DL 258

Escape Pods

Published: September 5, 2020 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to Digitally Literate, issue 258. Your go-to source for insightful content on education, technology, and the digital landscape.

🔖 Key Takeaways

• Snowden Vindicated: U.S. court rules mass surveillance program that secretly collected millions of Americans' telephone records was illegal
• The Privileged Have Left: Wealthy elites plot to leave everyone behind after apocalyptic event—escape pods are being prepared
• Anti-Racism for All Schools: Predominantly white or privileged schools should be no exception to anti-racist education
• Algorithms Create Wanting: When you consume an algorithmic feed, you're constituted as a subject who is continually winning at wanting
• Video Games Build Literacy: Games provide route into reading and improve confidence in reading and writing skills

Welcome back to Digitally Literate and issue 258. I took off the month of August from this newsletter and my social media feeds. I discuss more about this below.

This week I worked on the following:

• Gone for a Minute - I was on a digital detox for the month of August. I disconnected to focus on my family as we prepare for the upcoming academic year.
• Is Social Media Bad for Us? - Every week in this newsletter we see evidence that social media might not be good for us.

I'm in the process of making changes to my social media feeds and signals. This will include modifying content in this newsletter. I hope you'll forgive me as you see some loose wires for a couple of weeks.

📺 Watch

How Do You Start Your Day?

How do you start your day?

How do you build routines into your life?

📚 Read

Snowden-Exposed Surveillance Ruled Illegal

U.S. court says mass surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal.

Warrantless telephone dragnet that secretly collected millions of Americans' telephone records violated Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and may have been unconstitutional.

Keep in mind this is still focused on "Americans" data.

All Students Need Anti-Racism Education

Schools across the nation are committing to the all-important work of anti-racism. Schools with predominantly white or privileged students should be no exception.

• Teachers must re-evaluate their curriculum
• Students need to understand privilege and rethink power
• Schools must interrogate their practices and how they gained institutional privilege to begin with

The Privileged Have Entered Their Escape Pods

This piece by Douglas Rushkoff is a followup to "Survival of the Richest," a report about how the wealthy plot to leave us behind after an apocalyptic event.

Unlike their human mothers, a predictive algorithm could anticipate their every need in advance and deliver it directly, removing every trace of friction and longing.

I Write the Songs

A fascinating long read about algorithms and how they try to replicate the "creation of coercive fun."

Requiring novelty is a learned behavior. When you consume an algorithmic feed, you are constituted as a subject who is continually winning at wanting.

Video Game Playing and Literacy

Video games can provide young people with a route into reading and improve confidence in reading and writing skills. Video games can have potential benefits for increasing empathy and mental wellbeing.

Findings from survey exploring literacy-related interactions of 4,626 youth in the UK using BounceTogether as a data collection tool.

🔨 Do

Getting Started with Bitwarden

This week I started using Bitwarden as I clean up my password system and move away from LastPass.

Here's how to get started with Bitwarden.

🤔 Consider

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.

Albert Einstein

Einstein's humility frames the return from digital detox. The month away wasn't about having special insight—it was about being curious enough to question whether our tools serve us. Coming back means applying that curiosity to rebuilding better digital habits.

🔗 Navigation

Previous: DL 257 • Next: DL 259 • Archive: 📧 Newsletter

🌱 Connected Concepts:

• Privacy Rights — Snowden surveillance ruling, mass data collection legality
• Pedagogy — Anti-racism education for all schools, rethinking curriculum
• Media Literacy — Algorithmic feeds creating desire, escape pod mentality
• Digital Wellbeing — Digital detox return, password manager migration
• Philosophy — Curious over talented, questioning our tools