What would social media look like if it supported your definition of access to info?
A Social Media App Design by Celine Bernhardt-Lanier, 17, that supports her definition of access to info: It's not just about having access, it's about the amount of access we have, and the amount of information that we can acquire in such a short amount of time.
The mockup
Based on the rough sketch above.
What makes Aura different?
Celine Bernhart-Lanier, 17
CEO of LOG OFF and a great leader spearheading the initiatives.
Celine's bio as written by her fellow LOG OFF member Aishwarya, 15.
What does it mean to you to have access to information?
I think it's an it's a privilege in many ways to have all this information at our fingertips, one click, one Google search. I also think with the constant bombardment of notifications and texts and emails, it's hard to filter through heavily biased or false information. The access to information is not just about having access, but it is also about the amount of access we have, and the amount of information that we can acquire in such a short amount of time.
That makes it such a dangerous digital environment. So I'd say it's a privilege, but it's also something that, as teens, we will need to learn how to navigate and filter through heavily - particularly bias and prejudice information.
Does your preferred social media support your definition of access to information?
I would say, as I use Instagram, I'm seeing that actually don't get that much information. I'm really interested in news. And so, I'll get a huge feed of news from different news sources. And so that's where I see the value of Instagram, because I'm getting accessible information about what's happening in the US and the world. That's been very helpful.
However, at some points, I obviously don't get information; I'm getting very futile messages and empty time, for me, because I'm not getting information I want.
For YouTube. However, I think the information is limitless, I get so much information on YouTube. And that's where the access of information is so big and beneficial in my in my case.
Do you think we should regulate, or in some way limit, our exposure to some sorts of information?
Limiting our perception of information, like limiting our own access of information in a way, by being off social media, I think is very helpful. If not it's just, I think, a vicious cycle of not knowing when to stop consuming too much information.With Instagram it could be small tools like" "Oh, you've been scrolling too much."
So there was a podcast I listened to and it was talking about the amount of tweets we can get. It was really interesting, because I think it was Tristan Harris talking about how much we should actually have.
Should we have two tweets available in five minutes, or something like that? And limiting those amounts of tweets can actually lessen how fast information spreads.
So imagine I send a tweet - I retweet something that I really liked and a person after me can retweet it again. But a third person can't retweet it; they actually have to go find the original image and tweet it.
It was interesting to see how, if we actually have more effort when sharing information, there is less information that moves around. I think that is more helpful.
Saanvi's thoughts on Celine's app
““I really like the idea of an app within your local community where you can ask if someone has a desk for an evening. I noticed during the lockdown - even if you’re in a big gated community, it makes a difference if you know the people around you.” - Saanvi, 15
The Design Challenge was done on a Zoom call between the LOG OFF members, Celine, Saanvi and Aishwarya (GenZ designers), and Iske (a non-GenZ facilitator and mockup designer).