, and online discussion forums into their curricula. Additionally, children can be exposed to open-source platforms such as GitHub or Mastodon, a social networking platform offering viable alternatives to corporate-owned social media. Encouraging teenagers to explore such positive tech tools will help them reclaim their digital identities and protect their privacy and freedom of thought. This approach shifts the narrative from technology as surveillance and distraction to technology as a tool for creative growth.

Freedom Box

People could implement a freedom box at home for enhanced privacy practices. That might allow parents to teach children early on how to safeguard their homes once they reach adulthood.

Against Harm from Other People Online

Empowering People

Through Digital Literacy, Away from Influencers.

Educational stakeholders can undertake tailored digital literacy programs where children and adults are incentivized to develop critical thinking about digital systems so that they are inspired by a shift in cultural dynamics, preserving a “cool” individuality without following influencers.

Through Increased Real-world Interactions.

People should realize how their communication via technology impacts their interactions. Perhaps, instead of calling a loved one, they could suggest meeting face-to-face. Early on, parents should raise children’s awareness of this issue by encouraging outdoor family activities to demonstrate the value of real-world interactions and steer them away from sometimes superficial online interactions.

Conclusion

There is a need to ensure that “bad tech” does not exploit people’s vulnerabilities, from children to elders. Aside from regulatory frameworks, educational initiatives provide the best pathways to mitigate harm while allowing us to enjoy the “right” technology early on. Finally, reducing our online communication in favor of more face-to-face interactions would enable us to shift our focus from addictive and harmful “bad tech” to humans. It’s not "humans OR tech"; it’s "humans AND humans and tech."

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