Prompt:

Describe or narrate a scenario about a corporation found a decade into a future in which order is deliberately coordinated or imposed. Your description should address issues related to the brain and elicit feelings of decadence.

I will write a personal narrative in the perspective of an experienced teacher in 2075. The story is set is a dystopian society, in Canada. Media industries have infiltrated and dominated schools/the education field. The story is inspired by themes in 1984 by George Orwell.

Year: 2075

Setting: Secondary classroom in Toronto, Canada

Decadence: moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury

Format: Top Secret Journal written by a secondary teacher who taught from 2025-2075.

Dear Human,

If you are reading this, I hope it is not too late. To find a place far away from anything digital. To be away from anything with a screen. Remember, you are being monitored. To be able to breathe, to learn freely, and to have true thoughts of your own without being discriminated against for having a thought or two. I hope that we will get to live in the true North, strong, and free once again.

If you are still reading this, know that these are simply thoughts of my own. If your eyes are still skimming through, you’ve passed the test and have shown pieces of critical thought and inquiry. From a teacher who has taught in the future, with 50 years of teaching experience, my heart crumbles at the thought of how students learn, think, communicate, and share.

It’s now year 2075. All secondary students in Canada know their school procedures. No thinking – just following routine. When entering, students are accounted for and awaited upon by security, using either their fingerprint or facial ID to scan in. Walking into schools, you are surveillanced the second you step foot on school grounds. Who would have known how fast technology would’ve developed in 50 years? No one opposed. No one dared. Not a single soul had the confidence to voice the detriment and the impact from economic and social convergence.

Who’s in charge you ask? Who do you think? Not our government. What even is government anymore? It’s YouTube, Meta, Disney Plus, and Amazon now fight for a share in everything and anything. They have influence on our political parties…Back in the day you would study how imperial countries carved up the world prior to WWI and now you have the same idea. Except their control is through media circulation. Now you don’t need to fight in wars to win them. So long as you can decay the brain, decay human instinct and the precious gems of basic human values, you can control almost anyone. Not me. Not an old soul, not a real teacher.

You know how we used to use these apps as users – well now it seems like the other way around. There is decadence. There is decay in our morals, our smarts, our ability to connect as humans. Scrolling led to their empowerment in controlling all media to government, policy, non-profit, and they’re now in schools. It is mandated that students use materials and content from these dominant companies.

Students now feed into their content without a doubt or the ability to analyze what are they even watching or listening to. What are the images being displayed? What are the words being said? What is the message?  Our schools are now experimental grounds for these companies who wear all hats. Our society has fallen to the decline of personal devices and to a complete digitized society.

Remember, you are human. You are capable to do the right thing and to question all that is around you. Keep my journal as a way to remember that there are others like you.

References:

Analyze the visualizations and reflect on the implications and outcomes of their generation. The visualizations show not only connections between the participants’ music choices but also groups participants based on the strength of these choices, creating communities of individuals with similar responses. But exactly why are these responses similar? Is the visualization able to capture the reasons behind the choices?

The visualization of our outcomes was very interesting. I found my name connected to my song choices. I had to follow along using the lines. I found my name in proximity to other peers intriguing. Did that mean we had familiar song choices by quantity? The visualization was reflective of our auditory preferences in terms of what we submitted as our preferences in song choice. I feel that the visualization missed other data including the reasons why we chose the songs that we did, why we didn’t choose the remaining songs, and what personal connection(s) did we have to the songs. Some selections could have ore intent while others could have been invalid due to a lack of reasoning.

I know that I chose songs based on what I thought would best represent humanity in terms of historical significance, enjoyment, and music pieces of various centuries.

“Null” choices are represented in this data as the songs that were chosen but didn’t make the collective top 10 choices. Without explicit data on reasoning, the data doesn’t doesn’t represent much other than collective choices from a sample which is our class.

Using these visualizations as prompts, reflect on the political implications of such groupings considering what data is missing, assumed, or misinterpreted. For example, while you may be able to justify your musical choices in the Quiz, there also may exist reasons why you did not choose other pieces. Can the reasons for these “null” choices ever be reflected/interpreted in the data? 

