Writing about solving the grandmother problem and ACTUALLY doing it are two very different things.
The subject of this technique was my Aunt Sarah. She is often subject to falling for the shocking titles and not reading the full article, skimming if you will.
I began the conversation very casually, while we were drinking coffee. I didn’t want her to feel like I was attacking her or talking down to her.
I began it with the statement, “Oh my gosh, you have to see this article I read for class, it’s crazy.”
This got her interested. I showed her the National Geographic article, paying special attention to the “right” and “wrong” graphs.
Because my aunt is a Skimmer, I was glad there were more visuals to keep her attention. While showing her these, I explained to her how so much of the media we consume is manipulated and bias, and we’ve got to be super careful about what we share. She agreed with me, but I felt her not fully grasping the concept. A little later, I showed her the Brain Games episode, noted in my last blog post. This kept her attention the most since she was the one who showed me the show in the first place. I ended the episode by saying how the episode could be applied to so much more than cake, (like media, hint hint.)
Finally, I explained to her about “Slow News.” Explaining it the opposite of fast news. Taking a breath and really reading through (not skimming) what we are reading before sharing.
I would like to say that I was successful in talking to her. Since our conversation, she seems to have ceased posting as many clickbait-y articles. While she still posts “What Animal Are You” quizzes on her Facebook page, I believe we were able to have a civil conversation without anyone feeling attacked or talked down to.
