Smart Phone Nation: Building Digital Boundaries When Offline Isn’t an Option

Digital humanities professor Regehr (The League of Exotic Dancers) delivers a transformative guide to reevaluating technology habits. She likens her framework for digital consumption to the food pyramid, explaining that some technology, like nutrient-rich foods, is good for people, but much of the algorithm-fed content users receive is addictive and harmful, like candy. The author emphasizes learning to recognize the ways social media apps use data-informed strategies to keep people engaged, making it easy for users to get stuck in echo chambers and become susceptible to misinformation. Throughout, Regehr offers guidance readers to for identifying and address their own harmful technology habits as well as their children’s. For example, people should recognize they’re in an echo chamber, or “you-loop,” if every piece of content they’re interacting with has the same opinion. To help kids avoid this, she advises parents to teach them the importance of healthy debate. She also offers a slew of practical tips for moderating consumption, like turning smartphones to grayscale to diminish their addictiveness and using a variety of browsers to avoid targeted advertising. Her smart and accessible “Digital Diet Pyramid,” which outlines how the various types of digital engagement—from passive use to education and learning—should be prioritized, will help readers think critically about their screen time. This successfully equips families to upend unhealthy digital practices. (Oct.)