Connection & Care on Social Media—Especially for Young People
A conversation with researcher Dr. Angela Gorrell
Programming note: This might be my last issue of 2024. In case that ends up being true, I wanted to say many thanks to the folks who have been reaching out about my recent subscriber-only post, and wish everyone a joyful and meaningful Christmastide. Y'all are the best.
It has been a big year for shifting thinking about social media in general and for young people in particular: device bans in schools, age-based social media restrictions, a possible TikTok sale or ban, etc.
So it feels like a fantastic time to share a conversation with my friend and colleague Dr. Angela Gorrell. Angela invited me to be on her podcast for a wide-ranging chat about media and tech. Because of her particular expertise with young people and her experience with a major happiness research project, we spend quite a bit of time on those topics. But I think you'll find the whole thing worth a watch or listen:
(You can also find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.)
For my part, I think the most important part of the conversation is where we dive into research on the social lives of young people and how technology—pretty much by necessity—fits into them. If you want to go straight to some of that material, try 13:51 or so.
Finally, I wanted to own up that I regret toward the end that I accidentally used gendered language in my commending of the monastic tradition of a rule of life—a tool Angela and I have both used with students working to put technology in a healthy place within their larger spiritual habits and outlook.
In introducing this concept, I said something like "from the monks" instead of "from the monastic tradition" or "from the monks and nuns" or something similarly inclusive. Much of my professional engagement around this area has been shaped by a male order (SSJE), so I think my brain got in thatlhis is an especially embarrassing slip into patriarchal language.
Anyway, I definitely recommend following Angela and her work. Let us know what you think about the conversation!
