‘OUR CHILDREN‘
Is the digital world absorbing our children’s minds and impeding their social development? This has become increasingly concerning as our children’s access to digital media has increased as a result of Covid-19. Although some applications may be beneficial for growth, some studies suggest they may influence our children’s critical thinking, attention span, and mental outlook. As Covid exploded into our lives and drew us closer to technology, what was once a source of joy has become entrenched in our daily lives. We, adults, reflect on our childhoods and even ten years prior to how different our lives would have been without technology. Now our children are slaves to the screen as we adults work from home, socialize, and even exercise with a screen. How can parents tell their children no when they see their elders work, play, talk, and interact on these digital platforms? With all-digital networks developing algorithms, it seems as if all hands are vying for attention, leaving nothing but a digitally influenced being. What will the outcomes be for our children in this uncertain future?
Personally, I see the digital world grabbing our children’s minds and decisions, literally draining their thoughts to create cookie-driven algorithms in order to create applications that consume more of their attention, thus producing a never-ending Digital circle of consciousness.
I’ve always traditionally painted and drew and thought it would be appropriate to learn digital sketching for this digital art piece titled ‘Our Children.’ I used an app called ‘sketchbook’ on my iPad and incorporated features from a digital platform. After I completed the sketch in Sketchbook, I downloaded the picture three times and then uploaded the digital sketch to my Instagram story. I came across a music clip from an album named Spooky songs for Halloween parties and haunted houses after hours of searching. ‘Chilling Whispers’ is the title of the track. Each segment features a moving layer from Instagram’s Giphy on stories. Please note that this piece was never shared on Instagram stories; I used the application to pick the features and music that would help tell my story through my sketch, and then screen recorded and exited the app before sharing. I loaded the three recordings onto the iPad, created a slideshow, and screen recorded the slideshow after selecting each scene. As a result, you’re left with a mixed media piece that incorporates elements of conventional drawing into the digital realm.
