It’s Spring here in the northern hemisphere (and happy Fall to my friend currently in Buenos Aires). A few days ago on a walk with my dog I was struck by this lupine in full bloom. I got out my phone, and photographed it, very consciously as A Portrait of an Urban Lupine. It’s living right beside the bike path that runs alongside the BART tracks here in the Bay Area.
I haven’t been taking many photos lately. Those I do take are pretty deliberate. I have mentioned that I have a young granddaughter in my life. Because my phone changes our interactions, I basically put it away when I am with her one-on-one. Making the trade for full presence vs. photos has been easy.
I got my first SLR (single-lens reflex) camera when I was 20 and living in Ohio. I had a photography geek boyfriend and a friend who was a National Geographic photographer so I lucked in the mentor department. I was spellbound by light and the camera gave me a way to capture what I saw. In those days, we all shot slides. Over the years, I’ve traded my SLR for my iPhone, like most of us.
Phones have made me more mindful of my photography. When another friend was traveling recently, instead of the usual emails back and forth, I sent her a series of daily Selfin’ photos—just as a fun way to connect and let her know I was thinking of her. Here’s one: a screen grab I took while transcribing an interview I had with someone in Zoom. A glimpse of me at work, in my digital element.
One of the most interesting articles I read this week was in The Atlantic. It’s in their technology section and here’s the full title: “When Kids Realize Their Whole Life Is Already Online—Googling yourself has become a rite of passage.” The writer has interviewed several kids (with their parents’ permission of course) and shares their thoughts and feelings when they discovered how much (or how little) about them was online. It’s a fascinating read and it’s definitely not black or white. The post presents a lot of food for thought. I think it’s essential reading for parents and an excellent catalyst for one of your weekly technology conversations. As a secondary post for your conversation, include this one in Fast Company, written by 14-year-old Sonia Bohkari.
After reading the piece in The Atlantic, I googled myself. I routinely google myself quarterly—I discover people using poems I’ve written, I run across positive reviews of my webinars that I didn’t know existed, and occasionally, I discover something wild…This session I stumbled upon a photo in the Getty Archive tagged with my name, age (3), and location (Tucson), taken by a photographer named Richardson and titled “Post parade pictures.” From the details I think the parade was the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, and we were visiting from Tucson with my grandparents in Los Angeles. I especially like the Whole Earth float.
So this post is not just about what we and our communities post about our kids. Any of us today can have random strangers contribute pieces to our digital narrative. The challenge we have is to step into the role of curator for our own continually developing digital narratives, and to model that for our children, and teens. Please do read The Atlantic piece. Give some thought to how you’re communicating with your kids about what photos you do and do not post of them online.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Slow Art Day
If you’re in the Bay Area on April 6, SF MOMA will be hosting their annual Slow Art Day—an event “that aims to transform the act of viewing art. On a single day each year, people all over the world are encouraged to visit local museums and galleries to look at five pieces of art for an hour or more. After the slow-viewing exercise, participants meet for lunch to talk about their experiences.” I will be facilitating the lunchtime conversation this year. Tickets are $10. You can register here. If you’re in another city, you can look up what’s happening here to participate where you live.
teen wisdom panel 2.0
I am looking forward to attending this event on April 26th, 7–9 pm, at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, sponsored by the Love Your Nature folks. It’s a rare opportunity to learn from teens themselves about what matters most. If you’re local to the Bay Area, you can register to attend here.
