The Rise of Digital Platforms

There has been a very big rise in platforms in the past decade. As the world shifted from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, we began to see an uproar of many different social platforms. These platforms have a mind of their own, with the help of Artificial Technology (AI), they basically work like human robots. We go throughout our days online shopping, browsing online, looking at a specific pair of shoes, and then hours later what we we were browsing shows up in our recommended on a completely different platform. The shift in digital technology and platforms continues to change, but it brings me to think back to attention economies and how this correlates with the digital world around us.

One thing from this past week that really stuck out to me was the TED Talk video shown in class. These platforms like YouTube can be dangerous if we really sit back and think about it. The algorithm and mind that a platform like Youtube has is really incredible yet frightening. Sure, parental controls exist, but many of the videos and topics discussed in the TED Talk regarding autoplay would not need parental controls. Certain videos can become overstimulating to young children, especially at a time when their attention span is really beginning to build up. The feature of autoplay, where a video just automatically plays one after another with the help of an algorithm, hashtags, and much more computer-generated technology. This autoplay function can lead a child to some very mind-altering content, without the child even being fully aware of what they are watching.

This all makes me think about our reading and class discussion from Friday, where Tolentino describes the world when it shifted from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Since I was born right when Web 2.0 really took off, I can confidently say my attention span has been altered due to features like autoplay, constant scrolling, and more. I got my first phone by the age of 12, and started on Instagram that same year. In middle school, I would lock myself away for hours chatting with my friends, and scrolling on Instagram, while definitely being exposed to content that I was probably far too young to see. In a way, I believe this helped me grow up and mature faster to understand what is right and wrong on the internet and these social media platforms. However, as more platforms start and evolve, it can be more harmful for the younger generation if there are not proper precautions taken to protect young children who continue to be exposed to these mature platforms so young. Many social media platforms have an age minimum of 13 years old, but I constantly see children disobey that media law, and there is really no way for these social platforms to fact-check every single child that is making an account, sometimes no restrictions to these children are made after they are exposed to mature or inappropriate content that can alter their attention span and cognitive levels.