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DL 324

Becoming Human Again

Published: March 13, 2022 • 📧 Newsletter

🔖 Key Takeaways

Welcome back all. Here is Digitally Literate, issue 324.

I spent as much of my time offline as possible this week. In a shift toward tactile creativity, I've started converting part of my garage into a makerspace. Stay tuned for updates as this new project takes shape.

I hope you and those around you are well.

📺 Watch

Written and directed by Christine Rabette, Merci! is a beautifully simple short film set in the Metro, where laughter is rare and moments of joy are even rarer.

Known as The Laughing Bodhisattva, the film stars Jan Hammenecker as a seemingly ordinary man who unexpectedly transforms the day for everyone in his train carriage. A reminder that small acts of unexpected joy can ripple through even the most mundane spaces.

📚 Read

TikTok Was Designed for War

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict unfolds, TikTok has emerged as a central stage for this "social media war." While platforms like Facebook and Twitter previously defined such conflicts, TikTok's immediacy and algorithm seem purpose-built for chaotic events.

However, the platform's design enables misinformation to thrive alongside authentic stories. TikTok's rapid-fire video format often sacrifices context and critical analysis for emotional resonance, compounding the challenges of discerning truth.

The question for media literacy educators: How do we equip ourselves and others to evaluate these streams critically?

You Don't Need to Post Through a Crisis

In an era when every crisis feels like a call to post, it's worth asking: Do we always need to share? Kate Lindsay and Nick Catucci explore this tension, urging us to resist the compulsion to add noise to digital spaces during global tragedies.

Social media collapses contexts, placing reels of roller skaters next to photos of conflict zones. Navigating this space requires thoughtful restraint. Just because we can post doesn't mean we should.

The Link Between Depression and Misinformation

A recent study by Dr. Roy Perlis at Harvard Medical School suggests that addressing mental health issues like depression could also diminish susceptibility to misinformation.

This connection underscores the need to approach misinformation through multiple lenses—mental health, digital literacy, and community well-being—rather than just focusing on algorithmic tweaks or content moderation. The intersection of psychological vulnerability and information quality deserves more attention.

Feeling burnt out by endless scrolling? This curated reading list offers thoughtful perspectives on stepping away from screens to reconnect with the analog world.

Highlights include:

Which of these essays resonates with your experience of being "extremely online"?

Meal replacements like Soylent promise efficiency, but what do we sacrifice when we replace food with formulas? This article dives into the cultural, emotional, and even spiritual aspects of food consumption—and what might be lost in a future where meals are optional.

🔨 Do

A recent study suggests a positive mood encourages healthy behaviors, while negative moods hinder them. Sleep and social connections also play critical roles. What small actions could you take today to boost your mood and, in turn, your well-being?

🤔 Consider

It is passivity that dulls feeling.

Susan Sontag

Sontag's words cut to the heart of this issue's themes—the passive scrolling that numbs us, the crisis posting that substitutes for action, the depression that makes us vulnerable to false narratives. Becoming "extremely offline" isn't retreat; it's an active choice to feel more deeply by engaging differently.

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