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Digital fashion and the Metaverse: a new way for people to experience fashion

Is screen wear the new street wear? As people spend more time online – in meetings, social media and video games – clothing brands and designers are increasingly interweaving digital design with physical fashion. The wave of new fashion technology encompasses everything from tailoring the look of your online gaming avatar, to digital sampling and fittings, through to virtual runways and fashion shows. Industry experts discussed the emerging trends at a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH6l5Gk5dZ4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">panel on Fashion and the Metaverse</a> <a href="https://tmice.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hosted by</a> The Masters Institute of Creative Education. Founder of virtual reality and streaming start up Inverse Darren Vukasinovic, says interest in digital fashion and technologies like augmented and virtual reality, surged as people shifted to online spaces like Zoom and Teams during the pandemic. He says it wasn’t long before people began thinking, “what is my identity when I’m living in a digital space?” “I saw it in the creativity of the backgrounds people were starting to use, their virtual backgrounds. You’d get on these calls and the first couple of times it’s normal… and then, all of a sudden the backgrounds and getting more elaborate and the filters are getting more elaborate.” Australian fashion designer <a href="https://www.danielavakian.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Daniel Avakian</a> says, digital technologies like 3D pattern making and rendering can alleviate the cost, work, time and waste involved in traditional fashion sampling. Avakian says, “in the fashion industry in the back end … a designer creates an idea, an inspiration and they create a 2D technical drawing. And then they give it to a pattern maker and the pattern maker will create a sample. And this all costs time and money. “And then you’ve got a dozen people in the back room doing that. But upskilling them with this new technology and this new workflow saves all brands, many, many costs in that long arduous process. “And we stop having to create all that wastage in sampling … we can see it digitally … it will create a new, efficient way for people to experience fashion.” Avakian’s company has been experimenting with the use of 3D body scanning technology to create red carpet gowns. “So [for] a couple of red carpet pieces we’ve been doing in Australia, the clients have a body scan, and we’ve made them a red-carpet dress in, like, two weeks. And it’s through the body scan technology we get all their measurements… my factories are able to then custom-make the garment from the design.” The efficiencies in these new digital processes offer sustainability benefits in the form of lower greenhouse emissions, waste and transport miles involved in sending new season clothing sample sets around the world. On the flip side, some technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrencies can consume large amounts of energy. Avakian says he sees the need for upskilling and education, ensuring that fashion, textiles and design students understand these emerging digital concepts. “Having young designers learn how to be able to use 3D pattern making software to show, to see changes on a lapel, or changes on a dress.” ‘Screen wear’ is term used for the technology which allows people to add photo-realistic clothing items to their social media photographs. This gives people opportunities to purchase and ‘wear’ items that they might not otherwise choose, or be able to afford in the real world. Eugene Leung, the creative director of fashion and design company <a href="https://theinjury.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Injury</a>, says digital fashion and 3D rendering can also help eliminate the real-world waste that results when certain types of consumers, like Instagram influencers, buy an item of clothing and only wear it once. “Digital fashion can basically satisfy the desire for consumption, but in a more sustainable way,” he says. Increasingly there is blending between digital and physical worlds. For example, Leung says sometimes customers will buy a piece of digital clothing and later ask him to make a physical version. Digital producer and retired model <a href="https://www.caitlinlomax.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caitlin Lomax</a>, says the technology already exists for rendering digital clothing items onto a photo of a person, or an avatar in a game. “When we’re talking about fashion in a rendered, simulated thing. We can get such high-quality beautiful visuals,” she says. Lomax says, ‘digital first’ designers focus on developing the clothing and styles – known as ‘skins’ – for computer game and Metaverse avatars on the screen, rather than fashion in the physical world. Avakian says digital campaigns can also offer new ways of marketing clothing. “At <a href="https://nyfw.com/home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York fashion week</a>, our finale dress … we took a Metaverse asset and brought it into the real world and let it walk down the runway.” “We’ve sold quite a few of those dresses as the real garment, just from that Metaverse imagery,” he says. Image credits: Getty Images <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=220452&title=Digital+fashion+and+the+Metaverse%3A+a+new+way+for+people+to+experience+fashion" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/digital-fashion-and-the-metaverse-a-new-way-for-people-to-experience-fashion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Petra Stock. </div>

Beauty & Style

6 things that could happen to your eyes if you stare at a screen all day

<h2>More screen time</h2> You may know that staring at a screen all day is not particularly good for you, and that it’s a good idea to give your eyes a rest and limit your screen time. This includes your phone, laptop and TV. But, on average, you probably spend more hours than you realise staring at a digital device. With more people working from home, that amount of time is on the rise. “Covid-19 has put screen time on steroids,” says optometrist, Dr Paul Karpecki. You may have a work-from-home arrangement, chat with friends via video call, do online on-demand workouts, see doctors via telemedicine, and more. We’re online all the time, and there’s an indication hours spent in front of a screen are spiking. The average adult now spends more than 13 hours per day in front of a screen, up from just over 10 hours in 2019, according to Eyesafe, which designs and develops products that protect against blue light from digital devices. (Karpecki is also a member of the Eyesafe Vision Health Advisory Board.) Eyesafe analysed data from a March 2020 report from the Nielsen Company that estimated that Covid-19 stay-at-home orders would lead to a 60 per cent increase or more in media consumption. Even with lockdowns now lifted, many of those habits established over the last two years have remained. Too much screen time can lead to digital eye strain, which is a condition that results in eye discomfort and vision problems, according to Eyecare Plus. It’s true that prolonged screen time does increase your exposure to blue light. However, it’s unclear whether blue light is to blame for digital eye strain, or whether products that block blue light help. <h2>You may blink less</h2> You’re more likely to blink less when you’re using electronic devices or even watching TV. Specifically, staring at an electronic screen can affect how often you blink and whether your eyelids close entirely as you blink. A 2015 study published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science found people experienced a lower blinking rate and were less likely to completely close their eyes during a blink when reading on an electronic device, like a tablet. <h2>Your eyes will dry out and may burn</h2> As previously stated, when you stare at a computer screen, you blink less. This can make your eyes dry out and even feel like they’re burning. “Blinking keeps the front surface of your eye moist,” says optometrist, Dr Barbara Horn. She suggests increasing the humidity in the air at home and at work (if possible). Also, sip water throughout the day to stay hydrated, a habit that benefits your whole body, including your eyes. And finally, commit to consciously blinking more often during computer work, especially if your eyes are beginning to feel dry. There’s a condition called dry eye, which is when you have inadequate or poor-quality tears. Talk to your optometrist, who may recommend simple solutions like over-the-counter artificial tears. <h2>You may get (visual) migraines with or without headaches</h2> Ever heard of a condition called computer vision syndrome (CVS)? It’s the more formal term for digital eye strain, and some estimates say it affects half of computer users, according to a 2018 review in BMJ Open Ophthalmology. “CVS describes a group of eye and vision-related problems that can result from prolonged computer, tablet, or [mobile] phone use,” says Horn. One of those symptoms of CVS is headache. Poor lighting, glare and sticking your face too close to a screen can trigger headaches. Also, poor posture when using a computer can do this too. The more you use your devices, the worse the symptoms, she says. “People who spend two or more continuous hours at a computer or using a digital screen device every day are at a greater risk of experiencing eye strain,” says Horn. You can also experience a visual migraine, which is characterised by visual disturbances, such as seeing spots and zigzags in your field of vision, according to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. This can last anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes and typically, will then resolve. It’s important to note that visual migraines can occur with or without headaches; this is known as a migraine with aura, according to Headache Australia. These types of migraines can be triggered by extreme lighting and staring at electronic screens. To treat and prevent headaches and migraines, take regular breaks from electronic devices and follow the 20-20-20 rule, which helps protect eyesight. That means stopping every 20 minutes to stare at something 20 feet (6 metres) away for 20 seconds. Also make sure that your eyeglass prescription is correct, as that can exacerbate CVS symptoms, too. <h2>You may get blurry vision</h2> One of the symptoms of CVS is blurry vision. “Viewing a computer or digital screen is different than reading a printed page,” says Horn. “Often the letters on the computer or handheld device are not as precise or sharply defined, the level of contrast of the letters to the background is reduced, and the presence of glare and reflections on the screen may make viewing difficult,” she explains. <h2>Your eyes may have trouble focusing</h2> In order to read, your eyes have to work overtime to see clearly. The good news here is that most of the time, the blurriness will go away once you stop computer work, she says. Still, it’s not pleasant and can make tasks take longer if you’re struggling to focus. In that case, Horn suggests holding your phone or tablet further away from you at a “book reading distance” rather than up close to your face. Make the font larger if you can, and adjust the brightness to match the room (for instance: lower it in the evening). This prevents your pupils from having to adjust constantly to changing light levels, something that contributes to strain. <h2>Your neck may be stiff and your jaw may ache</h2> How do you feel after being attached to a digital screen for 8 hours? Likely not great. Symptoms like neck stiffness and jaw tightness “could be directly linked to digital eye strain,” says Karpecki. “We have something called the trigeminal nerve that serves basically as an expressway connecting our eyes to our temple and jaw. We have found that sometimes strain that happens in the eyes is reflected in soreness, discomfort and tightness in those two other areas,” he explains. It’s important to not only take regular breaks to follow the 20-20-20 rule, but also make tweaks to your workspace so it’s healthier for your body. <h2>Expand your reading materials when you can</h2> Everything you read shouldn’t be from a screen – and that can be a tall order in our digital times. “There are unique challenges to managing eye health when it comes to screens and digital devices,” says Karpecki. Reading something digital is different from on paper, even if they both use the same field of vision. “Due to the pixel movement on a digital screen, something we only perceive on a subconscious level, our eyes remain focused longer and we subconsciously reduce our blink rate,” he explains. If possible, mix up your media use: grab a paper book, magazine, or newspaper for your recreational reading pleasures. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/healthsmart/conditions/eyes/6-things-that-could-happen-to-your-eyes-if-you-stare-at-a-screen-all-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

As countries ranging from Indonesia to Mexico aim to attract digital nomads, locals say ‘not so fast’