Were songs simply chosen based on musical preference or based on our previous knowledge in musical background? I feel that our musical preference says a lot about what we were predisposed to.  I almost felt guilty choosing my songs as I knew my selections represented worldviews that I grew up on, socioeconomic values, and exposed a pattern of some sort. Despite the unavailability of reasoning, the viewer can assume there is a previous knowledge piece or an emotional piece to our selections. I did not choose other pieces as some were so foreign to me in terms of emotions – when I was listening I didn’t know how to comprehend if I was excited, surprised, intimidated, or taunted. Lyrical music is so different from instrumental. I determined my selections by asking myself – “could I listen to this song over and over again?” I wanted to make sure that I thought the songs brought a good message and that they were calm and enjoyable. The purpose of the soundtrack could not have the potential capacity to do the opposite, otherwise that would defeat the purpose.

Implications of AI-informed decision:

“Software has framing power: the mere presence of a risk assessment tool can reframe a judge’s decision-making process and induce new biases, regardless of the tool’s quality.” (Porcaro, 2019).

I had no idea of the extent of AI being already used in the Justice system, arrests, and the computing of criminals/arrested individuals. As much as I can understand how AI can be helpful in analyzing legal/safe/unsafe situations on public streets, I feel that each arrest should be determined based on the current situation and live bodycaming. As quoted from Porcaro, AI also reframes legal decision-making as risk assessment tools.

I feel that I cannot make a true final decision on AI-informed decisions  because I would’ve liked to study statistics that are focused on Canadian criminalization cases, jailing, arrests, and violence. I am not a professional in the legal sector, therefore, I cannot simply imply that AI has not saved lives in extreme circumstances. AI can be either negative or positive towards law-enforcement decisions.

Consequences that AI-informed decision making brings to certain aspects of life:

In terms of the Podcast, “Reply All,” crime, crime rate, hate crime, drugs, corruption, all meld in one pot and is its own beast specifically in NYC. We cannot compare these statistics to the general stats of America and/or Canada. Therefore, cities with high-risk levels of crime need the support of AI technology. With that being said, constant instructional, experiential, training against AI-informed decision-making should be crucial to work towards that ethical, logical, and safe response.

Regarding the simulation, I was constantly reminding myself of jail capacity. In which I prioritized the possibilities of repeated offense, violence, and/or a danger to society. I feel and can see how AI algorithms may serve society and at the same time, it is not a technology we should depend on but rather one that can generate (hopefully fair) background information.

References:

Porcaro, K. (2019, January 8). Detain/Release: simulating algorithmic risk assessments at pretrial.Links to an external site. Medium.

Vogt, P. (2018, October 12a). The Crime Machine, Part I (no. 127) [Audio podcast episode]. In Reply All. Gimlet Media.

Vogt, P. (2018, October 12b). The Crime Machine, Part II (no. 128) [Audio podcast episode]. In Reply All. Gimlet Media.

Correction my completion time was 20 MINUTES NOT 3 MINUTES. My first screenshot of my results did not save.

Reflection:

UI was definitely difficult! I was frustrated since the very beginning of completing this task. The webpage felt and looked sketchy:

“Hide Key information”

• It had very security-compromising questions at the very start. Where the password requirements were posted on the bottom in very small font sizes and in green, against the (hard to see) blue webpage background colour
• When I filled out the personal identification questions,, I realized that the layout was very similar to the old Facebook website
• When uploading a PNG image, I was VERY careful to use a random picture of anything I could find in my documents/downloads
• Time running out pop-ups

The uploading was very undesirable for the user. I felt as if I compromised my personal information and went through the game as quick as I could because of the constant reminders on time.

“Benefit from mistakes”

• Finally – the end of UI was the most difficult in terms of proving that I was a human. There were selection categories which asked which images were of “checks, circles, and bows”. At first, I chose answers that matched the grammatical structure of the questions. But I soon realized that at the end, it didn’t really matter. UI wanted all boxes and images ticked off. I must’ve spent at least 10 minutes on this section before I clued in that I needed to select all images. I was defaulting my answers to get through with the game.

The picture selection was most manipulative – in its ability to manipulate user responses and user comprehension. The site was intentionally designed to manipulate basic user literacy and reversed key functions with colour coordination, page layout, pop-ups, and submission of certain responses.

At numerous moments, I wanted to quit and close down my tab. I either felt super annoyed or felt as if the game was going to give my laptop a virus at any point. As a user, the site design, buttons, and questions felt unsafe. But I learned a lot from UI in terms of “applied deception.”

