BFTP: Solutions that are neat, plausible and wrong

A great deal of attention has been (rightfully) paid to the role of social media  in the political turbulence over the past four years. From use by an oft-tweeting president to conspiracy theory spreading to incitements to violence, Twitter and Facebook are being scrutinized for their role in what many see as the destruction of democratic norms. Very serious charges, indeed. This has led to the president being blocked on some sites and major companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon blocking access to alternative social media tools like Parler.

I wrote the post below about 3 years ago. It argues that the solution to the misuse of a technology is not banning it, but educating people how to use it thoughtfully and on focusing on its benefits.

After the violence of last week, I am reconsidering my perhaps too naive and optimistic stance. Are humans capable of using their tools responsibly?

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Caution: geezer rant follows...

From sexting to cyberbullying to FOMO, social media sure has its share of negatives. But, if it's all bad, how did 2,000 students protest their school system's budget cuts? How are teens leading the charge against cyberbullying? How did they organize a national school walkout day to protest gun laws? Easy: savvy use of social media. Caroline Knorr 5 Reasons You Don't Need to Worry About Kids and Social Media, Common Sense Media, 3/14/18

The most tiresome solution I hear to "technology-caused" problems is a simple one: take the technology away. No smartphones, Chomebooks, iPads, etc., no problem. Games causing a distraction? Block games. Kids abusing the chat window in apps. Close it down. Social media - ban its use.

The removal of an abused thing is often the first reaction we have when we don't really want to think too hard about the problem or use creative approaches to solving it. While I am not a fan of assault rifles, to think that outlawing them will prevent school shootings is wishful thinking. To tax soft drinks or reduce the size of the Big Gulp cup will end the obesity epidemic is naive. Delaying the construction of oil pipelines will not stop the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels. Hate to say this, but there were distracted drivers and automobile accidents before there were smartphones. 

Personal computing devices, guns, Pepsi, fossil fuels, and smartphones are not going away. And sadly, by taking a one-right-solution approach to the problems, disagreements that degrade into either-or thinking block collaborative, innovative problem-solving efforts.

Personally, I am a little tired of proposals that are designed simply to create outrage. Any proposal to ban a thing that I would listen to needs two elements:

• Acknowledgement of there may be positives to the thing being banned (social media in schools can be used by students to create positive change)
• Acknowledgement that a more nuanced, thoughtful, comprehensive approach to the problem is necessary - that banning a thing may be part of a solution to a problem, but only a part. (Teaching time management skills and raising awareness of technology addiction are part of good technology management plans in schools.)

For those outrage-fueled adrenaline junkies, this is probably too much work. But remember the words of H.L. Menken "there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.”

Original post 3/27/18