In Patriot Act, Hasan Minhaj was painting a picture of the cruel reality of the game developers’ careers. Since it has become such a lucrative career, the people actually making things work have had to face harsh situations like getting laid off with no severance, being harassed, working terrible hours, and are coming together to unionize. Turkle explains how in a world where everyone is connected, we are actually so alone. The always online nature of our phones and social media prevents real bonding from happening. Boyd’s talk was about teenagers and their terms of privacy growing up in a world surrounded by social media, especially in terms of what their parents are looking at. Lastly, Giroux very discusses how Disney has become a mega-corporation, seeping into the lives of everyone, but especially children. This all has become a form of priming for children to be working pieces of our capitalistic society.
My students all adore anything and everything Disney. And, while I do have a sweet spot for the movie Coco, I do not share their love for the corporation. Growing up, I was of course surrounded by it with friends going to Disney Land, watching the Disney channel, and bringing princess dolls, but my parents stressed that I watch PBS Kids only and the toys I did have were more like art supplies and puzzles. I thank them now. A huge problem I see happens at work. I see kids come back from Disney Land with their toys, sweaters, etc. and I see the looks on other children’s faces who have never been because their parents can’t afford it. If the Disney dream were within the grasp of everyone, I’d have less strife with it.
How old should people be to have social media?
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