Methods 1 - COVID edition

"if I’m gonna waste my time because I don’t want to do something I’m gonna do it with or without social media. I believe social media is just one of the many avenues of procrastination."

I suppose it depends what you would choose, were there no IG. If you're talking about reading a book or picking up a hobby, I would disagree with you and say those are better forms of procrastination. If you're thinking about picking up a drug habit, then I'm with you and social media is clearly a better option.

Kristin, great point about almost feeling like we were ready for this. Most of my non-teaching work has hardly missed a beat. PACE has shifted fairly seamlessly to Slack and Asana; professional organizations are happy to send dozens of emails and schedule endless Zoom calls or webinars; my next conference has even moved fully virtual. But none of that is the same as a simple 10-minute in-person conversation. So much is lost during virtual communication - body language, syntax, phrasing are all out the window.

Sidney this is a great point. The Popes have become followers of the group "Shop Local Delmarva" on Facebook and IG. It's a group highlighting local businesses in the area, promoting their sales and specials, and encouraging people to choose to spend money in our region rather than ordering something from afar. A great service! And a wonderful way to get more attention to some of the AMAZING local restaurants and stores that are still going strong during COVID.

I'm with you on this Kristin. I set up recurring Zoom happy hours with my family, mainly so my kids can see them and keep in touch about what they've been doing. Most days nobody shows, and these are some of the closest people in our lives! To say it's not the same is an understatement; this is a stopgap.

And to realize the limits of our tech knowledge! The amount of time I've spent cussing a dropped wifi signal as I sit at my desk beggars belief.

I'm not willing to go all the way with this one, David. I see some good conversations on social media (even Twitter). We can get great hashtags trending that promote creativity (#thegreatindoors), professional growth (#sschat), and thoughtful sharing (#metoo). These can be impactful. I agree they're probably the exception rather than the norm, and I'd be stunned to hear that none of them had been co-opted by nefarious folks, but there can be good.

Nicely said, Daegan. Some of my favorite follows on IG are friends who deliberately post how their plans collapsed, their kids ruined whatever was happening, their new project fell apart . . . They do it in a self-deprecating way that makes it more like we're sitting around the backyard talking about their real life rather than peeking through filters at what we wish our lives always were.

The question of disappearances is a good one. My wife runs the mid-atlantic region for the national missing persons database (NaMUS). It's inconclusive whether there are more disappearances "these days" than in decades past, at least per capita. Their best guess is more reports because people are more connected and aware and able to post things, but maybe not more actual disappearances.

The apps are also designed to be addictive and keep you scrolling, Abby. As we've read, they spend considerable amounts of money developing notifications and tools to keep you from leaving the app. Plus it's just so simple to flick and pause, flick and pause.

Companies will say that their services are meant for people 13 and older, but of course there's no way that is enforced consistently. And even in situations where the kid doesn't devise their own workaround, the parents are often complicit in granting access.