Though published June 5, some content (in purple text) has been added to this post as of June 25 according to evolutions in thought and understanding.
Apparently, I am far from alone in these feelings (which applies to new tech including social media):
Social media has produced a love/hate relationship in my life. "Hate" because of the addictive qualities and the comparing mind it promotes, I certainly have gotten off my phone wondering how did that happen? Regretting two hours of browsing the endless feed of information with no particular prize to behold and a sore body to console. Yet, "love" because it does connect me to so many fascinating experiences, individuals, causes, and groups I may never have known of and it helps me maintain relationships with those I would seldom be in touch with otherwise. The app Marco Polo, for example, has been so wonderful in catalyzing facetime interactions with my best friends living in other spots on the globe.
I am still grateful for so many experiences that information technologies have offered (see this post, for example), and I am not ready to give up on the positives, though my awareness of the dangers increases with my research. Here's an NPR "All Tech Considered" featuring Adam Alter, author of "Irresistible" --- which makes mention of Tristan Harris, who is referenced in this post.
...I believe the following content written 6/5 still holds some truth though was not yet informed of the above or related insights.
It is fascinating to imagine how different "the feed" of social media can appear per user based on their network of "friends" and the pages they are following. The Wall Street Journal’s Jon Keegan (2016) and team created an interactive web tool called Blue feed, red feed: See liberal Facebook and conservative Facebook, side by side. In this demonstration topics such as Isis, Abortion, and the Affordable Care Act are among the options users can choose to view with both a red and blue lens, side by side. It is a fascinating demonstration of how different a platform may appear per user and speaks to two theories: the Social Construction of Reality and Group Polarization theory.
Regarding the implications of social media on mental health, one of the biggest criticism of social media is the tendency for users to post glittering versions of their life, often omitting the blemishes and presenting only the glossy, refined version of life. Ignoring the mundane in favor of idyllic scenes. In this episode of Hidden Brain, this and other reasons social media isn't always very social is addressed:
Lessons I've learned through Social Media (Rachel Brathen, TEDxAruba) speaks about not only “liking” but “resonating” with posts. Quoting a Vice i-D article, "the UK's Royal Society for Public Health have weighed in on the issue with their new study #StatusofMind. They interviewed almost 1,500 people aged between 14 and 23 about how Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube impacted their mental health. The findings revealed that Instagram was the most detrimental, especially for young women. The popular app stood apart for its ability to literally filter out any imperfections, which in turn left consumers feeling anxious, depressed, lonely and unfulfilled — or as they say online, with mad FOMO." Conversely, another Vice i-D article makes light of "how memes taught millennials to talk about mental health."
Of all the opinions publicly presented about new technology, namely social media, there are few that remain neutral. One of the problems with a statement like that, however, is it is shaped by one mere analysis performed by one mere mortal! A thorough analysis of new technologies requires that new technologies are employed. In order to perform a comprehensive analysis of the ever expanding information is beyond most human’s ability. [I have learned SO MUCH more about this since writing that<]
There are numerous TEDxTalks on the subject: “How social media makes us unsocial” (Allison Graham, TEDxSMU), “Quit social media” (Dr. Cal Newport, TEDxTysons), “What you are missing while being a digital zombie” (Patrik Wincent, TEDxStockholm), “Social Media: Too Much of a Good Thing?” (Samia Khan, TEDxTerryTalks), “Why I Don’t Use A Smart Phone” (Ann Makosinski, TEDxTeen), “Rebuilding Self-Esteem After Addiction to Social Media” (Sarayu Chityala, TEDxMarkhamPublicLibrary), How Social Media Shapes Identity (Ulrike Schultze, TEDxSMU), just to name a few.
There is a growing conversation on the subject of pros & cons of new technology. The momentum of new technology has accumulated before we could recognize the unintended or underestimated consequences of some of the developments. May the research collected throughout this blog and networks of information it connects to help to build a momentum in our growth of awareness and efforts to steer future design and education in a direction that better serves humanity.
