Platform Fatigue

We’ve just started the semester, and although it’s good to be back on campus, I already feel like I’m suffering from what I’ll call “platform fatigue.” Maybe I’m getting old and cranky, but I’m astounded by the proliferation of online platforms used at school. I thought it was bad in high school with Powerschool, Google Classroom, Turnitin, etc. But in college, I’ve had various classes use, in some capacity:

There are probably others that I’m forgetting. I’ve even heard of a grad class that uses Twitter to distribute course materials! This is not counting all the miscellaneous tools like scanning apps, PDF editing software, and the like. There are times where I can’t remember if a particular course releases homework on Piazza or on a website or on Canvas or somewhere else, and whether I should submit on Gradescope or on Autolab or via email or whatever.

I’m really flashing my Luddite credentials here,2 but it reminds me of the term “battery fatigue” that I’ve come across. It feels like everything in my life—phone, watch, tablet, laptop—needs to be charged every day, and it’s honestly kind of exhausting. I don’t know where this is going; this isn’t a manifesto, just a life observation. I’ll probably get over it after the first few weeks.


  1. The Latin student in me wants to use fora, but the sensible part of me is saying to just stick with forums.↩︎

  2. Let’s be real…I officially became a Luddite when I starting unironically reading mail in a text-based client.↩︎