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Screenfarers: Nurturing Deliberate Action in a Digital World
The ability to use digital technologies without being used by them is a skill which can be practiced—and taught. Combining years of experience with research into the science behind addictive design, Screenfarers offers solutions beyond simply reducing screen time.
Most digital platforms are rife with psychological tricks to maximise ‘time on device,’ because the way free products turn a profit is through advertising. The interfaces we interact with are reshaping our minds in ways that are not always in our best interest. As attention spans dwindle and instant gratification prevails, teachers and parents are right to be concerned.
Yet the psychology of ‘persuasive design’ is not hard to understand. Learning about it allows us to notice tricks we encounter and respond consciously. Screenfarers is packed with information and practical strategies which people of all ages can use to fight back against manipulation.
We need not be caught in the web. By practicing the art of screenfaring, we can move beyond ‘surfing’ the web: we can chart a safe course, tack to the winds, and evade the attention pirates. By teaching the art of screenfaring, we can ensure that the next generation will do the same.
Most digital platforms are rife with psychological tricks to maximise ‘time on device,’ because the way free products turn a profit is through advertising. The interfaces we interact with are reshaping our minds in ways that are not always in our best interest. As attention spans dwindle and instant gratification prevails, teachers and parents are right to be concerned.
Yet the psychology of ‘persuasive design’ is not hard to understand. Learning about it allows us to notice tricks we encounter and respond consciously. Screenfarers is packed with information and practical strategies which people of all ages can use to fight back against manipulation.
We need not be caught in the web. By practicing the art of screenfaring, we can move beyond ‘surfing’ the web: we can chart a safe course, tack to the winds, and evade the attention pirates. By teaching the art of screenfaring, we can ensure that the next generation will do the same.
142 pages, ebook
Published December 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 10, 2021
Reading Screenfarers is an ongoing project for me because of its many fantastic exercises in "screenfaring" -- Seth Bunev's lovely nautical neologism for 'deliberate' and more 'addiction-proof' use of digital technology (p. 8 in my edition).
Having said this, I've read enough of the book and done enough of these exercises already to know this is an important book. It is a thoughtful, well-researched, and above all practical. Bunev aims the book mainly at parents and teachers as a gap-filler in the literature on digital technology use: there are plenty of resources out there on cyberbullying, internet privacy, and eye damage, but far fewer on tackling the use of technologies that are designed to "keep [us] on screens indefinitely" (p. 4) -- technologies that can be useful, but simultaneously try to use us.
On a side note, as a life-long pedant, I appreciate Bunev's careful distinction in the Introduction between "digital technologies" and technology in general: he says "I do not think it is a good idea to put a smartphone in the same category as cooking with fire, bridges, gunpowder, spaceships, cutlery, moveable type, MRI machines, and the steam engine -- and then ignore that any of those other things are in the category too, and say things about 'technology' that only apply to the smartphone" (p. 6). Part of the point of this distinction is to cultivate awareness about which technologies are helpful, which are predatory, and which can be reshaped to use safely; it also helps Bunev make his point that he is not "anti-technology" (indeed, the fact that he has written a book about screenfaring indicates the opposite).
Screenfarers is in three parts: 1. Habit-Forming Technologies, 2. Skill-Replacing Technologies, and 3. Teaching the Art of Screenfaring. The first part discusses interface design, the historical moves that brought about such an interface design, and the theories behind its habit-forming nature. Bunev addresses the culture of using apps that help us stop using other apps, and when this is or isn't helpful, and the section is shot through with the beginnings of alternatives to these apps as well, exercises called things like "Screenfarer's Log: Tracking Digital Habits", "Tidy Computer Use: Avoid Attention Contamination", and "How Would You Design...?".
In Part II, Bunev moves on to talk about the skills that are being lost before our eyes by the skill-replacing aspects of digital technology. Here, the exercises are in "Analog Adventures", "Observing a Place" and "Memorising the Unmemorable". I can imagine that especially the "No-Googling Challenge" will be challenging to most of us.
Part III is mainly pedagogical, focusing on ways teachers and parents might encourage students to develop screenfaring skills in a healthy manner.
Finally, while Screenfarers cannot be a complete guide to such a complex subject, I think it breaks important ground as a resource for anyone who needs to use a smartphone and laptop everyday and finds themselves going down rabbit holes too often. I also think it's important that this intervention is coming from someone from my generation, who grew up with YouTube and Facebook and understands exactly how hard these habits are to break.
Happy Screenfaring to you all.
Having said this, I've read enough of the book and done enough of these exercises already to know this is an important book. It is a thoughtful, well-researched, and above all practical. Bunev aims the book mainly at parents and teachers as a gap-filler in the literature on digital technology use: there are plenty of resources out there on cyberbullying, internet privacy, and eye damage, but far fewer on tackling the use of technologies that are designed to "keep [us] on screens indefinitely" (p. 4) -- technologies that can be useful, but simultaneously try to use us.
