Exploring the Comparison Game
Now have students access the student chapter How the Comparison Game Works and go through the interactive presentation with them, highlighting:
It is easy to forget that other people’s feeds are curated
People present only the best versions of themselves online
Social media apps are designed in ways that encourage us to compare ourselves to others.
Point out that like in a game we often think of ourselves as “winning” or “losing” social media compared to others – and that most social media even have “points” that let you quantify exactly how you’re doing compared to other people.
Now have students access the student chapter Analyzing the Comparison Game. Have them choose a social network that they’re familiar with and use the interactive tool to analyze it as a game.
Popular social network apps include TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Discord. Students can also analyze apps that may not be considered “social networks” but are interactive and quantify popularity, such as YouTube and Scratch.
Each app or website can be analyzed more than once.
You can have students do this individually, in pairs or in small groups if you prefer.
When students have finished their analysis, have them share them with the rest of the class.
As a follow-up to each analysis, ask the class:
When the app or website is described as a game, does it feel like it would be fun to play?
Would it be more fun if it were less like a game?
Could you change it to be less like a game?
Could you use it so that it’s less like playing a game?
To quantify something means to describe it using numbers. For instance, degrees centigrate quantify temperature, so you can say exactly how hot or cold it is.