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| "Dear iPhone: I Love You. I Hate You." |
Social media has produced a love/hate relationship in my life. "Hate" because of the addictive qualities and the comparing mind it promotes, I certainly have gotten off my phone wondering how did that happen? Regretting two hours of browsing the endless feed of information with no particular prize to behold and a sore body to console. Yet, "love" because it does connect me to so many fascinating experiences, individuals, causes, and groups I may never have known of and it helps me maintain relationships with those I would seldom be in touch with otherwise. The app Marco Polo, for example, has been so wonderful in catalyzing facetime interactions with my best friends living in other spots on the globe.
I am still grateful for so many experiences that information technologies have offered (see this post, for example), and I am not ready to give up on the positives, though my awareness of the dangers increases with my research. Here's an NPR "All Tech Considered" featuring Adam Alter, author of "Irresistible" --- which makes mention of Tristan Harris, who is referenced in this post.
...I believe the following content written 6/5 still holds some truth though was not yet informed of the above or related insights.
Judgments of Social Media
Whether social media is viewed favorably or not, it is only permeating more and more aspects of humanity. As with anything, individual opinions of Web 2.0 and specifically social media are shaped by the individual’s frame of reference; a person’s values, beliefs, history, and expertise all weigh in heavily. Furthermore, the social media experience itself is shaped by the individual user’s habits, interests, and existing relationships that are incorporated into the digital space.It is fascinating to imagine how different "the feed" of social media can appear per user based on their network of "friends" and the pages they are following. The Wall Street Journal’s Jon Keegan (2016) and team created an interactive web tool called Blue feed, red feed: See liberal Facebook and conservative Facebook, side by side. In this demonstration topics such as Isis, Abortion, and the Affordable Care Act are among the options users can choose to view with both a red and blue lens, side by side. It is a fascinating demonstration of how different a platform may appear per user and speaks to two theories: the Social Construction of Reality and Group Polarization theory.
Regarding the implications of social media on mental health, one of the biggest criticism of social media is the tendency for users to post glittering versions of their life, often omitting the blemishes and presenting only the glossy, refined version of life. Ignoring the mundane in favor of idyllic scenes. In this episode of Hidden Brain, this and other reasons social media isn't always very social is addressed:
Lessons I've learned through Social Media (Rachel Brathen, TEDxAruba) speaks about not only “liking” but “resonating” with posts. Quoting a Vice i-D article, "the UK's Royal Society for Public Health have weighed in on the issue with their new study #StatusofMind. They interviewed almost 1,500 people aged between 14 and 23 about how Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube impacted their mental health. The findings revealed that Instagram was the most detrimental, especially for young women. The popular app stood apart for its ability to literally filter out any imperfections, which in turn left consumers feeling anxious, depressed, lonely and unfulfilled — or as they say online, with mad FOMO." Conversely, another Vice i-D article makes light of "how memes taught millennials to talk about mental health."
Of all the opinions publicly presented about new technology, namely social media, there are few that remain neutral. One of the problems with a statement like that, however, is it is shaped by one mere analysis performed by one mere mortal! A thorough analysis of new technologies requires that new technologies are employed. In order to perform a comprehensive analysis of the ever expanding information is beyond most human’s ability. [I have learned SO MUCH more about this since writing that<]
There are numerous TEDxTalks on the subject: “How social media makes us unsocial” (Allison Graham, TEDxSMU), “Quit social media” (Dr. Cal Newport, TEDxTysons), “What you are missing while being a digital zombie” (Patrik Wincent, TEDxStockholm), “Social Media: Too Much of a Good Thing?” (Samia Khan, TEDxTerryTalks), “Why I Don’t Use A Smart Phone” (Ann Makosinski, TEDxTeen), “Rebuilding Self-Esteem After Addiction to Social Media” (Sarayu Chityala, TEDxMarkhamPublicLibrary), How Social Media Shapes Identity (Ulrike Schultze, TEDxSMU), just to name a few.
There is a growing conversation on the subject of pros & cons of new technology. The momentum of new technology has accumulated before we could recognize the unintended or underestimated consequences of some of the developments. May the research collected throughout this blog and networks of information it connects to help to build a momentum in our growth of awareness and efforts to steer future design and education in a direction that better serves humanity.
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