Should your community welcome <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/digital%20nomad">digital nomads</a> – individuals who work remotely, allowing them freedom to bounce from country to country? <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/digital-nomads-9780190931780?cc=us&lang=en&">Our research</a> has found that workers are eager to embrace the flexibility of not being tied to an office. And after experiencing economic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cities and countries are concocting ways to entice visitors. One idea involves stretching the meaning of tourism to include remote workers. Today, a growing number of countries offer so-called “<a href="https://nomadgirl.co/countries-with-digital-nomad-visas/">digital nomad visas</a>.” These visas allow longer stays for remote workers and provide clarity about allowable work activities. For example, officials in Bali, Indonesia, are looking to formalize a process for remote workers to procure visas – “<a href="https://coconuts.co/bali/features/the-faster-the-better-bali-tourism-agency-head-tjokorda-bagus-pemayun-talks-digital-nomad-visa-plans-and-what-it-means-for-the-island/">the faster, the better</a>,” as the head of the island’s tourism agency put it. Yet pushback from locals in cities ranging <a href="https://time.com/6072062/barcelona-tourism-residents-covid/">from Barcelona</a> to <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/28/mexico-city-residents-angered-by-influx-of-americans-speaking-english-gentrifying-area-report/">Mexico City</a> has made it clear that there are costs and benefits to an influx of remote workers. As we explain in our new book, “Digital Nomads: In Search of Freedom, Community, and Meaningful Work in the New Economy,” the trend of “work tourism” <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/digital-nomads-9780190931780?cc=us&lang=en&">comes with a host of drawbacks</a>. <h2>Wearing out their welcome</h2> For as long as there’s been tourism, locals have griped about the outsiders who come and go. These travelers are usually a welcome boost to the economy – <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/overtourism">up to a point</a>. They can also wear out their welcome. Perhaps the classic example is <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/venice-reinventing-itself-as-sustainable-tourism-capital">Venice</a>, where high numbers of tourists stress the canal-filled city’s fragile infrastructure. In the U.S., New Jersey shore residents have long used the term “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoobie">shoobies</a>” to denigrate the annual throng of short-term summer tourists. In our research on digital nomads in Bali, locals referred to digital nomads and other tourists as “bules” – a word that roughly translates as “foreigners.” Generally the terms are used to express minor annoyance over crowds and increased traffic. But conventional tourists come and go – their stays usually range from a couple of nights to a couple of weeks. Remote workers stay anywhere from weeks to months – or longer. They spend more time using places and resources traditionally dedicated to the local residents. This raises the chances that outsiders become a grating presence. Excessive numbers of visitors can also raise sustainability concerns, as waves of tourists tax the environment and infrastructure of many destinations. Many of Bali’s beautiful rice fields and surrounding lush forests, for example, are being converted into hotels and villas to serve tourism. <h2>Digital nomads look to stretch their dollars</h2> Whether they’re lazing around or plugging away on their laptops, privileged tourists ultimately change the economics and demographics of an area. Their buying power increases costs and displaces residents, while traditional businesses make way for ones that cater to their tastes. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-food-became-the-perfect-beachhead-for-gentrification-167761">Where once there was a neighborhood food stand</a>, now there’s an upscale cafe. This dynamic is only exacerbated by long-term tourists. Services like VRBO and Airbnb make it easy for digital nomads to rent apartments for weeks or months at a time, and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45083954">people around the world are increasingly alarmed</a> at how quickly such rentals can change the affordability and character of a place. Living a vacation lifestyle on a long-term basis implies a need to choose lower-cost destinations. This means that remote workers may particularly contribute to gentrification as they seek out places where their dollars go furthest. In <a href="https://travelnoire.com/digital-nomads-see-why-mexicans-are-fed-up-with-them">Mexico City</a>, residents fear displacement by remote workers able to pay higher rents. In response to calls to choose Mexico City as a remote working destination, one local succinctly expressed opposition: “<a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22999722/mexico-city-pandemic-remote-work-gentrification">Please don’t</a>.” And in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/13/new-orleans-airbnb-treme-short-term-rentals">New Orleans</a>, almost half of all properties in the historic <a href="https://nola.curbed.com/2018/5/16/17356630/treme-new-orleans-neighborhood-history-pictures">Tremé district</a> – one of the oldest Black neighborhoods in the U.S. – have been converted to short-term rentals, displacing longtime residents. <h2>Culture becomes commodified</h2> <a href="https://suitcasemag.com/articles/neocolonial-tourism">Neocolonialism</a> in tourism refers to the way processes such as overtourism and gentrification create a power imbalance that favors newcomers and erodes local ways of life. “There’s a distinction between people who want to learn about the place they are in and those who just like it because it’s cheap,” one digital nomad living in Mexico City <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-07-27/americans-are-flooding-mexico-city-some-mexicans-want-them-to-go-home">recently told the Los Angeles Times</a>. “I’ve met a number of people who don’t really care that they’re in Mexico, they just care that it’s cheap.” Bali, where <a href="https://www.aseantoday.com/2020/10/balis-economy-struggles-to-survive-without-tourists/">as much as 80%</a> of the island’s economy is estimated to be affected by tourism, offers a stark example. People come to Bali to be immersed in the culture’s spiritual rituals, art, nature and dance. But there’s also resentment over yoga lovers, resortgoers and digital nomads “taking over” the island. And some locals come to see the tourism in and around temples and rituals as the transformation of something cherished – the nuanced and spiritual aspects of their culture – into experiences to be bought and sold. For instance, Balinese dance performances are huge tourist draws and are even featured in global promotions for tourism on the island. Yet these performances also have cultural and spiritual meaning, and the impact of tourism on these aspects of dance is <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37628994_Authenticity_and_commodification_of_Balinese_dance_performances">debated even among performers</a>. So there is inevitably friction, which can be seen in the high levels of <a href="https://coconuts.co/bali/features/living-in-a-petty-crimes-paradise-balis-unreported-thefts-and-muggings/">petty crime</a>against foreigners. Neocolonialism can also pit people from the same country or culture against one another. For example, <a href="https://www.travelmole.com/news/bali-taxi-wars-flare-again/">conflicts arise</a> between local Balinese taxi cooperatives and taxi services that employ drivers from other parts of Indonesia. Although remote employees still make up a small portion of the overall tourist population, their work-related needs and longer stays mean they’re more likely to use services and places frequented by locals. Whether this leads digital nomads to be welcomed or scorned likely depends on both government policies and tourists’ behavior. Will governments take measures such as protecting locals from mass evictions, or will landlords’ desire for higher rents prevail? Will guests live lightly and blend in, trying to learn the local language and culture? Or will they simply focus on working hard and playing harder? As remote work reaches an unprecedented scale, the answers to such questions may determine whether “<a href="https://coconuts.co/bali/features/the-faster-the-better-bali-tourism-agency-head-tjokorda-bagus-pemayun-talks-digital-nomad-visa-plans-and-what-it-means-for-the-island/">the faster, the better</a>” attitude toward digital nomad visas and other incentives continues. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-countries-ranging-from-indonesia-to-mexico-aim-to-attract-digital-nomads-locals-say-not-so-fast-189283" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Travel Tips

This EU country is the first to trial digital passports

Finland will be the first country to trial digital passports that would allow people to travel without paper documents. Instead, travellers will be able to use a mobile app that stores digital copies of their important travel documents, as reported by the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/finland-set-to-become-the-first-eu-country-to-trial-digital-passports/MDLD7UORHB4GACBOZ35SZ3NUQQ/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a>. A successful trial would be a big step towards EU-wide adoption of digital passports, but Europeans shouldn’t be ditching their paper passports just yet. Mikko Väisänen, an inspector of the Finnish Border Guard, said the trial is dependent on the Finnish government finishing the drafting of a funding application which will be submitted to the European Commission at the end of the month. Once the funding is approved, a select group of volunteers will be able to take part in the pilot run, held at Helsinki Airport for flights between Finland and Croatia. The volunteers will still need their paper passports, but will be given a mobile app to download onto their phone so they can share the necessary information with border security. Väisänen said that adopting digital passports wouldn’t just make the lives of travellers easier, especially for those who forget or lose their documents while abroad, but can also make border checks more efficient. Christoph Wolff, the Head of Mobility at the World Economic Forum, agreed, saying that electronic, paperless systems could be key to managing demand in airports. "By 2030, international air arrivals are expected to reach 1.8 billion passengers, up 50 per cent from 2016. Under today's systems, airports cannot keep up with this growth," he said. If the Finnish government’s application is successful, the trial would begin at the end of 2022. Image: Getty Images

International Travel

How to empower older adults to become digital citizens in our tech-dependent world

Living in a technology dependent world means we all want to stay connected, regardless of age. And the COVID-19 pandemic was a major catalyst <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.ijinfomgt.2020.102171">for increasing our technological dependence</a>. It became normal to do weekly online grocery shops, attend doctors’ appointments or work via Zoom and FaceTime family and friends. The reality is however, that not everyone is fortunate enough to have access to the technological devices or skills to operate in our online world — some of the most impacted by this are older adults. This <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s41256-020-00154-3">magnified the pandemic for them, especially in terms of isolation</a>. Older adults were left without the main resource that has been keeping many of us connected — technology. But that’s not all the pandemic has laid bare for older adults. A <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-aging-face-of-homelessness-in-north-american-cities-111702">large number of them are also either experiencing, or are vulnerable to homelessness</a>. Older adults have become one of the <a href="https://www.homelesshub.ca/resource/%E2%80%9Cno-home-no-place%E2%80%9D-addressing-complexity-homelessness-old-age-through-community-dialogue">groups most at-risk for housing insecurities during the pandemic</a>. And one of the <a href="https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/education-training-employment/poverty">largest barriers to housing, is low socioeconomic status</a>. Our technological dependence has created new challenges for older adults, and helped solidify pre-existing ones, like navigating online platforms to secure housing. Older adults face housing barriers due to the lack of technological resources and education on how to use them; there is a clear need to empower them to be digital citizens. <h2>Finding housing in an internet-dependent world</h2> Overall, older adults are often excluded from using the internet because they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa098">lack devices and connectivity, or are inexperienced in using it</a>. So when it comes to finding housing, they’re often left behind. A decade ago, it was possible to walk through the streets, sift through newspapers, notice boards and discover apartments for rent, but this is increasingly uncommon. The platforms themselves — like Kijiji, PadMapper and Facebook Marketplace — are not made with older adults in mind; meaning <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X19869678">the ability to navigate and access these resources makes it even more difficult for them to find housing</a>. On top of having to search through unfamiliar platforms, they’re also faced with finding an apartment on a limited budget. Imagine you don’t know housing websites exist. Or know how to navigate online ads. Or have a device to access the internet. You’re put at a serious disadvantage when it comes to accessing housing. In North America “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X19869678">large portions of the rental housing market have moved online … more renters in urbanized areas found their current homes through a site like Craigslist than through any other information channel</a>.” Meaning the majority of rental properties are accessible through online platforms. Older adults who are not part of this digital world have limited opportunities to find housing. We don’t want to suggest that finding an apartment is impossible but, if you are an older adult lacking technological resources and digital literacy, it may feel overwhelming. <h2>Making technology more accessible</h2> How can we move forward in this digital world, when so many are being left behind? We should at least make technology accessible, so the choice is up to the user. When it comes to older adults, having the liberty to choose their involvement with technology can provide independence and autonomy. When the decision is theirs to make, their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.092">quality of life tends to increase, especially regarding social isolation</a>. While <a href="https://www.ncoa.org/article/top-10-financial-scams-targeting-seniors">older adults are more vulnerable to phishing and scams</a> and may have trouble recognizing fake housing advertisements, <a href="https://helpagecanada.ca/seniors-can-connect/">having support</a> and <a href="https://youthteachingadults.ca/resources/">educational resources</a> can <a href="https://www.connectedcanadians.ca/">promote the adoption of a conscious and cautious attitude</a> online, promote the use of trusted websites and avoid disclosing personal information such as SIN and credit card information. This can actively enable older adults to feel more comfortable and confident online. We are a part of the <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/airp/news-events/in-the-news/spike-in-homelessness-among-aged-prompts-research-for-solutions-.html">Aging in the Right Place (AIRP) Project</a> which looks at the causes of homelessness for older adults in order to evaluate <a href="https://www.seniorsservicessociety.ca/">current promising practices in place, such as temporary housing that support older adults who are at risk of experiencing homelessness</a>. An integral part of this project is to not only be in close contact with the people working towards supporting this population, but also with older people experiencing homelessness themselves. In our preliminary client interviews of those living in the temporary housing, we’re often told how invaluable technology is when searching for stable housing. <h2>Technology can improve quality of life</h2> As a society we assume older adults are not interested in various technologies, <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2020/07/seniors-technology-illiteracy-misconception-pandemic.html">not because they’re resisting but because technologies that currently exist were simply not created with them in mind</a>. Failing to include older adults as technology users further perpetuates the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39949-2_15">social, information and digital exclusion they experience</a>. This <a href="https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=425680">leaves very few opportunities for them to access education and awareness</a>. Opportunities that do exist to learn are often found in schools or at work — which are environments many older adults no longer frequent. Technology can improve the quality of life for older adults by providing ease, inclusion and comfort by making the essentials, like finding housing, more accessible. It’s time we <a href="https://helpagecanada.ca/seniors-can-connect/">draw on the resources</a> <a href="https://youthteachingadults.ca/resources/">and educational initiatives</a> <a href="https://www.connectedcanadians.ca/">in place and reach out to the ones who have been left behind</a>. Let’s empower older adults to be digital citizens. As digital citizens, they will have more opportunities to secure housing and tools to prevent homelessness. These supports will not only give them a sense of involvement in a technologically dependent world, but also provide a sense of belonging and inclusion in today’s society. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-empower-older-adults-to-become-digital-citizens-in-our-tech-dependent-world-167010" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Retirement Life

The downside of digital transformation: why organisations must allow for those who can’t or won’t move online