References:

Bagaar. (2019). User InyerfaceLinks to an external site. [web game].

Brignull, H. (2011). Dark patterns: Deception vs. honesty in UI design.Links to an external site. A List Apart, 338.

My choices:

Sound has always been a big part of childhood and linguistic background. I learned Laotian through conversations between my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and dad. I depend on my auditory senses to regain my past memories, to communicate, and to infer on my emotional/physical surroundings.

1. Mozart, The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night aria, no. 14. Edda Moser, soprano. Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor. 2:55
2. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor. 4:40
3. Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, Prelude and Fugue in C, No.1. Glenn Gould, piano. 4:48
4. “Melancholy Blues,” performed by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven. 3:05
5. “Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry. 2:38
6. “Dark Was the Night,” written and performed by Blind Willie Johnson. 3:15
7. Holborne, Paueans, Galliards, Almains and Other Short Aeirs, “The Fairie Round,” performed by David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London. 1:17
8. Beethoven, String Quartet No. 13 in B flat, Opus 130, Cavatina, performed by Budapest String Quartet. 6:37
9. China, ch’in, “Flowing Streams,” performed by Kuan P’ing-hu. 7:37
10. Bach, “Gavotte en rondeaux” from the Partita No. 3 in E major for Violin, performed by Arthur Grumiaux. 2:55

The Voyager Gold Record had many unique tracks. I chose the records that brought humankind happiness and historical significance. I selected tracks that depicted the development in classical music to music theory and modern country/blues. I took on the perspective of extraterrestrial life out there if they had found that Earth’s Golden Record. I feel that the rhythms I chose, had more positive and wackening beats that made sense. As discussed in the podcast by “Twenty Thousand Hertz”, I assumed basic human feeling that came from beautiful sounds was connected to other species being able to ‘mathematically understand’ the track. It was interesting to know that as a civilization, we had digitized frequencies and music into a single record, to depict the evolution and compact processes of human life out into the galaxy.

Resources:

Brown University. (2017, July 11). Abby Smith Rumsey: “Digital memory: What can we afford to lose?”Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube.

Smith Rumsey, A. (1999, February). Why digitize?Links to an external site. Council on Library and Information Resources. Retrieved August 12, 2022.

Taylor, D. (Host). (2019, April). Voyager golden recordLinks to an external site. [Audio podcast episode]. In Twenty thousand hertz. Defacto Sound.

What is in your backpack? Cross-curricular Lesson 

Attached, are shared examples of what students had drew in their journals.

Redesigning “What’s in your bag” assignment:

I am essentially teaching a behavioural class that is also a pilot course. It’s course goal is to improve students’ literacy strategies, in addition to teaching grade 8 students humanities concepts in social studies and English studies 8. I thought why not enable reflective thinking in their morning, journalling routine that connects to our thematic exploration on “love”?

The novel we are studying is Shannen and the Dream for a School. In Chapter 13, we discuss and read about the idea of love. I provided the students with a prompt and writing stems, “Shannen said, ‘Nothing is stronger than love. Why do you think love is important?”

• I think love is important because…
• To me love is important because…
• Love helps me…
• Love makes me feel…
• I show love by…

I asked the students what their thoughts were on love and what that may look like for them and others around them. The students’ exit slips were brilliant in opening up about personal examples of love and what that looked like or felt like. Whereas their sketches were more distant in finding connection to physical possessions. I realized that our responses to the first assignment were so different compared to the responses from youth.  Love and sentiment came from if they ate breakfast or not, if they had a break before class, getting ready for school, what they got packed for lunch, what happened at home the night before, how their first block went, etc.. It was not about

what they packed for school or what they had in school. Love was about what the students felt and what they knew.

From an educator’s perspective, I was reaffirmed with the idea that student behaviour is connected to their feelings and every little experience they have throughout the day. I enjoyed being able to create a cross-curricular lesson plan that engaged students’ critical thinking, social-emotional needs, and supported their time to reflect on self care.

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Reflection:

Did you rely more on syllables, words, ideas, or a combination of all of them?

I relied on ideas, memory, and setting-based emojis to depict the main events of the story. Rather than to go into detail of the setting, names, and miscellaneous details, I thought the easiest way people would understand is to analyze the plot and climax of the film. In terms of memory, I watched the movie last night when helped with summarizing the emojis.

