Discover the power of a balanced digital diet with expert advice on reducing screen time and cultivating healthy online habits.
Greyscaling and Pruning Your Algorithm: A Digital Nutritionist’s Advice
Understanding the Impact of Screen Time
Parents worried about their children’s screen time need to look at their own usage first, says Kaitlyn Regehr, a professor turned ‘digital nutritionist’. This is according to her new book, ‘Smartphone Nation’ , which aims to help families think critically about their digital choices.
Regehr recommends taking a digital ‘walk-through’ of favourite apps with a friend or partner, or keeping a ‘phone-fed journal’, noting what you opened your phone for, where you ended up, how long you were on it, and how you felt at the end. This will give you a sense of how colour and image play into the addictive nature of devices.
Digital addiction, also known as internet use disorder or technology addiction, is a condition where individuals excessively use digital devices and the internet.
According to a study by the American Psychological Association, 58% of adults experience symptoms of digital addiction.
The most common symptoms include social media obsession, online shopping, and excessive gaming.
Digital addiction can lead to physical health problems, sleep deprivation, and decreased productivity.
Greyscaling Your Device
One quick and easy way to understand the impact of colour and images is by greyscaling your device. Turning your phone to greyscale can help you see how colour and image affect user experience. Instructions for this can be found in ‘Google Help’ for Android phones or ‘Apple Support’ for iPhones.
Greyscaling is a digital image processing technique that converts an image into shades of grey, removing all colors.
This process involves replacing the RGB (red, green, blue) color model with a single-channel grayscale model, typically using the luminance value to determine the shade of grey.
Greyscaling can be used for various purposes, including image compression, artistic effects, and data analysis.
It is commonly used in graphic design, photography, and digital art.
Algorithmic resistance, on the other hand, is about controlling your algorithm rather than letting it control you. Regehr advises making clear choices about what you want to see on your feed, dedicating half an hour a week to finding the best possible content, and not dwelling on rubbish.
Algorithmic resistance refers to the phenomenon where individuals, groups, or systems intentionally subvert, resist, or manipulate 'algorithms' and their outputs.
This can occur through various means, such as data poisoning, 'adversarial attacks', or exploiting algorithmic biases.
Algorithmic resistance has significant implications for fields like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science, highlighting the need for more transparent and accountable AI development.
The Importance of Digital Literacy
Regehr believes that education is key to helping families think critically about their digital choices. She supports school smartphone bans and the growing campaign for a smartphone-free childhood, but argues that these measures alone are not enough. ‘Because even if you hold off giving a kid a smartphone until after they are 15, they will turn 16,’ she says. ‘We have a responsibility to give them the tools they need to navigate this space effectively.’
A Call to Action
Regehr’s book aims to fill the gap in education about how digital technologies work and how to use them safely and effectively. The book is accompanied by new educational materials that will be introduced in schools later this month. Regehr hopes that her book will inspire a cultural change, making children’s lives better and healthier.