We hear the phrase “digital transformation” a lot these days. It’s often used to describe the process of replacing functions and services that were once done face-to-face by human beings with online interactions that are faster, more convenient and <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/%7E/media/mckinsey/industries/public%20and%20social%20sector/our%20insights/transforming%20government%20through%20digitization/digital-by-default-a-guide-to-transforming-government-final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“empower” the user</a>. But does digital transformation really deliver on those promises? Or does the seemingly relentless digitalisation of life actually reinforce existing social divides and inequities? Take banking, for example. Where customers once made transactions with tellers at local branches, now they’re encouraged to do it all online. As branches close it leaves many, <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/123302983/asb-set-to-close-another-23-branches-as-customers-move-online" target="_blank" rel="noopener">especially older people</a>, struggling with what was once an easy, everyday task. Or consider the now common call centre experience involving an electronic voice, menu options, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sorry-i-dont-understand-that-the-trouble-with-chatbots-and-how-to-use-them-better-171665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chatbots</a> and a “user journey” aimed at pushing customers online. As organisations and government agencies in Aotearoa New Zealand and elsewhere grapple with the call to become more “digital”, we have been examining the consequences for those who find the process difficult or marginalising. Since 2021 we’ve been working with the <a href="https://www.cab.org.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Citizens Advice Bureau</a> (CAB) and talking with public and private sector organisations that use digital channels to deliver services. Our findings suggest there is much still to be done to find the right balance between the digital and non-digital. The ‘problematic’ non-user The dominant view now suggests the pursuit of a digitally enabled society will allow everyone to lead a “frictionless” life. As the government’s own policy document, <a href="https://www.digital.govt.nz/dmsdocument/193%7Etowards-a-digital-strategy-for-aotearoa/html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Towards a Digital Strategy for Aotearoa</a>, states: <blockquote> Digital tools and services can enable us to learn new skills, transact with ease, and to receive health and well-being support at a time that suits us and without the need to travel from our homes. </blockquote> Of course, we’re already experiencing this new world. Many public and private services increasingly are available digitally <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2014/jan/07/new-zealand-uk-digital-revolution" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by default</a>. Non-digital alternatives are becoming restricted or even disappearing. There are two underlying assumptions to the view that everyone can or should interact digitally. First, it implies that those who can’t access digital services (or prefer non-digital options) are problematic or deficient in some way – and that this can be overcome simply through greater provision of technology, training or “nudging” non-users to get on board. Second, it assumes digital inclusion – through increasing the provision of digital services – will automatically increase social inclusion. Neither assumption is necessarily true. ‘Digital enforcement’ The CAB (which has mainly face-to-face branches throughout New Zealand) has documented a significant increase in the number of people who struggle to access government services because the digital channel was the default or only option. The bureau argues that <a href="https://inclusioncampaign.cab.org.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">access to public services is a human right</a> and, by implication, the move to digital public services that aren’t universally accessible deprives some people of that right. In earlier research, we refer to this form of deprivation as “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/isj.12306" target="_blank" rel="noopener">digital enforcement</a>” – defined as a process of dispossession that reduces choices for individuals. Through our current research we find the reality of a digitally enabled society is, in fact, far from perfect and frictionless. Our preliminary findings point to the need to better understand the outcomes of digital transformation at a more nuanced, individual level. Reasons vary as to why a significant number of people find accessing and navigating online services difficult. And it’s often an intersection of multiple causes related to finance, education, culture, language, trust or well-being. Even when given access to digital technology and skills, the complexity of many online requirements and the chaotic life situations some people experience limit their ability to engage with digital services in a productive and meaningful way. The human factor The resulting sense of disenfranchisement and loss of control is regrettable, but it isn’t inevitable. Some organisations are now looking for alternatives to a single-minded focus on transferring services online. They’re not completely removing call centre or client support staff, but instead using digital technology to improve <a href="https://deloitte.wsj.com/articles/at-contact-energy-digital-powers-human-centric-cx-01643821371" target="_blank" rel="noopener">human-centred service delivery</a>. Other organisations are considering partnerships with intermediaries who can work with individuals who find engaging with digital services difficult. The Ministry of Health, for example, is supporting a community-based Māori health and social services provider to establish a <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/digital-health/digital-enablement/digital-enablement-stories/digital-health-hub-supports-taranaki-whanau-access-services-closer-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">digital health hub</a> to improve local access to health care. Our research is continuing, but we can already see evidence – from the CAB itself and other large organisations – of the benefits of moving away from an uncritical focus on digital transformation. By doing so, the goal is to move beyond a divide between those who are digitally included and excluded, and instead to encourage social inclusion in the digital age. That way, organisations can still move forward technologically – but not at the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/23/the-guardian-view-on-digital-exclusion-online-must-not-be-the-only-option">expense of the humans</a> they serve.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186905/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/angsana-a-techatassanasoontorn-1292067" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angsana A. Techatassanasoontorn</a>, Associate Professor of Information Systems, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Auckland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/antonio-diaz-andrade-1361842" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Antonio Diaz Andrade</a>, Professor of Business Information Systems, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Auckland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bill-doolin-1361879" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Doolin</a>, Professor of Technology and Organisation, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Auckland University of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/harminder-singh-1361833" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harminder Singh</a>, Associate Professor of Business Information Systems, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Auckland University of Technology</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-downside-of-digital-transformation-why-organisations-must-allow-for-those-who-cant-or-wont-move-online-186905" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Technology

Alcohol marketing has crossed borders and entered the metaverse – how do we regulate the new digital risk?

The World Health Organization’s newly <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240046504" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released report</a> on regulating cross-border alcohol marketing raises the alarm for countries like Australia and New Zealand, given their light touch towards alcohol advertising. Alcohol is widely consumed in Australasia but there is ongoing tension over how much restraint, if any, should be placed on the marketing of these products. Australia and New Zealand are at the unrestrained end of the marketing continuum. Both countries rely on industry-led policy in the form of voluntary codes – an approach identified as insufficient by the WHO report. What is cross-border alcohol marketing? Alcohol marketing, created and disseminated in one country and spread across borders into others, is commonly used by multinational corporations striving to increase sales and normalise alcohol as an everyday product. Much of this advertising is taking place in the digital media sphere. The increased use of these media platforms by alcohol corporations allows them access to cheap advertising opportunities. For as <a href="https://au.reset.tech/uploads/resettechaustralia_profiling-children-for-advertising-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">little as US$2</a>, an advertising campaign based in Australia could reach a thousand young people profiled as interested in alcohol, for example. Marketing across digital media has also increased the impact of those messages. Brands interact with users on social media platforms, encouraging the posting, sharing and liking of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33573719/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">branded images and messages</a>. Higher user engagement is associated with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32079562/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more drinking</a>. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464113/original/file-20220518-21284-beeqsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464113/original/file-20220518-21284-beeqsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464113/original/file-20220518-21284-beeqsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464113/original/file-20220518-21284-beeqsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464113/original/file-20220518-21284-beeqsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464113/original/file-20220518-21284-beeqsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464113/original/file-20220518-21284-beeqsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="AB InBev logo behind a smartphone also showing the logo" /><figcaption>Multinational corporations like AB InBev have been quick to embrace digital platforms as a new way to advertise alcohol products. <a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/in-this-photo-illustration-an-ab-inbev-logo-is-seen-on-a-news-photo/1234971135?adppopup=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pavlo Gonchar/Getty Images</a></figcaption></figure> Targeting the individual The increased power of these advertisements reflects the effectiveness of “personalised marketing”. Companies can now target individuals and “look alike” audiences. This approach is made possible thanks to the enormous amount of data collected as we interact together, purchase products and indicate our interests and passions through our clicks and likes. This data is extremely valuable to marketers and alcohol corporations. It gives them insight into the best time of day, the best brand of alcohol and the best type of marketing message to send our way. All groups across society are vulnerable to being bombarded by messages encouraging the purchase and consumption of alcohol. Digital advertising can target everyone: teenagers looking for brands which exemplify their identity; young adults, the heaviest “occasion drinkers” in Australia and New Zealand, some of whom are developing drinking habits that may be hard to change in later life; and adults of all ages who wish to reduce their consumption, often for health reasons. Digital media has become an all-encompassing marketing environment in which the “buy” button – with home delivery and often no checks on age or intoxication – provides a seamless marketing and distribution system. In New Zealand, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dar.13222" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online sales</a> increased significantly during the COVID-19 lockdowns, particularly among heavier drinkers. Entering the metaverse The alcohol industry is now showing its initiative by entering the emerging <a href="https://www.ypulse.com/article/2022/02/03/metaverse-mansions-more-tiktok-how-brands-are-marketing-for-this-years-super-bowl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">metaverse</a>. To understand the metaverse, <a href="https://thedecisionlab.com/insights/technology/brave-new-world-how-the-metaverse-may-shape-our-psychology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to one commentator</a>, you should <blockquote> take today’s social media, add a splash of sophisticated 3D, fold in a plethora of options for entertainment and gaming, garnish it all with data-driven personalisation, and you are all set to take away your order of a supersized social media network, the metaverse. </blockquote> In terms of marketing, this provides a new opportunity. The biometric data essential to a virtual reality experience is also available to develop “<a href="https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/jetlaw/vol23/iss1/1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biometric psychographics</a>”, allowing for the even greater personalisation of advertising. Virtual alcohol brands created and used by avatars in the metaverse support the development of brand allegiance in real life, and virtual reality will transform e-commerce experiences and increase the power of sponsorship. AB InBev, the largest global alcohol corporation, was an early adopter of the metaverse. One of its brands, <a href="https://sifted.eu/articles/metaverse-brands-nft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stella Artois</a>, is sponsoring the Australian Zed Run platform on which virtual horses can be raced, bred and traded. The Zed Run platform experienced 1,000% growth in early 2021. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464116/original/file-20220518-23-f6cjil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464116/original/file-20220518-23-f6cjil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464116/original/file-20220518-23-f6cjil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464116/original/file-20220518-23-f6cjil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464116/original/file-20220518-23-f6cjil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464116/original/file-20220518-23-f6cjil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464116/original/file-20220518-23-f6cjil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Two people stand in front of a screen with a digital image of a horse." /><figcaption>Digital horse racing game Zed Run has exploded in popularity, with alcohol companies using the digital platform to reach a new audience. <a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/performers-tyra-cartledge-and-kendall-drury-takes-part-in-a-news-photo/1329475903?adppopup=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images</a></figcaption></figure> Regulating to reduce alcohol harm The digital world is extremely dynamic. It is also opaque to most policy makers and public health practitioners. It is telling that there is no reference to the metaverse as a cross-border alcohol marketing opportunity in the WHO report. There is an urgent need for debate regarding how policy makers should better understand the risks involved with the targeted marketing of hazardous products such as alcohol. The WHO report outlines various partial and unsuccessful approaches to regulating marketing in the digital media. Attempts, such as <a href="https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/303690/Alcohol_marketing_on_social_media_sites_in_Finland_and_Sweden_2019.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finland’s</a> regulation of user-shared branded material, have failed because they did not interfere with the basic architecture of the social media platforms, which is predicated on engagement via sharing and liking. The most successful examples offered by the WHO report have been countries like Norway, which have imposed a complete ban on alcohol marketing including in the digital media. The report emphasises the need for surveillance and enforcement, suggesting ways in which alcohol companies could be penalised for marketing breaches. The support provided by international agreements such as the <a href="https://fctc.who.int/who-fctc/overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Framework Convention on Tobacco Control</a> is identified as a possible template for future discussions. The response to tobacco marketing provides a good and largely effective model for officials and policy makers. That said, the public health goal for alcohol is not equivalent to the smokefree goal. Advocates are not trying to eliminate alcohol altogether. However, there are parallel arguments in favour of creating a healthier media environment through regulation to prevent the promotion of alcohol products via increasingly sophisticated technological and psychological tools. These products are significant causes of reduced well-being, and this marketing increases consumption and therefore harm. The messages of the WHO report are timely and should be heeded.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183334/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sally-casswell-862029" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sally Casswell</a>, Professor of public health policy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/massey-university-806" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massey University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/alcohol-marketing-has-crossed-borders-and-entered-the-metaverse-how-do-we-regulate-the-new-digital-risk-183334" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Legal

Digital inequality: why can I enter your building – but your website shows me the door?

