Hidden ways technology can influence your parenting decisions

Key takeaways

Evaluate your relationship with technology, especially during significant life changes such as pregnancy.
Be aware of the data you share online as pregnant consumers, as it can be commodified.
Recognize the unrealistic portrayals of parenthood that technology often perpetuates and how this can affect mental health.
Prioritize real-life experiences and observations over reliance on parenting technology for you and your child's wellbeing.
Consider the impact of sharing your child’s life on social media, and the balance between sharing joy and protecting privacy.

Summary

Introduction to the Influence of Technology

In this episode, host Maryl Segarra introduces the complexity of technology's role in parenting through the experience of Amanda Hess. Hess, a critic at large for The New York Times, shares her personal journey of navigating pregnancy and the overwhelming presence of tech influences. She discusses how her initial excitement turned into complications as she dealt with targeted ads and data-driven decisions during her pregnancy.

The Market Value of Pregnant Consumers

Amanda highlights the monetary value placed on pregnant consumers by data brokers, who capitalize on the personal information they gather. Discussion revolves around the rapidity with which companies use this data to serve tailored ads, often before the expecting woman has even shared the news with loved ones. This emphasizes how companies exploit vulnerability, creating a market out of personal health decisions.

Navigating Misinformation and Idealized Images

As Amanda's relationship with technology deepens during pregnancy, she reflects on the potentially harmful portrayals of pregnancy and parenting found online. She realized that her perception of pregnancy was manipulated through apps and online platforms that brought unrealistic standards and expectations, leading to anxiety and fear regarding her and her baby's health.

Real-Life implications of Technology on Parenting

The episode dives into Amanda's experience with parenting technology, such as the snoo bassinet, which promised better sleep for babies. Amanda recounts how reliance on such technology shifted her understanding of her child's needs and created unnecessary barriers while emphasizing the importance of real-life interaction and observation.

Photographing Parenthood: The Pressure of Sharing Online

Amanda discusses the impulse to share her child’s images on social media, stemming from years of training her audience to post beautiful moments. She wrestles with the idea of how sharing can lead to idealized representations that mask the complexities of parenting, particularly when it comes to children with disabilities. She encourages parents to consider the ramifications of sharing versus the need to keep certain aspects private.

Embracing Authentic Parenting

Closing the episode, Amanda outlines that parents don’t have to conform to societal or technological pressures surrounding pregnancy and parenting. It's crucial to be critical of technology's role in your parenting and to understand when it is beneficial and when it creates more anxiety or disconnection.

Show notes

From pregnancy tracking apps to smart baby monitors, technology is ingrained in parenthood at every turn. But at what cost? In this episode, Amanda Hess, author of Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age, shares how data, metrics and our relationship to technology can shape child-rearing — and create barriers between parents and their kids.

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