LOST IN THE MATRIX

IN the late 1980s, when I was a secondary school pupil in England, there were no smart devices. Phone calls were made from a landline in your parents’ lounge, and they could hear your conversation.

Writing was done with pens and pencils, while typewriters were used in offices, and the internet was still a sparkle in the eye of the US military. Fast forward 35 years and everything has changed. Mobile devices and apps are ubiquitous. Parents use them. Students use them. And yes, some families love them. But most (yours truly included) hate them, because making quick and easy phone calls to the school has now been discouraged, as has popping in for a chat.

The app called iPasen (created by the Junta) governs everything in the public school system in Andalucia. This includes registering absences

(per missed class, even), monitoring of exam grades, the advising of school trips and holidays, and making appointments with teachers.

However, miss an important message on the app and you will receive the equivalent of a ‘parental, C-minus –could do better’.

Some studious children do reportedly use apps and social media to help with their learning pathway. However, the common purpose is for entertainment.

Some 1% of students meanwhile, reportedly use social media for academic purposes, while 68% attributed their late bedtime to its usage.

A British study linked social media use to decreased sleep quality associated with depression, memory loss, and poor academic performance in 2018. Parents might not realise that their teen is sneakily viewing social media under the duvet, leading to poor concentration the next day.

As parents and teachers are increasingly aware, sites such as TikTok and YouTube – are used to follow the latest influencers: ones they consider ‘cool’ and worthy of their respect. This is where a problem materialises. Back in our day, ‘influence’ was what your family tried to instil as social values. Despite their best efforts to be traditional, some of us ventured, bright eyed, onto the 70s, 80s or 90s music scene and formed our own worldview.

In that era, the social edict was ‘get on with people from every walk of life’ (maybe even hug them, particularly in the classic 90s ‘summer of love’!) rather than the division and mistrust being sown today.