When people hear the term “accessibility” in the context of disability, most will see images of ramps, automatic doors, elevators, or tactile paving (textured ground which helps vision impaired people navigate public spaces). These are physical examples of inclusive practice that most people understand. You may even use these features yourself, for convenience, as you go about your day. However, such efforts to create an inclusive physical world aren’t being translated into designing the digital world. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A large wheelchair sign is visible to the left of a wheelchair ramp." /></a><figcaption>New buildings are required to comply with a range of physical access requirements, which may include tactile paving (seen in yellow). Shutterstock</figcaption></figure> Accessibility fails Digital accessibility refers to the way people with a lived experience of disability interact with the cyber world. One example comes from an author of this article, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-07-13/dark-patterns-online-captcha-accessibility-disability-community/11301054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott</a>, who is legally blind. Scott is unable to purchase football tickets online because the ticketing website uses an image-based “CAPTCHA” test. It’s a seemingly simple task, but fraught with challenges when considering accessibility issues. Despite Scott having an IT-related PhD, and two decades of digital accessibility experience in academic and commercial arenas, it falls on his teenage son to complete the online ticket purchase. Screen readers, high-contrast colour schemes and text magnifiers are all assistive technology tools that enable legally blind users to interact with websites. Unfortunately, they are useless if a website has not been designed with an inclusive approach. The other author of this article, Justin, uses a wheelchair for mobility and can’t even purchase wheelchair seating tickets over the web. He has to phone a special access number to do so. Both of these are examples of digital accessibility fails. And they’re more common than most people realise. We can clearly do better The term “disability” covers a spectrum of <a href="https://www.apsc.gov.au/working-aps/diversity-and-inclusion/disability/definition-disability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">physical and cognitive conditions</a>. It can can range from short-term conditions to lifelong ones. “Digital accessibility” applies to a broad range of users <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/people-use-web/abilities-barriers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with varying abilities</a>. At last count, nearly <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one in five Australians (17.7%)</a> lived with some form of disability. This figure increases significantly when you consider the physical and cognitive impacts of ageing. At the same time, Australians are becoming increasingly reliant on digital services. According to a <a href="https://www.pwc.com.au/consulting/connected-government/potential-of-digital-inclusion.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 survey</a> by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, 45% of respondents in New South Wales and Victoria increased their use of digital channels during the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, research undertaken by <a href="https://www.infosys.com/australia/digital-accessibility-journey/executive-summary.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Infosys in December 2021</a> found only 3% of leading companies in Australia and New Zealand had effective digital accessibility processes. But have we improved? Areas that have shown accessibility improvement include <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/inclusive-design-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media platforms</a> such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, food ordering services such as <a href="https://www.afb.org/aw/20/4/16411" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uber Eats</a>, and media platforms such as the ABC News app. Challenges still persist in <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognizant/2022/03/03/how-to-make-online-banking-disabled-people-friendly/?sh=21a3d5dda4a5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online banking</a>, <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Websites-critiqued-on-accessibility-to-disabled-customers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">travel booking sites</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahkim/2020/12/30/accessibility-of-online-shopping/?sh=66a9d883e49e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shopping sites</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10209-021-00792-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">educational websites and content</a>. Data from the United States indicates lawsuits relating to accessibility <a href="https://www.essentialaccessibility.com/blog/web-accessibility-lawsuits">are on the rise</a>, with outcomes including financial penalties and requirements for business owners to remedy the accessibility of their website/s. In Australia, however, it’s often hard to obtain exact figures for the scale of accessibility complaints lodged with site owners. <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/disability-rights/publications/overlooked-consumers-20-australian-population-disabilities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This 1997 article</a> from the Australian Human Right Commission suggests the conversation hasn’t shifted much in 25 years. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=257&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=257&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=257&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A rendered illustration of a disabled man in a wheelchair and woman with a hearing aid lifting weights." /></a><figcaption>It’s a human right to have fair and equal access to the web and all its services. Shutterstock</figcaption></figure> There are solutions at hand There’s a clear solution to the digital divide. The World Wide Web Consortium’s <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines</a> (WCAG) standard has been widely adopted across the globe. It’s universally available, and is a requirement for all Australian public-facing government websites. It guides website and app developers on how to use web languages (such as HTML and CSS) in ways that enable end users who rely on assistive technologies. There are no specialist technologies or techniques required to make websites or apps accessible. All that’s needed is an adherence to good practice. Unfortunately, WCAG is rarely treated as an <a href="https://www.rev.com/blog/web-accessibility-laws-australia-new-zealand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enforceable standard</a>. All too often, adherence to WCAG requirements in Australia is reduced to a box-ticking exercise. Our academic work and experience liaising with a range of vendors has revealed that even where specific accessibility requirements are stated, many vendors will tick “yes” regardless of their knowledge of accessibility principles, or their ability to deliver against the standards. In cases where vendors do genuinely work towards WCAG compliance, they often rely on automated testing (via online tools), rather than human <a href="https://zoonou.com/resources/blog/why-automated-accessibility-testing-tools-are-not-enough/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testing</a>. As a result, genuine accessibility and usability issues can go <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262352732_Benchmarking_web_accessibility_evaluation_tools_Measuring_the_harm_of_sole_reliance_on_automated_tests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unreported</a>. While the coding of each element of a website might be WCAG compliant, the sum of all the parts may not be. In 2016, the Australian government adopted <a href="https://www.accessibility.org.au/policy-and-research/australian-policy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">standard EN 301549</a> (a direct implementation of an existing European standard). It’s aimed at preventing inaccessible products (hardware, software, websites and services) entering the government’s digital ecosystem. Yet the new standard seems to have achieved little. Few, if any, references to it appear in academic literature or the public web. It seems to have met a similar fate to the government’s <a href="https://www.governmentnews.com.au/national-transition-strategy-web-accessibility-in-transition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Transition Strategy</a> for digital accessibility, which quietly disappeared in 2015. The carrot, not the stick Accessibility advocates take different approaches to advancing the accessibility agenda with reticent organisations. Some instil the fear of legal action, often citing the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1RbzjUBT1s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maguire v SOCOG case</a>, where the 2000 Olympic website was found to be inaccessible. In a more recent example, the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-05/blind-woman-launches-court-action-against-coles-over-its-website/5869874?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manage v Coles settlement</a> saw Coles agree to make improvements to their website’s accessibility after being sued by a legally blind woman. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Screenshot of the top of Coles's 'accessibility' section on the company's website, with a red Coles logo on the top-left." /></a><figcaption>After getting sued by a legally blind customer in 2014, Coles made improvements to its website’s accessibility features. Screenshot/Coles</figcaption></figure> In the Coles case, the stick became the carrot; Coles went on to win a <a href="https://www.accessibility.org.au/award-winners-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national website accessibility award</a> after the original complainant nominated them following their remediation efforts. But while the financial impact of being sued might spur an organisation into action, it’s more likely to commit to genuine effort if this will generate a <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/business-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">positive return on investment</a>. Accessible by default We can attest to the common misconception that disability implies a need for help and support. Most people living with disability are seeking to live independently and with self-determination. To break the cycle of financial and social dependence frequently associated with the equity space, governments, corporations and educational institutions need to become accessible by default. The technologies and policies are all in place, ready to go. What is needed is leadership from government and non-government sectors to define digital accessibility as a right, and not a privilege. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182432/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/scott-hollier-1337594" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Hollier</a>, Adjunct Senior Lecturer - Science and Mathematics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edith Cowan University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-brown-1344442" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Brown</a>, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), School of Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edith Cowan University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/digital-inequality-why-can-i-enter-your-building-but-your-website-shows-me-the-door-182432" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Technology

Model drops over $100,000 on digital home

A supermodel has joined the growing number of celebrities buying digital property in the metaverse. Sara Sampaio, a former model for Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret, <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/supermodel-drops-110000-on-digital-island-in-the-metaverse-1119732/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has bought</a> a digital island getaway for a hefty price in The Sandbox metaverse. According to The Sandbox’s <a href="https://sandboxgame.gitbook.io/the-sandbox/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, it is a “community-driven”, online platform where people can monetise games, art, and other digital assets to generate a passive income. In order to create these assets and earn money, people buy a piece of digital real estate in the online world using a digital currency called Ethereum (ETH). Sampaio paid 25 ETH for the non-tangible asset, which is equivalent to almost $118,000. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/metaverse-home.jpg" alt="" width="1396" height="785" /> Sara Sampaio bought a digital island getaway in The Sandbox metaverse. Image: Exclusible Her new property was sold through the website <a href="https://exclusible.com/Exclusible/Exclusible-Private-Islands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exclusible</a>, which describes itself as a “premium, curated NFT website”. Sampaio’s island was one of 25 offered on the site’s exclusive archipelago, which is said to be close to rapper Snoop Dogg’s digital property that is also found in The Sandbox’s version of the metaverse. Although Sampaio spent a relatively small amount considering her million-dollar status, her latest investment comes after she made a loss on her (real-world) three-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. Having spent $3.92 million on the flat in the fashionable area of East Village, Sampaio went on to sell it for a loss of $160,000. Image: @sarasampaio (Instagram) / Exclusible

Real Estate

‘You can’t stop it’: in rural Australia, digital coercive control can be inescapable

Domestic and family violence perpetrators commonly use technology such as phones and other devices as a weapon to control and entrap victims and survivors, alongside other forms of abuse. This “<a href="https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/59/3/530/5172990?login=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">digital coercive control</a>” is not bound to a particular location and can follow targets anywhere, any time they access devices or digital media.For women outside urban Australia, technology-enabled abuse can pose more risk than for those in cities. In research funded by the <a href="https://www.aic.gov.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Institute of Criminology</a>, we spoke to <a href="https://doi.org/10.52922/ti78405" target="_blank" rel="noopener">13 such women who have been subjected to digital coercive control</a> to understand what it is like.The disturbing side of technology<blockquote>… you see a side of a phone that you probably wish you didn’t know about [Shelly]</blockquote>The women reported that abusers used technology to harass and stalk. The majority experienced image-based sexual abuse (the creation and/or release of intimate images without consent) or recordings made of victims or survivors, overtly or covertly.Some experienced doxxing (release of personal and identifiable information). Perpetrators in some cases impersonated real or fake people and initiated contact with women or their children. Authorised functions of phones and other devices and accounts were sometimes impaired, or unauthorised functions enabled.<blockquote>I think you can feel a lot safer knowing they are not in proximity; they can’t hurt me. When it comes to technology it can – I guess you’re more hyper-vigilant because they can come any time and you can’t stop it. Even if you block someone, they find another way. They do; he always found other means to make contact with me. I never – I guess you never got to escape, which I hadn’t experienced before, because every other type of abuse I was able to – it ended at some point. [Kira]</blockquote>It is different outside the citiesThese behaviours have also been observed in <a href="https://accan.org.au/Domestic%20Violence%20and%20Communication%20Technology%20final%20report%2020190801.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urban settings in Australia</a>. Also, like in cities, we found that violence persisted (and often increased) after separation.However, women outside cities face higher barriers when seeking help and responding to family violence, and they can also be at greater risk.Domestic violence agencies are further from women’s homes in non-urban areas, as we have observed in this study and in <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/104420/13/Landscapes%2Bof%2BViolence%2BCW%2Bedit%2BFINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other work</a>. Legal services can be limited and there are shortages in alternative and crisis accommodation.Complicated financial arrangements and pressures may hinder women’s ability to exit violent relationships, such as where they work on farms or other small businesses and there may be few employment and educational opportunities in the region.No anonymityNumerous survivors spoke of the lack of anonymity in rural areas, so they and/or their abusers were more likely to be known when disclosing and reporting violence. This can be confronting, especially when perpetrators are well-known and well liked.<blockquote>He is established - he knows people and he’s well liked … he’s in a boys’ club and knows lots of people … whereas I don’t. [Fiona]</blockquote>This could be heightened for women with family and networks out of the region or overseas, culturally and linguistically diverse women, criminalised women, or those viewed as “different” outsiders.As well as actively destroying women’s social networks, abusers would challenge women’s accounts of abuse and attempt to gather allies, as Claire explains:<blockquote>He went around the streets telling people that I’m crazy … Because we’re in a small country town he was going in and out of shops … He affiliated himself with one of the local churches and got them on his side.</blockquote>Isolation and fearAbusers socially isolate women, and those in non-urban areas are often socially further from family, friends and support services than those urban areas. We found too, that some abusers sought to extend geographic isolation, by moving women to more remote locations.Technology could provide channels to communicate with others and to seek assistance and support. Natalie had “a good amount of friends” and so would be “on the phone, or I’d be texting, and that was my outlet for a crazy situation”. However, some women felt this was not always possible when devices had been taken over or were monitored by abusers.<blockquote>[I was] too scared to use it [technology]. I just couldn’t reach out to people … I didn’t want to use it just in case [Lola]</blockquote>Fear loomed large in women’s accounts of digital coercive control. All those we spoke to had contact with police.Some had positive encounters, most commonly with specialist (domestic and family violence liaison officers, who are less available in many rural areas) but more spoke of negative encounters. Women who were dissatisfied with police felt that officers were dismissive of digital coercive control.‘Homicide flags’We believe digital coercive control warrants attention. Coercive control, obsessive tendencies, stalking, and threats to kill or self-harm have all been noted as signals of fatal violence by <a href="https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/586182/domestic-and-family-violence-death-review-and-advisory-board-annual-report-2017-18.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death review teams</a>.The women we interviewed reported all these behaviours. Non-fatal strangulation is another “homicide flag” and was reported by 46% of our participants.Firearm ownership and threats to use firearms also signal high risk. Firearm ownership is common on farms and in many rural areas.An assault can become a homicide in rural areas, because of the sheer distance between the site of an attack and a hospital or medic.It is imperative that we acknowledge and address how technology is used against survivors and the impact that technology-facilitated abuse has on women across landscapes. We must also recognise that women in rural locations face elevated risks, and that digital coercive control can provide evidence and signal risk of fatal violence.<hr />Pseudonyms have been used for the women quoted in this article.The National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line – <a href="https://www.1800respect.org.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1800 RESPECT</a> (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.<img style="border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176980/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bridget-harris-547362" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bridget Harris</a>, Associate professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queensland University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/delanie-woodlock-1287646" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delanie Woodlock</a>, , <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNSW Sydney</a>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/you-cant-stop-it-in-rural-australia-digital-coercive-control-can-be-inescapable-176980" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.Image: Getty Images