Did you start with the title? Why? Why not?

I started with the title as it would provide pre-analyzing context. Almost as a form of pre-reading. I wanted to guide the audience as much as I could with the emoji title.

Did you choose the work based on how easy it would be to visualize?

I chose the work based on the most recent film I watched. It so happened to be a movie my family and I watched over Thanksgiving, long weekend. In my experience, visualizing the film was easy. I sequenced the main events of the film with a sequence of emojis to replace text. The movie genre is a romantic comedy which also aids the simplicity of the emoji story. If I had chosen a mystery, horror, or drama film, I think visualization would have been more difficult and the ideas/theme would have been missed due to the limitation of emojis.

As you view this lecture, identify at least 6 statements that strike you or you relate to at a personal level. Record the timestamps of such statements and respond to or comment on each statement in your webspace. You can use a format similar to this for each statement:

1. [03:40] Dr. Boroditsky mentions “in a lot of different languages you have to change the verb depending on how you came about to know this information.” In my own experience, I find this very true. I speak fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin. I mentally flip verbs in my head when I switch back between Cantonese and Mandarin when speaking with family. In Cantonese specifically, there are stricter grammatical rule. There is a drastic difference between formal and informal speech and therefore I have to be careful in the phrasing of my words and verbs when processing information and then communicating the information. Cantonese also has more slang. What is more tricky, is that my first language growing up is Mandarin so I speak Mandarin in my head then think about what words best translate in Cantonese.
2. [04:48] Dr. Boroditsky mentions “evidential information – something you inferred from vision, sound, or heard from something someone says. Some languages will have trouble translating. Some languages only have a few colour words.” I think this is important because I was never able to justify how I could understand Laotian fluently and also formulate elementary-level speech in Laotian. A fun fact upon reflection, I was never taught the language but my father’s family always spoke it and I’ve always been able to understand it. In addition, my mother used to always put on Cantonese shows as a way of bonding and keeping our culture. But I knew that it was the most fun way to learn our mother tongue. As a auditory learner, I can say that listening to languages can build linguistic learning and skills. It was nice to hear from Dr. Boroditsky to legitimize my linguistic and cultural experiences growing up.
3. [09:42] Dr. Boroditsky mentions “to what extent of language guide what we see in the world? language shapes thought.” In my own experience, I can say yes. I found it fascinating, first handedly witnessing how baby cousins from my own family differed in development, character, philosophical thinking, and closeness to our culture. I realized it was linked to the closeness of our family’s language. I was lucky enough to pick up as many languages as I did, as a first-generation Chinese-Canadian. But for my sister, and younger cousins they didn’t pick it up as easily. Was it due to different parenting styles/techniques? Was it due to the time we spend with grandparents? Was it dependant on what type of learner we were? I cannot tell. But what I found was that language progressed linguistic, cultural, and real-world understanding. I feel that language development differs in every cultural but it is essential in building knowledge, exploration, trial and error, and confidence in a child.
4. [41:42] Dr. Boroditsky mentions “reveal relationship between language and thought.” In my own experience, I think differently in my languages. The way I would explain it, is almost as if I had a different expressive personality with each language. In English, I am most confident and expressive. In Cantonese, I am witty, humorous, and cheeky. And in Mandarin, I am sensitive and fond of the people I speak it with because it is the language I speak with my grandmother. It’s exactly like what Dr. Boroditsky says, word association. I believe language can guide thought, in the right words, it can alter how we approach world views, perspectives, morals, and traditions.
5. [44:15] Dr. Boroditsky mentions “languages and cultures make us super smart.” In my own experience as a secondary school teacher, I’ve appreciated and continue to incorporate the First Peoples Principles of Learning in my classroom. Why? It’s because it’s the first documented curricular way of connecting holistic thinking in balance to our Western way of thinking/learning. As a multilingual learner, the FPPL was easy to grasp but I soon realized English speakers found the practice difficult. I then realized how the study of language and/or culture at a basic elementary/secondary school level, can have a great impact on self-development and influence the way an individual may see the world. The more I teach, I find many first/second/third generation Canadian students want to learn more about their family’s language and culture or languages of interest to them.
6. [45:21] Dr. Boroditsky mentions “linguistic diversity is a testament to the incredible flexibility and ingenuity of the human mind.” I think this is important to have linguistic diversity. Luckily in BC curriculum and local schools, it is encouraged and promoted. At the school that I teach in, we have so many students of various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are a community secondary school which makes us a tight-knit community always seeking to grow together. And this comes with full acceptance of students, of their identities, living and lived experiences, and acknowledging their linguistic intellect.

