Pushback

Joseph Reagle

Our question(s)

  1. What is pushback?
  2. Is it necessary—or even possible?

Pushback?

expressions of resistance and saturation [from evertime] … an expression of those … who decide to resist, drop off, manage or reduce their use of these technologies. (Morrison & Gomez 2014, p. 2)

Evertime?

“Evertime” refers to the expectation of constant availability, exacerbated by portable and wearable technologies that tether the users to their online worlds. But the initial feelings of empowerment and connectedness of “evertime” can quickly give way to feelings of saturation, overload and disenfranchisement. (Morrison & Gomez 2014, p. 2)

Luddites

Neo-Luddites

Motivations

Goodbye Twitter 2010

5 pushback motives?

  1. Emotional dissatisfaction: users pushing back because their needs are not being met.
  2. External values: pushing back due to political, religious, or moral reasons (fearful that marketing, consumerism, and distraction is enveloping the user).
  3. Taking back control: users pushing back to regain control of their time and energy.
  4. Addiction: pushing back as a result of technology addiction.
  5. Privacy: users pushing back due to fear about their privacy being violated (privacy is the least frequently reported reason).

Addiction, defined

Internet addiction
a behavioral pattern characterized by excessive or obsessive online and offline computer use that leads to distress and impairment. (Association 2021)
  • the “4Cs”
    • a compulsion & development of tolerance
    • that manifests in craving & experience of withdrawal
    • regardless of negative consequences
    • results in feeling a loss of control over use

egs of motivations??

  1. Emotional dissatisfaction
  2. External values
  3. Taking back control
  4. Addiction
  5. Privacy

Emotional labor/work as dissatisfaction

the management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display; emotional labor is sold for a wage [whereas emotional work is not] (Hochschild 2003, p. 7)

e.g., a flight attendant has be be friendly and smile

Other examples?

Addicted??

What attributes of social media and apps leads to media dependence?

Countering obsession?

More recently

Pushback demographics?

Interestingly, pushback has few demographic boundaries. (Morrison & Gomez 2014)

Behavior

5 pushback behaviors?

  1. Behavior adaptation: managed technology used to reduce dissatisfaction (managed time, applications, fasting, dummy accounts)
  2. Social agreement: collective decisions to limit media use (people putting away phone at a restaurant)
  3. Tech solution: use technology intervention to reduce media use (moving to a dumb/feature phone)
  4. Back to the woods: dropping out from technology altogether
  5. No problem: whatever it takes, just take it all in

egs of behaviors??

  1. Behavior adaptation
  2. Social agreement – “Illegal If Employers Contact Employees After Work”
  3. Tech solution
  4. Back to the woods
  5. No problem

“Digital wellbeing”

Questions

Is push-back a …

  • phase everyone goes through?
  • a societal fad?
  • genuine movement?
  • or something else?
  • Ran: pushback “became performative and communal rather than private”

Do you pushback?

  • What did you think of the Brooklyn students?
  • Will you be changing anything?

Course concepts?

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pushback

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small world

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context collapse

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emotional labor

ex. Why & how they’d quit??

How can we adapt our behavior?

Would suggestions (e.g., mindfulness, focus, attention) from the start of the class be useful?

Are you…?

  • never-betters (euphoric exaltation of technology)
  • ever-wasers (nothing has really changed)
  • better-nevers (bemoan negative effects)
  • better-less (former euphorics now discontent with connectivity)

Conclusion

Course wrap-up