Technology

How to organise your digital clutter

Getting your digital clutter under control The days of bursting file cabinets and desks buried under paper may be behind us, but that doesn’t mean our 21st-century lives are any more organised. With wireless technology integrated into our daily routines, many of us have simply traded paper clutter for digital disarray. You might take it for granted, but it’s there: Your overflowing inbox, that mess of files on your desktop screen, and those alerts that your phone’s storage is at capacity. The shift from working in the office to remotely from home during the pandemic has blurred the division of personal and business files even further, making organisation that much more of a challenge. “When one of the digital areas of our life is getting full, it can feel overwhelming,” says productivity coach Clare Kumar. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting that digital clutter under control. Set aside time for a digital clean-up Don’t expect to clean up your digital clutter at the end of a workday when you’re already feeling fatigued. It’s best to schedule this task for a day that you’ll have the time and energy to complete it, just as you might set aside a day for spring-cleaning your house. “As with any organising project, it takes some mental energy, strategic thinking and planning,” says Kumar. It’s also important to tune into how satisfied you feel after doing a bit organising – that will motivate you to keep going. If you find that a periodic mass clean-up of your devices is way too overwhelming, figure out what frequency works for you. Like putting your clothes away at the end of the day, it might feel easier to delete unwanted photos right after you take them. Expert tip: Think about organising your digital clutter from a legacy point of view. Your next of kin needs to be aware of what you own – passwords, finances, legal documents – and where these files are located in case of an emergency. Establish priorities for what you want to keep - or delete According to Kumar, the first thing to do when you’re setting out to organise all your files, whether they’re online banking statements or videos from your last holiday, is to think about what’s important to you. In the same way that you would sort through physical clutter in a room – think junk drawers, old magazines, day-old dishes – imagine it’s your spam emails and outdated documents that are taking up precious space in your digital environment. “You do want to be intentional about this because it’s quite abstract,” she says. The key questions to ask yourself are: What files do you want to keep and how do you want to use them? For example, if your passion is photography, you’ll want to make sure that you have enough room on your devices to store photos, and an organisational strategy to find them again. Expert tip: Start by dividing all the files across your devices that you want to organise into broad categories like photos, work and taxes. Choose the right storage option Chances are, you’ve received a warning from at least one of your smart devices that you’re dangerously close to reaching your storage limit. Luckily, there are a number of different digital storage options you can tap to transfer those files from your device. These options can be divided into two broad categories: physical storage devices (like USB flash drives or external hard drives) that plug into your device, and cloud-based storage (like Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive) that are accessed online and store your files on a remote server. When might you choose one over the other? Well, it depends on what types of files you’re storing, how large they are and how you want to access them in the future. For example, if you’re storing digital photo files you’d like to share with family members, a cloud-based storage would be better because it allows multiple users shared access to the same documents. While it might be tempting to save all your files into a single location, Kumar notes that there’s nothing wrong with using several options – provided they make not only storage but also retrieval as effortless as possible. “My iPhone is backed up to iCloud because that’s natural in that environment, and I use Google Drive because my Gmail’s backed up within that,” she says. Expert tip: Don’t forget to factor in legal requirements for work-related files that might need to be held in more secure storage. Create an organising system that makes sense to you It’s certainly easier in the moment to leave digital files with their automatically-generated file names, but being more deliberate with your labelling pays off in the long run. If you’re looking for a cherished family photo from a few holidays back, you’ll have an easier time finding it under the file name “family-holiday-fiji-july-2019.jpg” versus “10077892.jpg.” “The sole purpose of organisation is to help you find it later,” says Kumar. “You’re paying yourself forward whenever you create a file name that is going to be easy to find.” There are two aspects to this – how you find things and the way that you name things. File hierarchies can become complex and maze-like the more levels you add, so it’s best to keep things as simple as possible. For example, nesting your photo in the folders “Photos – > 2021 – > March” will make them a breeze to track down later. If you’re a more visual person, apply that to your organising strategy. Love downloading apps on your phone but not how they clutter the home screen? Group them together by colour. “Put only as much structure as you need, and not more,” advises Kumar. The same rule applies to naming files – make it as easy as possible for your brain. Expert tip: When naming files, start with the date and then topic like “yyyy-mm-dd-taxes.” That will allow you to sort files chronologically so you can always see the oldest or the most recent. Take advantage of organising apps There are plenty of different apps on the market that are designed to help with digital decluttering. For those who want to get their inbox and email subscriptions under control, Kumar recommends Unroll.Me for your smartphone. The tool allows you to easily unsubscribe from unwanted emails or combine your favourite subscriptions into a single email. If you find yourself keeping multiple tabs open day after day, the browser extension OneTab consolidates them into a single list to save your device’s memory (and your time). To scrub your social media accounts of old – and possibly embarrassing – posts, you can often delete or archive within the app. Expert tip: If you’ve hit an all-time high number of emails in your inbox, it might be time for a clean sweep. “I highly recommend saving emails that really matter from a sentimental or a business documentation point of view, and then you can do mass delete by time,” says Kumar. Schedule regular decluttering in your routine Kumar recommends checking in on all your devices and files on a quarterly basis. At the minimum, do a yearly audit of the storage you’re using. You could be missing out on a new app that’s more efficient or realise that your storage solution is outdated (or even full). If you still have some old documents on outdated technology like floppy disks, it might be time to think about transferring them to a more reliable supported location before they’re permanently lost. You can still copy data over to a modern computer using an external or internal floppy drive, but technology may have evolved to a point where certain old file formats can no longer be read. “There’s a window when the services are fairly affordable to convert those things and it’s worthwhile jumping on before it becomes a really exclusive and expensive service,” says Kumar. Expert tip: Kumar recommends reading The Organised Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload by Daniel J. Levitin for a neuroscientist’s take on how to navigate all the data we consume. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/science-technology/how-to-organise-your-digital-clutter">Reader's Digest</a>.

Technology

Digital toys for kids you don’t have to feel guilty about

Guilt has perhaps always been part of selecting and giving gifts for children. However, in 2021, after two years of increased screen time for children thanks to COVID, parents may be experiencing even more uncertainty around what to buy. But what if the power of play could counter some of these fears? The <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/3/e20182058/38649/The-Power-of-Play-A-Pediatric-Role-in-Enhancing?autologincheck=redirected">importance of play</a> is well recognised. Play holds developmental <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuu59E97igU">power</a> to facilitate communication, increase personal strengths, foster emotional well-being and enhance social relationships. This can be true of digital gifts as well as more traditional presents. Here are some ideas for screen-based toys that are good for both a child’s development and easing parental guilt. <h2>Screen time – is there such a thing as too much?</h2> Firstly, let’s address the key concern many parents have: can too much screen time harm a child’s development? The answer lies in knowing and balancing the risks and benefits of screen time. A recent University of Colorado Boulder <a href="https://theconversation.com/kids-and-their-computers-several-hours-a-day-of-screen-time-is-ok-study-suggests-168022">study</a> of nine and ten year-olds found even when kids spend five hours a day on screens, “it doesn’t appear to be harmful”. The study also suggests screen time can improve social relationships. "While parents should make sure their children are using screens in appropriate ways, our early research suggests lengthy time on screen is not likely to yield dire consequences." Research also indicates the <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-019-0881-7">type of screen time</a> is important. This suggests active engagement (such as playing a game or doing an activity) may be beneficial, whereas prolonged periods of passive screen time (such as watching TV or YouTube) could be detrimental. There are <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128">international</a> and <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians#summary-by-age">Australian</a> recommendations on how much screen time is suitable for children, which vary depending on age. Guidelines also advise negotiating clear boundaries for screen time, limiting sedentary screen time, and incorporating <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/play-learning/screen-time-healthy-screen-use/screen-time-physical-activity">physical activity</a> and <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/play-learning/screen-time-healthy-screen-use/shared-screen-time">social relationships</a>. For children, this may mean sharing a family device, having clear boundaries about usage and a parent supervising. Ultimately, screens are a part of modern life – children need to learn how to navigate them. Modelling <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/family-life/family-media-entertainment/parent-technology-use">healthy screen time</a> as well as selecting developmentally appropriate digital toys or platforms for play are two ways parents can assist children in developing a healthy relationship with screen time. <h2>Digital toys across age groups</h2> Babies and toddlers Video-chatting is <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/play-learning/media-technology/healthy-screen-time-0-2-years">the only</a> recommended form of screen time for babies and toddlers. Digital devices and apps may assist parents when used together with their baby or toddler, to maintain relationships with friends and family. Apps on a parent’s device, such as <a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/baby-karaoke/id426373998">Baby Karaoke</a> can help parents to <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/baby-karaoke">remember </a>and sing along to nursery rhymes and children’s songs. Joining together with your child in playful rhythm and rhyme time in the <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/first-1000-days">first 1,000 days</a> supports many aspects of brain development. Pre-schoolers (3-5 years) Screen time, when supervised by a parent and part of a balanced <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/play-learning/screen-time-media/healthy-screen-time-2-5-years">healthy</a> family lifestyle, can support children’s developing imagination, creativity, and storytelling. Apps and digital games like <a href="https://www.playosmo.com/en/">Osmo</a>, where players use objects in the real world to interact with the digital world on their device, can develop communication, social and problem-solving skills. School-age (5-9 years) Apps and digital games that support learning, social skills and creativity are <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/play-media-technology/media/good-apps-games-movies-school-age">recommended for school-age</a> children. App ideas include <a href="https://freeappsforme.com/stop-motion-apps/">Stop Motion</a>, where children use physical toys such as Lego minifigures or plasticine models to create short animated movies. <a href="https://khankids.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004559231-Welcome-to-Khan-Academy-Kids">Khan Academy for Kids</a> allows children to read books, create and draw, solve puzzles and play games that promote social skills. Pre-teens (9-12 years) Pre-teens may be starting to conduct a significant part of their <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/entertainment-technology/digital-life/screen-time-social-life">social life</a> online. Supporting their developing sense of <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/entertainment-technology/digital-life/digital-citizenship">digital citizenship</a> is a crucial step and should be considered when choosing digital gifts. So, digital games that promote learning, hold positive messages, and allow for a sense of achievement are <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/entertainment-technology/gaming-gambling/video-games-apps">recommended for pre-teens</a>. As a parent of two pre-teens, Kate shares that two current favourite apps in her house are the drawing/art app <a href="https://procreate.art/">Procreate</a> and the meditation, ambient sounds and bedtime stories app <a href="https://www.calm.com/">Calm</a>. Other ideas include learning a new skill like a musical instrument with apps like <a href="https://www.joytunes.com/simply-piano">Simply Piano</a> or <a href="https://simplyguitar.joytunes.com/">Simply Guitar</a>. <a href="https://www.warnerbros.com/games-and-apps/heads">Heads Up!</a> allows you to play charades online, while popular video game <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/minecraft">Minecraft</a> promotes creativity. Finally, work together as a family to remember, preserve and write family stories using <a href="https://storycorps.org/">Story Corps</a>. Teenagers (13-18 years) Screen time can be included in the <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/entertainment-technology/screen-time-healthy-screen-use/healthy-screen-time-teens">healthy lifestyle</a> of teenagers. Digital activities that foster interests and hobbies, and enhance social connections are an important consideration for development, health, and well-being. As a parent of a teenager, Judi shares that the current favourite at her house is the virtual reality headset <a href="https://www.oculus.com/">Oculus Quest 2</a>, which enables social connection through <a href="https://hello.vrchat.com/">VRChat</a>, <a href="https://altvr.com/">Altspace</a> and meditation with <a href="https://www.tripp.com/">TRIPP</a> and <a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2616537008386430/">Nature Treks </a>. Other ideas include getting out in nature for a family treasure hunt adventure using <a href="https://www.geocaching.com/play">Geocaching </a>. Or host a trivia party with family or friends using <a href="https://www.sporcle.com/groups/topics/766d10e0f72b">Sporcle</a>. Games like <a href="https://www.spore.com/">Spore</a> allow players to design their own species by evolving microscopic organisms into their own creations. <h2>What to bear in mind</h2> If you’re doing your own searches, use terms like “creative apps for preschoolers” and use a review site like <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/">Common Sense Media</a> to check your choice. And consider physically active screen time choices. Examples include the <a href="https://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendo-switch-family/switch">Nintendo Switch</a> that promote <a href="https://www.thegamer.com/10-games-like-ring-fit-adventure-on-the-nintendo-switch/">physical activity</a> such as dancing (<a href="https://www.ubisoft.com/en-au/game/just-dance/2022">Just Dance</a>) or real-life exercises, including jogging and yoga (<a href="https://www.nintendo.com.au/games/nintendo-switch/ring-fit-adventure">Ring Fit Adventure</a>). There is also virtual reality, which enables enjoyment, exploration and experiencing through multi-modes including movement (<a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1304877726278670/">Beat Saber</a>), art-making (<a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2322529091093901?ranking_trace=0_2322529091093901_QUESTSEARCH_85b10f4f-d9f3-44a1-b964-47c4da2e9cb8">Tilt Brush</a>), and immersive experiences (<a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2078376005587859?ranking_trace=0_2078376005587859_QUESTSEARCH_f4176e13-59ec-45c0-9b14-21117290e72b">Wander</a>). So, pause for a moment when considering digital gifts for children and ask yourself three things: 1) Is there a physical component? 2) Will this gift be used together within a relationship? 3) What is the play value? Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/digital-toys-for-kids-you-dont-have-to-feel-guilty-about-172612">The Conversation</a>.

