Digital Media and Your Brain

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Digital Media
and Your Brain

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

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Essential Question

How does digital media try to hook
you, and what can you do about it?

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Explore ways that different types of digital media
are, and aren't, designed to help us make good media
choices.

Reflect on how digital media is designed to either help or
hinder the addition of meaning and value in our lives.

Think about how to develop good, healthy habits when
using digital media.

Learning Objectives

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●

What do you think when
you see this image?

●

What caption would you
write for this image?

OBSERVE + ANALYZE IMAGE

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KEY VOCABULARY

Habit

Something we do automatically without thinking

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Discuss:

●

What media habits did teens
talk about?

●

Which features of design
hooked them?

●

Do you think their media habits
add value and meaning to their
lives? Explain.

WATCH + DISCUSS

To watch this video on the Common Sense Education site,
click here.

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Features to build habits

● Autoplay on Netflix and Youtube
● Likes and comments on social media apps
● Goals and levels in online gaming

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KEY VOCABULARY

Addictive design

Features or aspects of a device or app that are intended to hook the
user into frequent use

Feedback loop

A response to something you do or post online that causes your brain
to experience a temporary moment of pleasure

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●

Likes, dislikes, or other rating

●

Comments

●

The ability to share picture and see other
people’s pictures

●

Streaks

●

Videos with autoplay features

●

Livestreaming

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KEY VOCABULARY

Humane design

Features or aspects of a device or app that prioritize
what's good for people's lives

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GROUP WORK: HUMANE OR BRAIN DRAIN? (PART 1)

1. For each app described, underline or highlight

examples of features that use humane design.

2. Then answer the questions.

Directions

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Some of the humane-design features:

● The ability to control when and if you receive

alerts/notifications

● Alerts, rewards, and activities that don’t

necessarily involve using the app

● The ability to disconnect for selected amounts of

time

● A way to monitor use

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GROUP WORK: HUMANE OR BRAIN DRAIN? (PART 2)

1.

Choose a device, app, or website that you spend a lot of time using.

2.

Think about the different features it has and whether they are
humanely designed or addictively designed.

3.

Add them to the T-chart in the correct column. Review the examples in
Part 1 to help you decide which features should go where.

4.

Write three rules to help you monitor your behavior as you engage
with apps that use addictive design.

Directions

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