This video study and task made my day. I really enjoyed deeply thinking about personal linguistic experiences, reflecting practice to theory, and found many connections to many of Dr. Boroditsky’s ideas.

Unscripted text:

This summer I went to Italy with my family this included my sister and also my mother. We went on a three week long trip and we went to many cities starting from Rome and then we went to Florence, Venice Tuscany yeah bologna and also the last city, which was a Sorrento animal he close coast. It was a really fun trip but every once in a lifetime as Covid postponed many things for my phone, they were many things to see my favorite was Rome because of the historical architecture, and the famous Roman food, I was shocked at how courteous and excepting the Italians were of many different cultures and nationalities, who were visiting to see Italy from selves. I had a really nice time every morning there was handmade, cappuccinos and breakfast ready for us, and Tuscany was irreplaceable taking a tour to see the medieval castles and bakeries. That was definitely one of my most memorable times, if I could, I would visit Italy in the next few years it’s definitely one of those countries that you could visit for many times and still have lots to see and lastly, we had some really great photos which I still need to print but the Colosseum the wineries and also the Amalfi coast were unimaginable. Oh, and I totally forgot to mention about Pompei starting from textbooks does not do justice of the real archaeological site. It was amazing.

How does the text deviate from conventions of written English?

Spelling: The text deviated from spelling and presented errors due to misinterpretation when voice transformed to text. There were additional plural words with s’s and a lack of hyphenation. In addition, some cities were spelt in English Romanization rather than the authentic spelling of Italian cities. Specifically, Amalfi Coast was missed and the speech-to-text came out with “animal he close coast.” In written English, I feel that a writer would know when conventions could be appropriately inputted or what type of conventions are necessary to carry out the intent in a the written piece.

Punctuation: As for punctuation, I noticed that if I spoke slower and with an exaggerated tone, expression, and volume, the punctuation was more accurate rather than speaking fast in a monotone approach. What was ironic was that in some places, there was a lack of commas and in some places, an overuse of commas. No exclamation marks came out in the unscripted text despite my exaggeration. There were no dashes, hyphens, quotes,  or brackets. This differentiates from written English as it is critical to identify the main idea to related examples in a written piece.

Capitalization: Some specific nouns were missed in capitalization such as Bologna. Overall, capitalization did not demonstrate as much of an issue compared to spelling and punctuation. In written English, capitalization would be easily corrected with editing.

Grammar: Dependant on the speed of speech, preposition and conjunction words were missed in sentences. This made the grammatical structure of some sentences incorrect. If a user completed a writing piece with written English it would have been easier to catch some of these little errors, using read-aloud strategies, drafting, typing, and outlining.

Paragraphing: The unscripted text came out as one, long paragraph. I wouldn’t think that the microphone function would have the technological ability to analyze speech-to-text into a multi paragraph format. Versus in written English output, writers are often very aware of writing in a particular format including an opening statement, thesis, introduction, body paragraph(s), and a conclusion paragraph.

What is “wrong” in the text? What is “right”?

As mentioned above, the combination of various convention errors make for a very informal, incorrect, and personal narrative written piece. Although it is acceptable, it does not formulate an articulate and edited piece of work. In my opinion, it does not communicate the sequencing needed to depict main ideas, examples, and feeling.

What are the most common “mistakes” in the text and why do you consider them “mistakes”?

Upon review, I felt that punctuation was the most common “mistake.” I consider them “mistakes” as I know how I would personally narrate, grammatize, and express my ideas in written output. When I read it over, it didn’t feel as if I wrote it.

What if you had “scripted” the story? What difference might that have made?

If I had “scripted” the story, I would have been able to edit and include further details on the experiences I had. I could have included more of the “5 senses” (smell, taste, sound, touch, sight) when describing the different cities I’ve visited. It was hard complete speech-to-text because I felt forced to keep speaking into the microphone. I felt that it was a difficult task, multitasking, and working a different part of my brain – explicit neuro-speech functioning. This was something I was not use to.

In what ways does oral storytelling differ from written storytelling?

Oral storytelling jumps from detail to detail, and it goes by feeling. Whereas written storytelling allows the reader to formulate details from beginning to end. I think both are just as valuable but could be used for different settings and for informal/formal assessments. Both can be used in the classroom, during discussion, assignment output, design, etc. It is hard as an educator to assess what “acceptable” forms of speech-to-text are when there is evidence of continuous convention errors. But that’s where it is important to take the time to review the speech-to-text written output and to do an overall edit with the student to further practice literacy/writing/reading skills.

I am a very, on-the-go individual! As a full-time teacher, part-time student, I have a few essentials. I will be coaching field hockey at my secondary school this fall and so an extra change of clothes and snacks would be normal as well.

Items in the picture:

• Lululemon work bag (a precious gift given to me by my dad a few years back when I started teaching)
• Apple Macbook (that I bought with scholarship money back in 2014 and yes it still works!)
• USB bluetooth Logitech mouse (given to me by my sister)
• Cyxus LED glasses (that my boyfriend bought on Amazon when my eyes started to hurt from all the screentime)
• Saje Peppermint roller (my favourite item to calm me down on a bad/stressful/tiring day)
• Black hair clip
• Wooden utensils kit
• Dakine pencil case (I use it as my electronics bag – chargers, wires, etc)
• NEFF fanny pack (with my wallet, personal items)
• Water bottle (insulated and stainless steel are my favourite)

What is your daily need for the items in your bag? 

I enjoy items that support my well-being. Multi-function and durable items are very important to me. I enjoy aromatherapy and carry items with me that have meaning. My items usually support me on a daily basis.

How might these items be considered “texts” and what do they say about you, the places you inhabit, the cultures with which you engage, and/or the activities you take up?

My laptop and electronics are considered “texts” as I am able to study, learn, teach, and/or prep, anywhere I go. As for my personal items, they support a healthy environment that enables the ability to engage in “texts.” If I don’t need my “text” related items, I can simply leave them in my car and go about the day with my fanny pack.

Thinking about the title of the course, what are the “text technologies” in your bag, if any? What do these items say about how you engage with language and communication?

I want to think that I have 2 bags. A work bag with items and a handbag. With my bigger items, such as my laptop and electronics, they allow me to be ready for any task, to be well-prepared, and open to changes. These “text technologies” allow me to communicate and collaborate with people in my teaching circle. As for my fanny pack, I would consider my credit cards, ID, and payment as another form of “text technologies” as it allows me to purchase items and engage in my own welfare with the community (making appointments).

What do the items in your bag say about the literacies you have?

The items in my bag are both humble and privileged in the literacies that I have. In regards to financial literacy, my items are humble as I keep my items in pristine condition. Most items were either gifted to me or I took the time to save up for. With my Chinese-Canadian upbringing, keeping good care of my items have allowed me holistically enjoy the little things and the items that I have and earned for. On the other hand, I am privileged in the ability to recognize what items I need as an individual, and purchase items that support my work environment and well-being. I am socially and economically literate to know what keeps me healthy.

How does the narrative of the (private) contents of your bag compare with the narrative produced by the image you have of yourself or the image you outwardly project?

The image I provided does not measure to how valuable and meaningful these items are to me. Each item almost has a story of their own and how they made into my bag. The picture does not depict my culture, my religion, or family.  The only hint to my private life would be my laptop stickers. I love mountain biking, snowboarding, and just being on the mountains in general!

What would this same bag have looked like, say, 15 or 25 years ago?

The same bag 15 years ago, would have had an MP3 player, headphones, homework, stickers, a flip cell phone, pencils, pictures, all inside of a Abercrombie or Hollister backpack. I think my high school bags were way more fun!

How do you imagine an archeologist aiming to understand this temporal period might view the contents of your bag many years in the future?

An archeologist may view bags in 2023, to be focused on practicality and possibly ” modern-day survival”. In my opinion, it’s a tough time for many, living in a world like today with all sorts of economic and personal hardships. Inflation and financial stress, have a big toll on mental health and physical health. Especially as a society bouncing back from Covid. Therefore, the bags of many students and professionals will have items related to work, school, and/or well-being.