Technology

Overhaul of payments system to cover digital wallets, buy now pay later, cryptocurrency

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will announce on Wednesday a comprehensive reform of regulations governing the payments system, to bring it up to date with innovations such as digital wallets and cryptocurrency. The government says without the changes – the biggest in 25 years – Australians businesses and consumers could increasingly be making transactions in spaces beyond the full reach of Australian law, where rules were determined by foreign governments and multinationals. It points out that in three decades payment methods have gone from cash to cheques, cheques to credit cards, credit cards to debit cards and now to “tap and go” via digital wallets on phones or watches. Around a decade ago, cryptocurrency was a concept. Currently, there are more than 220 million participants in the worldwide crypto market, including many in Australia. The planned reforms will centralise oversight of the payment system by ensuring government plays a greater leadership role. The treasurer will be given more power to intervene in certain circumstances. Consumer protection will be strengthened, and more competition and innovation will be promoted. The reform program will be in two phases. There will be consultations in the first half of next year on those that are most urgent and easy to implement. Consultations on the rest will be done by the end of the year. The government says the present one-size-fits-all licensing framework for payment service providers will be replaced graduated, risk-based regulatory requirements. There will be consideration of the feasibility of a retail central bank digital currency, and an examination of “de-banking” (where a bank declines to offer a service to a business or individual). Frydenberg says the comprehensive payments and crypto asset reform program would “firmly place Australia among a handful of lead countries in the world. "It is how we will capitalise on the opportunity for Australia to lead the world in this emerging and fast-growing area which has almost endless potential applications across the economy,” he says. “For businesses, these reforms will address the ambiguity that can exist about the regulatory and tax treatment of crypto assets and new payment methods. "In doing so, it will drive even more consumer interest, facilitate even more new entrants and enable even more innovation to take place. "For consumers, these changes will establish a regulatory framework to underpin their growing use of crypto assets and clarify the treatment of new payment methods.”<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173331/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-grattan-20316">Michelle Grattan</a>, Professorial Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/overhaul-of-payments-system-to-cover-digital-wallets-buy-now-pay-later-cryptocurrency-173331">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Retirement Income

How the hyper-violent Squid Game has crept into digital content targeting young children

The dystopian South Korean horror series Squid Game has become <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/netflix-adds-more-users-than-it-predicted-boosted-by-squid-game-11634674211#:%7E:text=In%20its%20letter%20to%20investors,in%2094%20countries%2C%20it%20said.">Netflix’s most watched </a>TV series, but it <a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/au/squid-game-phone-number-edit-netflix/">is quickly becoming as controversial as it is popular</a>. The latest controversy to arise around Squid Game, which is rated MA15+ in Australia, relates to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/10/18/kids-playing-squid-game/">the interest it has sparked amongst young children</a>. This includes <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/education/children-as-young-as-six-mimicking-squid-game-in-playground-school-warns-20211014-p58zxx.html">warnings from an Australian school that children as young</a> as six are recreating games featured in the dark and gory hit show. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/17/english-council-urges-parents-not-to-allow-children-to-watch-squid-game">A council in Southern England</a> recently sent an email to parents urging them to “be vigilant” after receiving reports “young people are copying games and violence” from the show. In Australia, similar warnings have been issued by educators in <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/sydney-primary-school-issues-warning-to-parents-over-netflixs-squid-game-series-c-4235374">Sydney</a> and <a href="https://thewest.com.au/stories/alarming-squid-game-warning-send-to-wa-schools/">Western Australia</a>. In Squid Game, characters compete for a cash prize by participating in challenges that augment classic Korean children’s games, with the “losers” being killed at the end of each round. Further emphasising the show’s twisted take on child’s play, these games are staged in highly stylised arenas, such as an adult scale children’s playground. After each challenge, these traditional children’s play spaces tend to be left soaked in blood and littered with piles of corpses. <h2>Squid Game on TikTok and YouTube</h2> While the recent warnings urge parents not to let their children watch Squid Game, young children’s awareness of the violent show more likely relates to its pervasive presence on social media, which has extended to viral content on TikTok and YouTube, popular with teenagers and children. The show is certainly a craze within children’s digital cultures. A number of successful channels on YouTube Kids (designed for viewers under 12) have capitalised on the Squid Game trend. This YouTube content includes “<a href="https://www.youtubekids.com/watch?v=sWi-EVi6H1U">How to Draw Squid Game</a>” character videos, and Squid Game themed <a href="https://www.youtubekids.com/watch?v=IRICggaHLT8">gameplay videos</a> from online videogame Roblox. This videogame, which is <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/21/21333431/roblox-over-half-of-us-kids-playing-virtual-parties-fortnite">popular with kids,</a> enables users to program games and share them with other users. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ltV_lT1SLdo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Squid Game has become<a href="https://www.polygon.com/22700182/squid-game-roblox-netflix-show"> a very common theme </a>in these user programmed Roblox games. Many Squid Game Roblox videos <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltV_lT1SLdo">have hundreds of thousands</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_9TsVKYPp8">even millions of views</a>. On both the kids’ and main version of YouTube, videos aimed at children feature people (often children) playing these Squid Game inspired games in Roblox, with the “Red Light, Green Light” challenge emerging <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNfHAn8PGPM">as a particularly popular trend</a>. This challenge is also a trend on TikTok, with people emulating the game in a vast variety of <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@theblondejon/video/7012080679378849029?is_from_webapp=v1&q=red%20light%20green%20light%20squid%20game&t=1634792841564">real life settings</a> and in videogames <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@oldtime101/video/7014485706940648710?is_from_webapp=v1&q=red%20light%20green%20light%20squid%20game&t=1634792841564">Roblox</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@chrisreksu/video/7016787344397257990?is_from_webapp=v1&q=red%20light%20green%20light%20squid%20game%20minecraft&t=1634793021421">Minecraft. </a> <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KNfHAn8PGPM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The “Red Light, Green Light” scene has become one of Squid Game’s most widely shared moments: the giant animatronic doll that acts as a deadly motion sensor in this game has been heavily meme-ified. This doll often features in video thumbnails for Squid Game-related children’s YouTube content. Most of these kids’ YouTube videos are quite innocuous by themselves. However, they show how Squid Game has crept into digital content explicitly targeting young children. <h2>Murky boundaries</h2> Given Squid Game’s bright, childish aesthetics and focus on playground games, it is perhaps not surprising that viral online content about the show appeals to children. But the boundaries between adult and child-oriented content online have always been murky. YouTube has been at the centre of a number of controversies regarding <a href="https://medium.com/@jamesbridle/something-is-wrong-on-the-internet-c39c471271d2">inappropriate content aimed at children</a>. TikTok has faced similar controversies related to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56815480">children’s safety on the app </a>and problematic content being watched by children, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/08/revealed-anti-vaccine-tiktok-videos-viewed-children-as-young-as-nine-covid">such as anti-vaccine videos.</a> Tik Tok allows full access to the app to children aged over 13 but reports show children much younger are using it: alongside YouTube, TikTok is currently facing <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/577537-tiktok-youtube-snapchat-executives-to-testify-at-senate-hearing-on-kids">a US Senate hearing on kids’ safety</a>. After a historic fine of US$170 million (A$227 million) was imposed on YouTube by the US Federal Trade Commission in 2019, sweeping changes were introduced to make the distinction between adult and children’s content clearer on the platform. For instance, creators must now inform YouTube if their content is for children and machine-learning is used to identify videos that <a href="https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/an-update-on-kids/">clearly target young audiences.</a> Despite these changes, YouTube remains a very different beast to broadcast television, and content popular with children on both the main and children’s version of the platform often differs markedly from kids’ TV. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427666/original/file-20211021-14-1xrpoic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427666/original/file-20211021-14-1xrpoic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Still from Squid Game" /></a> Children’s YouTube content that riffs on Squid Game characters and scenes continues a longstanding trend of <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-an-age-of-elsa-spider-man-romantic-mash-ups-how-to-monitor-youtubes-childrens-content-123088">“mash-up” content for children on the platform</a>. Like Squid Game content, “mash-up” videos harness trending themes, search terms, and characters – often featuring popular characters in thumbnail imagery and video titles. Adult anxieties about Squid Game’s malign influence on children build on earlier concerns about this “mash-up” content, but also about children’s interaction with the web more generally. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427664/original/file-20211021-27-100x57m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427664/original/file-20211021-27-100x57m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> The rising global panic about children’s participation in Squid Game challenges echoes the “Momo” phenomenon of 2018 and 2019. In this case, a photo of a sinister figure that became associated with the moniker “Momo” went viral online (the photo was actually of a Japanese sculpture). <a href="https://theconversation.com/momo-challenge-shows-how-even-experts-are-falling-for-digital-hoaxes-112782">An international news cycle</a> emerged about “Momo”, claiming the creature was appearing in children’s content on YouTube and encouraging kids to participate in deadly games and challenges. As is now occurring in relation to Squid Game, in Australia and beyond <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-01/momo-challenge-sparks-warning-from-online-safety-watchdog/10861080">official warnings were issued to parents</a> about the “Momo Challenge”, advising them to be vigilant. It soon became clear the “Momo Challenge” was most likely <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47393510">a viral hoax</a>. Momo embodied parents’ worst fears about the dangers of children’s internet use. Concerns about Squid Game’s influence on children have a similar tenor: these fears may not be a response to actual dangers, but a manifestation of our discomfort with how easily adult-oriented media can seep into online content aimed at young children. The unruly tentacles of Squid Game’s inter-generational appeal show how streaming media challenges existing conceptions of “child-appropriate” content.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170209/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-balanzategui-814024">Jessica Balanzategui</a>, Senior Lecturer in Cinema and Screen Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-hyper-violent-squid-game-has-crept-into-digital-content-targeting-young-children-170209">original article</a>. Image: Netflix

How new smartphone tech will help diagnose mental health issues

Apple is reportedly working on new technology that could be used to diagnose mental health conditions such as depression and cognitive decline. In collaboration with the biotech Biogen, Apple is hoping to utilise their digital sensors to their potential, which already include heart, sleep and activity monitoring through the Apple Watch and iPhone. Researchers told the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-wants-iphones-to-help-detect-depression-cognitive-decline-sources-say-11632216601">Wall Street Journal</a> they will be able to use data from iPhone sensors to track digital signals that are linked to mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, and feed them into an algorithm. This should be able to predict depression and other conditions and form the basis of new features in a future version of Apple's operating system. The research is an amalgamation of two research projects that involve tracking Apple devices to predict mental health habits. One project, codenamed ‘Seabreeze’, explores stress and anxiety-induced tendencies in partnership with Apple. The other, codenamed ‘Pi’, has set out to further analyse mild cognitive impairment. As the projects remain in their early stages, Apple has yet to officially confirm if they will result in new iPhone features. To effectively diagnose a mental health condition, an individual requires close monitoring by experts to look for changes in behaviour from the norm. The data analysed by these projects include monitoring facial expressions, how often users speak, how often they go for a walk, how well they sleep as well as heart and breathing rates. People 'close to the study' told the WSJ they may also be looking at the speed of typing, frequency of typos, content they type and other points. All of these habits are thought to be “digital signals” that can hint at mental health issues. Image credit: Shutterstock

Technology

Shadow Catchers review: Fakes, body doubles and mirrors from the analog to the digital lens

Review: <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/shadow-catchers/">Shadow Catchers</a> at Art Gallery of New South Wales. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-28/vladimir-putin-says-he-never-used-body-double/12009780">denied using a body double</a>, saying he’d been offered one before but declined. The rest of us, in our glorious anonymity, might take up the offer. An actual person could shadow us through daily life. They could hold us tight while we attend to the task of living. They could reply to emails, chauffeur children and stand in for us at work while we go to the beach instead. Body doubles come into focus in a major exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Curated by Isobel Parker Philip, <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/shadow-catchers/">Shadow Catchers</a> includes almost 90 works from the art gallery’s collection: photography, video, sculpture and installations from Australia’s most respected artists, alongside important international works. Common to the works is the use of shadows, body doubles and mirrors, many of which challenge a straight forward understanding of photography and the moving image. The camera can lie Shadow Catchers shows that since the <a href="https://photo-museum.org/niepce-invention-photography/">first photography in 1827</a>, the medium has given us truthful copies of ourselves and the world. However, we also know it is easily exploited. In the era of fake news, we increasingly question the veracity of images. One of the oldest works in the exhibition, Clarence H. White and Alfred Stieglitz’ 1907 work <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/425.1977/">Experiment 27</a> (lady in white with crystal ball), shows images have long performed a dual function of revealing but also manipulating or concealing reality. The exhibition presents us with distortions, mirror images and doppelgangers and brings us truth and fiction in equal measure. Viewing the works of <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/412.2016.1-120/">Patrick Pound</a>, <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=redgate-jacky">Jacky Redgate</a> and <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=phillips-debra">Debra Phillips</a>, I wondered whether I was seeing the moon, the Earth, a UFO, a mirror or a simple ball. I was drawn into the cosy domestic space of what I thought was a lesbian couple. Instead, I was being intimately invited by <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=phillips-emma">Emma Phillips</a> to witness the tenderness of twin attachment. The self-splitting allure of the mirror reveals itself in works by <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/artists/moffatt-tracey/">Tracey Moffatt</a> and <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=morley-lewis">Lewis Morley</a> (famous for his portrait of Christine Keeler). The erotic force of a simple shop mannequin is the signature of French photographer <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=molinier-pierre">Pierre Molinier</a>. <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=bing-ilse">Ilse Bing</a>’s intimate self-portrait from 1931 illustrates the central curatorial premise, duplicating her dark beauty in a staging of two angled mirrors where she looks both at us and away from us. Other highlights include eight imposing photographs by <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=raskopoulos-eugenia">Eugenia Raskopoulos</a>. Activating the illusory properties of the mirror after a hot shower, letters from the Greek alphabet are wiped onto the steamy surface. Grand scale <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=fairskye-merilyn">Merilyn Fairskye</a>’s large scale portraits, printed on a plastic substrate, emit a shadow onto the wall behind them and create a schism that gently ruptures the faces of her subjects. Body double, a work by <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?artist_id=rrap-julie">Julie Rrap</a>, is the centrepiece of the exhibition. The artist has worked with notions of the double in sculpture, video and photography since the early 1980s. Two silicon rubber casts of the artist’s body lie corpse-like on a stage, one face down and one face up. A ghost-like figure of a man or a woman is projected onto the bodies. The projection of the body rolls across the stage from one figure to the other, appearing to resuscitate the silicon forms. The organisation of the works across four rooms intermingles historical works with the contemporary, reminding us that the present is always informed by the past. The exhibition offers a poetic reflection and critical account of our enduring fascination with technologies of representation. While the exhibition successfully returns us to photography’s past and the defiant contribution of postmodern approaches to “doubling”, it neglects to question our current and future predicament. The world today is saturated, even drowning, in shadows, which we are too slow or too tired to catch. Today we share the world with millions of our body doubles whether we want to or not. Shadows and mirrors follow us through daily life and reflect us in the screens of our digital devices, ultrasound images, x-rays, dentists’ moulds; our experience of ourselves in the world is constantly mediated through the experience of seeing ourselves duplicated. Bitmoji, digital avatars, gaming skins, VR personas, Instagram feeds, CCTV surveilance and passport scans mean we have plenty of body doubles lurking in cyberspace. It is suggested we live in a <a href="https://www.lensculture.com/articles/mois-de-la-photo-montreal-biennale-2015-the-post-photographic-condition">post-photographic</a> time. What this means is that technology is creating images of and with us, for and not for us. These may be better or worse than our mortal bodies and mostly beyond our control. Shadow Catchers is showing at Art Gallery of New South Wales until May 17. Written by Cherine Fahd. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/shadow-catchers-review-fakes-body-doubles-and-mirrors-from-the-analog-to-the-digital-lens-132668">The Conversation.</a>

Movies

Why paper maps still matter in the digital age

Ted Florence is ready for his family trip to Botswana. He has looked up his hotel on Google Maps and downloaded a digital map of the country to his phone. He has also packed a large paper map. “I travel all over the world,” says Florence, the president of the international board of the <a href="https://imiamaps.org/">International Map Industry Association</a> and <a href="https://www.avenzamaps.com/">Avenza Maps</a>, a digital map software company. “Everywhere I go, my routine is the same: I get a paper map, and I keep it in my back pocket.” With the proliferation of smartphones, it’s easy to assume that the era of the paper map is over. That attitude, that digital is better than print, is what I call “technochauvinism.” In my book, <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/artificial-unintelligence">Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World</a>, I look at how technochauvinism has been used to create an unnecessary, occasionally harmful bias for digital over print or any other kind of interface. A glance at the research reveals that the paper map still thrives in the digital era, and there are distinct advantages to using print maps. Your brain on maps Cognitive researchers generally make a distinction between surface knowledge and deep knowledge. Experts have deep knowledge of a subject or a geography; amateurs have surface knowledge. Digital interfaces are good for acquiring surface knowledge. Answering the question, “How do I get from the airport to my hotel in a new-to-me city?” is a pragmatic problem that requires only shallow information to answer. If you’re traveling to a city for only 24 hours for a business meeting, there’s usually no need to learn much about a city’s layout. When you live in a place, or you want to travel meaningfully, deep knowledge of the geography will help you to navigate it and to understand its culture and history. Print maps help you acquire deep knowledge faster and more efficiently. In experiments, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.014">people who read on paper consistently demonstrate better reading comprehension</a> than people who read the same material on a screen. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551512470043">A 2013 study</a> showed that, as a person’s geographic skill increases, so does their preference for paper maps. For me, the difference between deep knowledge and surface knowledge is the difference between what I know about New York City, where I have lived for years, and San Francisco, which I have visited only a handful of times. In New York, I can tell you where all the neighborhoods are and which train lines to take and speculate about whether the prevalence of Manhattan schist in the geological substrate influenced the heights of the buildings that are in Greenwich Village versus Midtown. I’ve invested a lot of time in looking at both paper and digital maps of New York. In San Francisco, I’ve only ever used digital maps to navigate from point to point. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know where anything is in the Bay Area. Our brains encode knowledge as what scientists call <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.014">a cognitive map</a>. In psychology-speak, I lack a cognitive map of San Francisco. “When the human brain gathers visual information about an object, it also gathers information about its surroundings, and associates the two,” wrote communication researchers Jinghui Hou, Justin Rashid and Kwan Min Lee <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.014">in a 2017 study</a>. “In a similar manner to how people construct a mental map of a physical environment (e.g., a desk in the center of an office facing the door), readers form a ‘cognitive map’ of the physical location of a text and its spatial relationship to the text as a whole.” Reading in print makes it easier for the brain to encode knowledge and to remember things. Sensory cues, like unfolding the complicated folds of a paper map, help create that cognitive map in the brain and help the brain to retain the knowledge. The same is true for a simple practice like tracing out a hiking route on a paper map with your finger. The physical act of moving your arm and feeling the paper under your finger <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/06/smarter-living/memory-tricks-mnemonics.html">gives your brain haptic and sensorimotor cues</a> that contribute to the formation and retention of the cognitive map. Map mistakes Another factor in the paper versus digital debate is accuracy. Obviously, a good digital map is better than a bad paper map, just like a good paper map is better than a bad digital map. <a href="https://medium.com/@mitpress/3-recommendations-to-combat-technochauvinism-9099b257b92c">Technochauvinists</a> may believe that all digital maps are good, but just as in the paper world, the accuracy of digital maps depends entirely on the level of detail and fact-checking invested by the company making the map. For example, a <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/20/business/la-fi-tn-apple-google-maps-lost-20121220">2012 survey by the crowdsourcing company Crowdflower</a> found that Google Maps accurately located 89 percent of businesses, while Apple Maps correctly found 74 percent. This isn’t surprising, as Google <a href="https://www.google.com/streetview/understand/">invests millions in sending people</a> around the world to map terrain for Google StreetView. Google Maps are good because the company invests time, money and human effort in making its maps good – not because digital maps are inherently better. Fanatical attention to detail is necessary to keep digital maps up to date, as conditions in the real world change constantly. Companies like Google are constantly updating their maps, and will have to do so regularly for as long as they continue to publish. The maintenance required for digital content is substantial – <a href="https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/601767-maps-obsolete.html">a cost that technochauvinists often ignore</a>. In my view, it’s easier to forgive the errors in a paper map. Physical maps usually include an easily visible publication date so users can see when the map was published. (When was the last time you noticed the date-of-last-update on your car navigation system?) When you are passively following the spoken GPS directions of a navigation system, and there is, say, an unmarked exit, it confuses the GPS system and causes chaos among the people in the car. (Especially the backseat drivers.) The best map for the job Some of the deeper flaws of digital maps are not readily apparent to the public. Digital systems, including cartographic ones, are more interconnected than most people realize. Mistakes, which are inevitable, can go viral and create more trouble than anyone anticipates. For example: Reporter Kashmir Hill has written about a Kansas farm in the geographic center of the U.S. that has been <a href="https://splinternews.com/how-an-internet-mapping-glitch-turned-a-random-kansas-f-1793856052">plagued by legal trouble and physical harassment</a>, because a digital cartography database mistakenly uses the farm’s location as a default every time the database can’t identify the real answer. “As a result, for the last 14 years, every time MaxMind’s database has been queried about the location of an IP address in the U.S. it can’t identify, it has spit out the default location of a spot two hours away from the geographic center of the country,” Hill wrote. “This happens a lot: 5,000 companies rely on MaxMind’s IP mapping information, and in all, there are now over 600 million IP addresses associated with that default coordinate.” A technochauvinist mindset assumes everything in the future will be digital. But what happens if a major company like Google stops offering its maps? What happens when a <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/19/16910378/government-shutdown-2018-nasa-spacex-iss-falcon-heavy">government shutdown</a> means that <a href="http://satnews.com/story.php?number=827160505">satellite data</a> powering smartphone GPS systems isn’t transmitted? Right now, ambulances and fire trucks can keep a road atlas in the front seat in case electronic navigation fails. If society doesn’t maintain physical maps, first responders won’t be able to get to addresses when there is a fire or someone is critically ill. Interrupting a country’s GPS signals is also a realistic cyberwarfare tactic. The U.S. Navy has resumed training new recruits in <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11931403/US-navy-returns-to-celestial-navigation-amid-fears-of-computer-hack.html">celestial navigation</a>, a technique that dates back to ancient Greece, as a guard against when the digital grid gets hacked. Ultimately, I don’t think it should be a competition between physical and digital. In the future, people will continue to need both kinds of maps. Instead of arguing whether paper or digital is a better map interface, people should consider what map is the right tool for the task. <div><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/artificial-unintelligence"></a>MIT Press provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.</div> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/meredith-broussard-659409">Meredith Broussard</a>, Assistant Professor of Journalism, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/new-york-university-1016">New York University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-paper-maps-still-matter-in-the-digital-age-105341">original article</a>.

Retirement Income

How to digitally disentangle after a break up

Digital technologies can be great when <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-year-new-you-the-ups-and-downs-of-online-dating-53083">looking for love</a>, and displaying togetherness to the world. But for those who are facing Valentine’s Day with a newly broken heart, we offer a more useful gift than roses or chocolates. Inspired by Dua Lipa’s pithy advice in her hit song, <a href="https://genius.com/Dua-lipa-new-rules-lyrics#note-12660669">New Rules</a>, we have produced a practical checklist for how to deal with the digital aftermath of a romantic break up. 1) ‘Don’t pick up the phone’ As tempting as it might be to check up on your ex online, don’t do it. Yes, it’s easy to take a peek at your ex’s Facebook profile or Instagram feed and see what they’ve been up to, without them ever knowing you were there, but still … This kind of Facebook “stalking” is fairly common, but it <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebook-stalking-your-ex-can-become-addictive-and-hurt-you-in-the-long-run-49515">really isn’t a good idea</a>. It can lead to an increase in longing and sexual desire for your ex, levels of distress, and negative feelings, as well as a decrease in personal growth post-break up. Every time you visit your ex’s profile, it makes moving on that much harder for you (but doesn’t affect them in the slightest). Why put yourself through the pain? <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k2qgadSvNyU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> 2) ‘Don’t let him (or her) in’ When you’re in a relationship, all of the different ways you have of keeping in touch with your partner online are the bee’s knees. Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, or Google make keeping up-to-date with each other so easy; but what about after a break up? Suddenly the WhatsApp thread that you used to make plans together can turn into a direct line for your ex to get a hold of you, while the location data you shared with each other on Google can make stalking you infinitely easier. What about the passwords you shared, or the logins you saved on your ex’s laptop – how much access does your ex actually have to you and your online accounts? After a break up, take steps to reduce their access. Some social media platforms such as Facebook have an option to end sessions on particular devices, and others, such as Google, give you the option of logging out of all devices. Consider changing your passwords or adding extra security to your accounts with two-step verification. You can also turn off location services on your mobile phone and other devices. 3) ‘Don’t be his (or her) friend’ This one is tricky. After you break up, should you “unfriend” your ex, and sever connections across social media? Severing your online connections might seem brutal, yet a big part of being able to move on after a break up is about being separate from your ex, both on and offline. If you don’t want to completely sever connections, there are other options. A good one is to add your ex to your “restricted list” on Facebook. This sneaky option means that it looks like you’re still friends with your ex, but you only share your posts with them when you choose “public” as the audience, or when you tag them in a post. And you can still see their posts – even though you know that’s not a good idea. 4) ‘If you’re under them, you ain’t getting over them’ Facebook “pushes” content at us. It reminds us of our own past posts, based on their popularity. It alerts us to new posts by the people who are important to us. On a bad day, you could get notifications about your ex’s current activities and reminders of memories of happier days as a couple. To dodge these bullets, do two things. First, alter your Facebook “on this day preferences” to remove people (your ex) or significant dates, and stop those unwelcome memories from coming at you. Second (if you are still Facebook “friends” with your ex), change the preferences for your news feed. There is an option to “prioritise who to see first”. Take that little blue star off of your ex’s photo, and their updates will no longer be top of your Facebook feed. 5) ‘He (or she) doesn’t love me’ If you have set your “status” on your Facebook profile to indicate romantic togetherness - for example, in a relationship, engaged, civil partnership – you may want to change it. A change from togetherness to singledom will only appear on your timeline if you choose for it to do so. Sharing news of the break up with your friends on social media can be like ripping off a plaster – painful but you only have to do it once. However, breaking the news will likely generate responses from your friends – for better or for worse. And if your friends aren’t too tech-savvy, those opinions <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-digital-natives-are-not-clueless-about-protecting-their-privacy-online-31654">may be quite public</a>. Think about letting your friends know that you’d rather communicate privately with them about the break up, online or offline. 6) ‘I’ve got new rules’ (for using my Netflix) If you were cohabiting, it’s likely that you shared online accounts for everything from utilities to media streaming services like Spotify. Often, these accounts are intended to be used by just one person, and are password protected. If you are the account holder, change your passwords. Now. If you are not the account holder, get all of the details that you need from the accounts (for example the name of your electricity provider, the Game of Thrones episode you were watching) before your ex changes the password and you lose access. 7) ‘Write it down and read it out’ It’s tempting to make it look like you are coping really well and having an amazing time in your newfound singledom, by posting only very positive images and text about your fun activities and new friends. If your aim is to show your ex that you are doing great without them, go right ahead. But bear in mind that if your friends see those same posts, they may be less likely to offer you their support, exactly because you look like you are doing fine. So make good use of your online social media, and make it a force for good after a romantic break up. Don’t look at what your ex is doing. Do let your friends know that you need them. And things will start to look up.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90592/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wendy-moncur-101765">Wendy Moncur</a>, Interdisciplinary Professor of Digital Living, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/daniel-herron-438258">Daniel Herron</a>, PhD Candidate, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-digitally-disentangle-after-a-break-up-some-new-rules-90592">original article</a>.

Relationships

How you can skip fights about digital devices over the holidays

Holidays are a time for family and friends to come together, to celebrate and to enjoy each other’s company. Older adults, who are often <a href="https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/aarp_foundation/2012_PDFs/AARP-Foundation-Isolation-Framework-Report.pdf">lonely and socially isolated</a>, can particularly <a href="http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2013/12/Christmas-survey-2013-full-report.pdf">look forward</a> to reconnecting with family and friends. However, when technology enters the picture, gatherings may not be quite so positive. All across the U.S., people of all ages are <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/02/09/digital-divides-feeding-america/">increasingly using technology</a> – including <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/05/17/tech-adoption-climbs-among-older-adults/">adults 65 and older</a>. My research, and that of others, has found that using computers, smartphones and the internet can help seniors <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbu018">fight depression</a> and <a href="http://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.2306">loneliness</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbw130">enhance their sense</a> of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2016.1205425">well-being and self-worth</a>. Technology use can also help older adults <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40542-1_49">feel like they matter to others</a> and help them stay connected with loved ones. However, my research, with colleagues, has also found that older adults still <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2015.1083392">prefer in-person social interactions</a>. This can cause problems during holiday-season family gatherings, when younger relatives are likely to want to spend lots of time on their smartphones and other devices, often ignoring others in the same physical location. It’s a conflict one of my Ph.D. students, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=edkc4HUAAAAJ&hl=en">Christopher Ball</a>, has called the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464817732518">physical-digital divide</a>.” Fortunately, our work both offers explanations for these difficulties and suggests ways to turn holiday disagreement and disappointment into increased family connection that can last all year long. <h2>Conflicting feelings</h2> When they’re away on family visits that can last several days, it’s common for young people – tweens, teens and those in their 20s – to want to stay connected to their friends. However, older adults nearby may feel frustrated, disrespected, isolated and even offended. In our study, older adults told us they often attempt to limit this and other negative effects of digital devices by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464817732518">declaring tech-free “bubbles” at particular times or places</a>. They ask their friends and relatives to put devices aside during mealtimes and other key activities, to better focus on engaging with others face to face. But that’s not the only way to create a balance between using technology and interacting directly. <h2>Finding opportunities</h2> Certainly there can be times when devices should be put down and in-person interaction comes first. Yet all generations can benefit when older family members see how <a href="https://www.crcpress.com/Designing-Technology-Training-for-Older-Adults-in-Continuing-Care-Retirement/Cotten-Yost-Berkowsky-Winstead-Anderson/p/book/9781498718127">they can use technology</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464811431824">improve their own lives</a>. Our work suggests that situations with potential for intergenerational conflict can be shifted to bring relatives together: Younger generations can show their older family members about technological devices. Grandchildren, for example, can demonstrate to their grandparents how they use mobile phones, tablets and social media, explaining what they like about the technologies. It might even turn into a teaching opportunity, helping older family members learn to entertain themselves online. They might even want to find out how to text – or even video chat – with geographically distant relatives. Using these technologies can help people stay connected to friends and family once the holidays are over. That will likely require some additional patience on the part of the younger technology coach. Older adults <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24475051">learn at slower rates than younger generations</a>. And it may be harder for them to <a href="http://www.apa.org/research/action/memory-changes.aspx">remember instructions</a>, so they might need to be shown how to use the device or app several times. A key factor is making sure the relatives know they <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0733464815609440">can ask for help</a> when technical difficulties inevitably strike. If older family members see how excited their descendants are about using digital devices, they may decide to cross the generational digital divide – which can help them live more enjoyable, connected lives not just during the holidays, but all throughout the year.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88763/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Shelia R. Cotten, Professor of Media and Information, Michigan State University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/skip-fights-about-digital-devices-over-the-holidays-instead-let-them-bring-your-family-together-88763" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Relationships

Is love losing its soul in the digital age?

Instagram users have taken to issuing “weekiversary posts,” where they diligently mark the duration of their romances. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/opinion/sunday/relationships-love-instagram.html">An article</a> in The New York Times explained how weekiversary posts have the unintended – or very much intended – consequence of shaming people who are not in love. The article also noted that this phenomenon <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/opinion/sunday/relationships-love-instagram.html">makes some doubt</a> the intensity of their own relationship. They wonder why their partners are not similarly starry-eyed and gushing online. Some even admitted that this phenomenon prompted them to stay in relationships longer than they should have: they go on celebrating their weekiversaries, just to keep up appearances. In truth, this could apply to any of the social media platforms, where people increasingly feel the need to act their lives in real time in a public format, documenting every event and incident, no matter how remarkable or mundane. As a <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300208931/do-guns-make-us-free">philosopher</a> researching the topic of privacy, I found myself thinking about the brave new culture of digital sharing. What does it say about love, that many are compelled to live their romances aloud, in detailed fashion? <h2>Why display your love?</h2> On one hand, there is nothing new here. Most of us seek the approval of others – even before our own, sometimes. Others’ approval, or their envy, makes our joy sweeter. Philosopher <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rousseau/">Jean Jacques Rousseau</a> recognized something like this when he distinguished between “amour de soi” and “amour propre” – <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=n0tdG2qZFJUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=rousseau+second+discourse&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZ2J-3sazgAhUPTt8KHQRbDNAQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=rousseau%20second%20discourse&f=false">two different forms of self love</a>. The former is love that is instinctual and not self-reflective. Rousseau sees it in presocial man, who is unconcerned with what other people think of him. Largely, he loves himself unconditionally, without judgment. Society, which complicates our lives irredeemably, introduces amour propre. This is self-love mediated through the eyes and opinions of others. Amour propre, in Rousseau’s view, is deeply flawed. It is hollow, flimsy, if not downright fraudulent. The opinions and judgment of others change rapidly and do not make for a firm foundation for honest, enduring, confident self-love and any emotions related to or rooted in it. This suggests an unflattering view of weekiversary posts. Are they just one’s way of satiating the need for amour propre – meeting the approval, and stoking the envy of online witnesses? Are they for one’s lover at all? Or, are they for public affirmation? <h2>Curating our life stories</h2> Is there a more positive way to make sense of weekiversary posts? Philosopher <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/paul-ricoeur-9458208">Paul Ricoeur</a> argued that humans have an inherent need to view their lives <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=5h9lJLdjoBwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=ricoeur+time+and+narrative+volume&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwif8fGbsqzgAhUlh-AKHbpZDS8Q6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=ricoeur%20time%20and%20narrative%20volume&f=false">in a narrative fashion</a>. This is a prime way in which a person makes sense of his or her world. Specifically, one aims to project a narrative structure onto life, and give it a beginning, a climax and, hopefully, a fitting conclusion. The individual also wishes to situate his life story within a greater narrative, be it social, historical or cosmic. Social media, I believe, gives us newfound powers to curate the story of our lives, and if need be, change characters, dominant plot lines or background themes, how and when we like. In documenting everyday events and occurrences, we could even elevate them and lend them a degree of significance. So, it might seem perfectly natural that people would like to narrate their budding romances. I am now long and happily married, but I remember how first love is both exhilarating and confusing. It’s a mess of emotions to work out and understand. Among the many mixed messages issued by family, society and the media, it is often difficult to know how best to navigate romance and determine if you are doing things right – or if you have found “the one.” In fact, I sought to get a handle on it all by writing down my many thoughts. This helped give me clarity. It objectified my thoughts – I literally projected them on paper before me, and could better understand which were more resonant, powerful and pressing. <h2>Love and insecurity</h2> Social media, on the other hand, is not designed for introspection or soul-searching: Posts must be relatively short, eye-catching and declarative. Twitter emissions only tolerate 280 characters. Ambiguity has no place there. Social media isn’t the place to hash through a host of conflicting emotions. You are either in love, or you are not – and if you are in love, why declare it if it isn’t blissful? As Facebook discovered, negative posts tend to lose followers – and many people <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/technology/facebook-tinkers-with-users-emotions-in-news-feed-experiment-stirring-outcry.html">want to keep up their viewership</a>. The legal scholar <a href="https://www.law.columbia.edu/faculty/bernard-harcourt">Bernard Harcourt</a> argues that social media sharing <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ymouCwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=bernard+harcourt&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHl7q4sqzgAhWHm-AKHdmzADIQ6AEINDAC#v=onepage&q=bernard%20harcourt&f=false">evokes the great American tradition of entrepreneurship</a>. From this perspective, in issuing weekiversary posts, individuals are creating an identity and a story – they are generating a brand that they can market widely. It’s hard to see how this phenomenon contributes to or makes for lasting and fulfilling relationships. If, for example, as Ricoeur says, social media effusions are an attempt to elevate the mundane, the simple, the everyday, and lend it special meaning, it begs the question: Why might one feel the need to do this repeatedly, persistently? I would argue that it betrays an air of insecurity. After all, at some point, all the affirmation one needs should come from your lover. <h2>True love</h2> There is an understandable need for young lovers to pronounce their joy in public. But love, when it matures, does not live publicly. Loving couples are not necessarily easy to pick out in public. I think of my parents, and my in-laws, married for nearly 50 years. They can sit with each other in comfortable silence for long periods of time. They can also communicate with each other without saying a word. Love is largely a private relationship, and demands intimacy. Only in intimacy does the inherent ambiguity or complexity of love emerge. Only in intimacy are you and your partner fully seen and known, with all your shortcomings or contradictions – and they are forgiven. It is in these intimate moments that lovers learn to tolerate ambiguity, negotiate differences and endure.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110686/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Firmin DeBrabander, Professor of Philosophy, Maryland Institute College of Art. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/is-love-losing-its-soul-in-the-digital-age-110686" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

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