Principles 4-6: Modelled behaviour, Wellness, Identity
Mindful - "in the moment"
Principle 4 - Modelled behaviour
To expect others to adopt a balanced ‘digital nutrition’, we must model expected behaviours and digital habits. To enable change, the digi-mindset is a shared responsibility. This applies to self, others, and community.
Endearing question
Does how I am using technology at the moment model the way I expect or hope others to use it?
Looking at the research
Modelled behaviour questions whether in the moment digital habits, as behaviours, are modelling positive habits, for self, toward others, toward community. This is modelled through adult to adolescent, peer to peer, and societally accepted digital behaviours, and each relationship is formative of an adolescents’ “technological capital”, the culture of digital technology use and access, developed as digital habits (Apps et al., 2021).
Apps et al. (2021) discuss the misalignment or mismatch of technological capital as formative in developing “digital practices that constrain learning experiences and contribute to digital inequities” (p.12).
Reid Chassiakos et al. (2016) concurs, in that children from a young age (adolescents within our context) learn by example, they model the behaviours (technological habits) of trusted or influential adults and peers.
Modelled behaviour represents another praxis element where shared practice, through individually enacted, community-wide adoption is necessary.
Principle 5 - Wellness
Envisioning appropriate use, to achieve digital wellness is to consider how digital content interactions, or consumption, informed through other digi-mindset principles, is impacting positive physiological and psychological self-development.
Endearing question
Is how I am interacting with digital content a positive influence on my physical and psychological growth?
Looking at the research
Digital wellness refers to the ability to discern between the benefits and risks found in the use of digital technology, and the ability to reflect and access technology responsibly (Klase et al., 2022). Wellness seeks to balance digi-mindset principles as 'appropriate use’ and prompts users to reflect on whether in-the-moment digital habits are contributing to positive growth, as a form of internal accountability.
Wellness overlays screentime in acknowledging negative physical and psychological consequences of excessive or inappropriate use or content access. Where screentime balances usage type and format, wellness balances modelled behaviour and identity.
Wellness, as a consideration of ‘digital nutrition’ includes:
Identifying the actual needs of consuming digital content.
Creating opportunities for taking tech breaks, “digital detox”.
Turning off non-critical notifications to overcome FOMO.
Reducing social media usage.
Making time to unplug and live in the present.
(Santhosh, 2021)
With wellness in practice, risk of digital fatigue – a “state of cognitive or emotional exhaustion due to the overuse or misuse of digital tools” (Klase et al., 2022. p.2) is mitigated.
Principle 6 - Identity
Prompting users to construct an awareness of how their digital habits develop or present their digital identities. Identity in the digi-mindset facilitates digital safety, digital citizenship, cyber-friendship, and supported risk-taking as strategies to enable mindful digital interaction.
Endearing question
Does how I am interacting online portray who I want to be identified as?
Looking at the research
Not limited to online or eSafety, identity in the digi-mindset includes supported positive risk-taking, cyber-friendship, and digital citizenship.
Culatta (2021) posits eSafety or online safety as a disservice to our children, if that is the ‘high bar’ of protection, and that online safety is in fact the ‘low bar’ setting.
Inherently linked with modelled behaviour, the identity element of the praxis identifies positively framed strategies (for example cyberfriendship as a positive goal rather than the negative action of cyber-bullying or cyberstalking) to support the growth of positive digital habits, once again eliciting the development of technological capital (Apps et al., 2021).