On a side note, as a life-long pedant, I appreciate Bunev's careful distinction in the Introduction between "digital technologies" and technology in general: he says "I do not think it is a good idea to put a smartphone in the same category as cooking with fire, bridges, gunpowder, spaceships, cutlery, moveable type, MRI machines, and the steam engine -- and then ignore that any of those other things are in the category too, and say things about 'technology' that only apply to the smartphone" (p. 6). Part of the point of this distinction is to cultivate awareness about which technologies are helpful, which are predatory, and which can be reshaped to use safely; it also helps Bunev make his point that he is not "anti-technology" (indeed, the fact that he has written a book about screenfaring indicates the opposite).
Screenfarers is in three parts: 1. Habit-Forming Technologies, 2. Skill-Replacing Technologies, and 3. Teaching the Art of Screenfaring. The first part discusses interface design, the historical moves that brought about such an interface design, and the theories behind its habit-forming nature. Bunev addresses the culture of using apps that help us stop using other apps, and when this is or isn't helpful, and the section is shot through with the beginnings of alternatives to these apps as well, exercises called things like "Screenfarer's Log: Tracking Digital Habits", "Tidy Computer Use: Avoid Attention Contamination", and "How Would You Design...?".
In Part II, Bunev moves on to talk about the skills that are being lost before our eyes by the skill-replacing aspects of digital technology. Here, the exercises are in "Analog Adventures", "Observing a Place" and "Memorising the Unmemorable". I can imagine that especially the "No-Googling Challenge" will be challenging to most of us.
Part III is mainly pedagogical, focusing on ways teachers and parents might encourage students to develop screenfaring skills in a healthy manner.
Finally, while Screenfarers cannot be a complete guide to such a complex subject, I think it breaks important ground as a resource for anyone who needs to use a smartphone and laptop everyday and finds themselves going down rabbit holes too often. I also think it's important that this intervention is coming from someone from my generation, who grew up with YouTube and Facebook and understands exactly how hard these habits are to break.
Happy Screenfaring to you all.
June 28, 2021
I work as in a school library that serves teens - grade eight to twelve and consider this to be an invaluable resource in teaching digital literacy.
I will be using sections of this guide in the upcoming school year.
The book is very accessible and interactive and definitely puts digitalization in context.
A unique aspect of this text is the Exercises section that is a part of each chapter.
I particularly enjoyed the chapter entitled Outsourcing Life Itself and the accompanying "analog exercises" such as "look up a word in a big heavy dictionary" and "learn a few of the clues that clouds, winds, bugs, and plants provide about oncoming weather and try to predict the weather from them yourself."
The book is also beautifully designed and the writer has a playful sense of presenting the material both via words and graphics. An invaluable resource for librarians, teachers, parents and teens.
I will be using sections of this guide in the upcoming school year.
The book is very accessible and interactive and definitely puts digitalization in context.
A unique aspect of this text is the Exercises section that is a part of each chapter.
I particularly enjoyed the chapter entitled Outsourcing Life Itself and the accompanying "analog exercises" such as "look up a word in a big heavy dictionary" and "learn a few of the clues that clouds, winds, bugs, and plants provide about oncoming weather and try to predict the weather from them yourself."
The book is also beautifully designed and the writer has a playful sense of presenting the material both via words and graphics. An invaluable resource for librarians, teachers, parents and teens.
June 15, 2021
This book does a fantastic job looking at the role that screen technologies play in our lives and how we need to make sure that we control these devices rather than the other way around. As a parent this is crucial question to me, and this book provides numerous practical recommendations that help change the relationship between kids (and adults!) and screens. A vital read for anyone of any age seeking to have a healthier relationship with their devices.
November 23, 2022
I read Bunev's book last summer and it brilliantly voiced a lot of the things I had always suspected about digital technology, but didn't know how to articulate. As an educator working with kids--especially during COVID--it was fascinating to see which kids adapted well to the digital environment and which struggled with distraction and boredom. Bunev's book lays out how Silicon Valley designs their products to influence both kids and adults, and how, with intention and attention, we can wield technology as a valuable tool, rather than being steered by it for purposes we don't intend! Bunev's own unique experiences living 'off-grid' as a young man grant him a genuine, rare perspective in an age where digital tech is so ubiquitous.
June 28, 2021
This gem of a book has been long overdue for me. Knowledge-based principles, an understanding of internet habits, and an acute awareness of advertising, flows throughout. The book is insightful and interesting, up to date, and experiential in that the author has lived through the process of the screen-world from the get-go. It is primarily written for parents, teachers, and young adults. To be more conscious in today's digital world is most significant as dependency subtly increases. References abound, the layout is great, and the format easy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews