Video Sample Social Media

Summary

This presentation delves into the effects of social media on users' mental health, highlighting the addictive nature of platforms designed to capture attention. It explores the social and health contexts, revealing how heavy usage can lead to anxiety and depression. The video discusses the role of algorithms in creating echo chambers and the commodification of user attention. Despite the benefits of social connection, the script suggests that the costs of social media use, including the impact of algorithms and the rise in mental health issues, currently outweigh the benefits. Solutions proposed include personal actions like uninstalling unnecessary apps and broader measures such as regulation and financial incentives for social media companies to reduce harm.

Takeaways

• 📱 **Screen Time Awareness**: Users should check their screen time to understand how much time they spend on their phones and social media apps.
• 🌐 **Designed for Addiction**: Social media apps are intentionally designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible.
• 🧠 **Mental Health Impact**: Heavy social media use can lead to anxiety, depression, and feelings of inadequacy due to comparison with others.
• 🔗 **Virtual Connections**: Social media provides a means to connect with others, especially when physical meetings are not possible.
• 📈 **Algorithmic Influence**: Algorithms on social media platforms curate content to keep users engaged, often leading to an echo chamber effect.
• 👥 **Facebook's Evolution**: Facebook started as a university connection tool and has grown into a major conglomerate with various platforms under its umbrella.
• 📸 **Instagram's Temptation**: Instagram's features, like the search function and filters, can cause users to lose track of time and create unrealistic beauty standards.
• 📲 **Smartphone Dependency**: The constant urge to check for updates on social media is very strong, with Americans checking their phones an average of 96 times a day.
• 🌟 **The 'Like' Button's Original Intent**: The 'like' button was initially designed to spread positivity, but it has been linked to depression and polarization.
• 💸 **Users as Products**: On social media, users are the product, with their attention being sold to advertisers.
• 🔑 **Solutions for Users**: Personal solutions include uninstalling unnecessary apps, turning off non-essential notifications, and potentially deleting social media apps to regain control over personal data and online presence.

Q & A

What is the main concern regarding social media use as discussed in the script?

The main concern is the potential for social media use to lead to addiction, anxiety, depression, and polarization due to its habit-forming design and the way algorithms curate content.

How can users check their screen time on their mobile devices?

Users can check their screen time by going to the settings on their mobile devices, where they can find information on how many hours they have spent using their phones and which apps they have spent most of their time on.

What is the social context of using social media as mentioned in the script?

In a social context, social media allows people to connect and interact with others, especially when physical meetings are not possible. However, heavy use can lead to anxiety and depression due to comparison with others and fear of missing out.

How does the design of social media applications contribute to addiction?

Social media applications are designed with features like infinite scroll and algorithms that track user behavior to keep users engaged for longer periods, which can lead to addiction.

What role do algorithms play in the experience of using social media?

Algorithms on social media platforms curate content based on user behavior, which can lead to a narrowing of perspectives (echo chamber effect) and psychological confirmation bias, potentially reinforcing extreme views.

What is the 'infinite scroll' feature, and how does it contribute to social media addiction?

The 'infinite scroll' is a feature that automatically loads new content as the user scrolls down, making it easy for users to lose track of time and continue browsing, thus contributing to social media addiction.

What is the correlation between increased social media use and mental health as discussed in the script?

The script discusses a correlation between increased social media use and a decline in mental health, with studies showing an increase in depression and anxiety, especially during lockdowns due to the pandemic.

How do social media companies monetize their platforms according to the script?

Social media companies monetize their platforms primarily through advertising, where users' attention and data are the products being sold to advertisers.

What is the difference between active and passive use of social media as it relates to mental health?

Active use of social media, such as video calls and sharing updates, can have positive outcomes for mental health, while passive use, like endless scrolling and comparing oneself to others, can negatively impact mental health.

What solutions are proposed in the script to address the negative impacts of social media use?

The script suggests solutions such as regulating social media organizations to focus less on profit and more on user well-being, as well as personal actions like uninstalling unnecessary apps, turning off non-essential notifications, and deleting social media apps to regain control over personal data and online presence.

How does the script describe the original intention behind social media platforms?

The script indicates that social media started with good intent, focusing on connection and communication, but as platforms began to monetize, the focus shifted towards serving the interests of advertisers rather than users.

Outlines

00:00

📱 Social Media Addiction and Its Impact

This paragraph discusses the prevalence of social media addiction, urging users to check their screen time and reflect on their usage. It highlights the social and health contexts of social media use, noting how it can lead to anxiety, depression, and a fear of missing out. The paragraph also touches on the positive aspects of social media, such as enabling connection when physical meetings are not possible. It critiques the design of social media apps, which are intentionally addictive, and references the movie 'The Social Dilemma' and interviews with former tech engineers to illustrate how these platforms are designed to keep users engaged.

05:00

🔍 The Role of Algorithms in Social Media Engagement

This paragraph delves into the role of algorithms in shaping user experience on social media platforms. It explains how algorithms are used to curate content, leading to longer engagement times. The 'echo chamber effect' and psychological confirmation bias are discussed as negative outcomes of algorithmic curation. The paragraph also addresses the correlation between increased social media use and declines in mental health, as evidenced by statistics from the UK and the US. However, it also acknowledges that not all social media use is detrimental, and active use can have positive outcomes, especially during lockdowns. The paragraph concludes by suggesting personal solutions to mitigate the negative impacts of social media, such as uninstalling unnecessary apps and turning off non-essential notifications.

Keywords

💡Social Media

Social media refers to digital platforms and applications that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking. In the video, it is discussed as a double-edged sword, providing social connections but also potentially leading to anxiety and addiction due to its design to keep users engaged. Examples include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, which are platforms where users can interact, share content, and compare their lives with others, leading to potential mental health issues.

💡Screen Time

Screen time is the amount of time spent using digital devices, particularly smartphones, tablets, and computers. The video script encourages viewers to check their screen time to understand how much time they spend on their devices, especially on social media. High screen time is often associated with social media use, which can lead to various negative outcomes, such as addiction and mental health issues.

💡Algorithm

An algorithm in the context of the video refers to a set of rules or processes used by social media platforms to display content to users. These algorithms are designed to keep users engaged by showing them content that aligns with their interests and online behavior. The video explains that algorithms are not neutral; they are optimized for commercial interests, often leading to the 'echo chamber effect' where users are only shown content that confirms their existing beliefs.

💡Mental Health

Mental health encompasses a person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The video discusses how heavy use of social media can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. It points out that the fear of missing out (FOMO) and the tendency to compare oneself to others on social media can negatively impact users' mental health.

💡Echo Chamber Effect

The echo chamber effect is a phenomenon where algorithms on social media platforms create a feedback loop of information that reinforces a user's existing beliefs by only showing them content that aligns with their views. The video explains that this effect can lead to a narrowing of perspectives and potentially to ideological extremism, as users are not exposed to diverse viewpoints.

💡Infinite Scroll

Infinite scroll is a feature of many social media applications that automatically loads new content as the user scrolls down, creating a seemingly endless feed. The video mentions this feature as a habit-forming aspect of social media design, which keeps users engaged for longer periods, potentially leading to addiction and excessive screen time.

💡Digital Well-being

Digital well-being refers to the impact of digital technologies on a person's overall well-being, including their mental and physical health. The video touches on this concept by discussing the negative effects of excessive social media use on users' mental health and suggesting ways to improve digital well-being, such as reducing screen time and being mindful of social media usage.

💡FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

FOMO is the anxiety that an individual might miss out on an experience or event, often triggered by seeing others' social media posts. The video script highlights how FOMO can contribute to social media addiction and mental health issues, as users feel compelled to constantly check their feeds to stay updated and avoid feeling left out.

💡Data Privacy

Data privacy in the context of the video refers to the control and protection of personal information shared on social media platforms. It is implied that as users engage with these platforms, their data is collected and used by advertisers, raising concerns about privacy and the commodification of user attention. The video suggests that users should take control of their data and online footprint.

💡Regulation

Regulation in this context refers to the need for oversight and rules to govern the operations of social media companies, particularly in relation to user data and the impact on mental health. The video suggests that regulation could be a solution to address the negative effects of social media, by incentivizing companies to prioritize user well-being over profit.

Highlights

People are addicted to social media and apps on their devices, with high screen time usage.

Social media provides a platform for social connection that may not be available otherwise.

Heavy social media use can lead to anxiety and depression due to fear of missing out and comparison with others.

Social media allows for online interaction when physical meetings are not possible.

The design of social media apps aims to keep users engaged, potentially leading to addiction.

Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are examples of social media platforms designed for connection.

Instagram's search function and algorithm can lead users to lose track of time.

The filter feature on Instagram can create a misconception about real-life appearances.

People are using social media on devices, often smartphones, with a strong desire to check for updates.

The 'like' button was designed to spread positivity, but it has led to issues like depression and polarization.

Social media platforms are 'free' because advertisers pay for them, and our attention is the product being sold.

Algorithms used by social media are not objective and are optimized for commercial interests, often profit.

Algorithms can create an echo chamber effect, leading to confirmation bias and ideological extremism.

Increased social media use correlates with a decline in mental health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Active use of social media can have positive outcomes, while passive use can negatively impact mental health.

The societal problem of algorithmic curation in social media is a concern for experts.

Solutions to the issues with social media involve regulation and financial incentives to do less harm.

Personal level solutions include uninstalling unnecessary apps and turning off non-essential notifications.

Transcripts

are you addicted to using social media

apps on your phone or device if you have

a mobile phone you can go to settings

and check out your screen time how many

hours have you spent using your phone

today what did you spend most of your

time on social media and which apps took

up most of your time Instagram Twitter

if you find the hours are high you're

not alone many people find Social

connection with others through social

media that they may not otherwise get in

day-to-day life however that's not the

only reason we keep going back time and

time again as the movie The Social

dilemma reveals social media apps are

designed to keep you using them in this

presentation we will examine whether the

benefits of using social media outweigh

the costs for users this presentation

will take a closer look at social media

use in the social context and the health

context in a social context how are

people using social media heavy use can

lead to anxiety due to the fear of

missing out and depression where users

compare themselves to others digital

lives and feel that they're not

measuring up to their peers this has a

strong connection with health and in

particular mental health there are times

when a physical meeting is impossible

yet we can still interact online this is

definitely a positive aspect of social

media use but on the other hand the

design of social media applications to

harness and keep attention can lead to

addiction and

anxiety so first let's look at two

common social media applications first

Facebook in February 2004 Facebook began

as a way for University students to

connect virtually it's grown to become

the parent company of messenger

Instagram and WhatsApp Facebook was

designed for connection it lets you

interact with people online no matter

how far apart you are let's take

Instagram as an example this application

allows photos and videos to be uploaded

to share with friends and followers

however it's easy to lose track of time

when using the search search function

the application uses an algorithm based

on tracking your usage online to

determine Pages it thinks you might like

to view the filter feature for images

can change and improve images so much it

leads to a misconception about how

things truly appear in real

life perhaps the biggest problem is

access people are using social media on

a device usually their smartphone that's

sitting in their pocket and the desire

to check for updates is strong according

to the 199 9 a Syrian sponsored survey

of approximately 2,000 us smartphone

users Americans check their phones 96

times a day so why are users so

hooked when interviewed on the social

dilemma Justin Rosenstein a former

engineer at Facebook and Google said

when we were designing the like button

our entire motivation was to spread

positivity and love in the world the

idea that fast forward to today that

teens would be depressed because they're

not getting enough likes or it could be

leading to political polarization was

nowhere on our

radar are we seeing anxiety depression

and polarization happening online in

2006 Asar Rasin a technology engineer

for Mozilla designed the infinite scroll

one of the features of many apps that is

now seen as highly habit forming

features like this keep us using social

media in the social dilemma he says that

because we don't pay for the products we

use advertisers pay for them that

advertises other customers and where the

thing being

sold in his own analysis of the social

dilemma Dr zuban demania or Zed dog as

he goes by on social media has this to

say and the premise is this that social

media started with good intent when they

began to monetize it it doesn't matter

what the platform is it became all about

the customer and guess who the customer

is it ain't Ain you the customer is the

advertiser on social

media Justin Rosenstein goes on to say

when you think about how some of these

companies work it starts to make sense

there are all these services on the

internet that we think of as free but

they're not free they're paid for by

advertisers and why do advertisers pay

those companies they pay in exchange for

showing their ads to us we are the

product our attention is the product

being sold to advertise

so how do these social media companies

achieve this it's all about algorithms

Kathy O'Neal a data scientist says that

algorithms are opinion embedded in code

and that algorithms are not objective

they're optimized to some definition of

success so you could imagine that if a

commercial Enterprise Builds an

algorithm to their definition of success

it's a commercial interest it's usually

profit you're giving the computer the

goal state

that you want this outcome then the

computer itself is learning how to do it

that's where the term machine learning

comes from so every day it gets slightly

better at picking the right Post in the

right order so you spend longer and

longer in the product and no one really

understands what they're doing to

achieve that

goal another impact of algorithms that

curate your social media diet is the

narrowing of what you see unfortunately

this can lead to the echo chamber effect

or psychological confirmation bias this

plays out as rejecting those who do not

hold the same beliefs as you do at its

extreme it can push people to find

groups online who hold extreme views and

lead to religious or ideological

extremism although not every heavy

social media user will become an

extremist what's the result of increased

social media use for many according to

Simon Chandler and Forbes there is a

correlation between increased social Med

media use and a decline in mental health

in the US and the UK in the United

Kingdom figures published in mid- August

2020 by the office for National

statistics revealed that rates of

depression had almost doubled between

July 2019 and March

20120 19.2% of British adults reported

either moderate or severe depression in

June as opposed to

99.7% before any pandemic related

lockdowns were imposed in the United

States and an August survey from the

Centers for Disease Control reported

similar

numbers alarming spikes and mental

health problems have occurred in the

context of growing use of social media

and other digital platforms thanks to

the Corona virus pandemic Facebook hit a

record 3 billion monthly active users at

the end of April

2020 while Twitter also reported a big

34% jump and daily active users in

quarter 2 of

2020 however this is not the whole story

when looking at academic research papers

that go deeper into the statistics we

come to understand that correlation is

not causation in his article Ethan cross

makes a clear distinction in types of

social media use active use of social

media can lead to positive outcomes for

users during the lockdowns the world

over the only connection to family and

friends and colleagues was through

applications like Zoom Microsoft teams

or Google meet in addition sharing on

social media media was a Lifeline that

had very positive mental health benefits

the danger and the concern for users is

passive use of social media when users

fall down the rabbit hole that infinite

scrolling provides or get hooked up on

how many likes their posts or others

receive this can have a significant

negative effect on their mental

health looking at social media how

algorithms work and the impact of social

media on users it appears that the cost

to users of using using social media

currently outweighs the benefits the

impact of the algorithm narrowing our

experience and what we see when using

social media applications has become a

societal problem and one that worries

experts for example when you go to

Google and type climate change is you

will see different results depending on

where you live at this stage what are

the solutions can this be fixed or

changed the experts interviewed for the

social dilemma believe that there are

solutions addressing the profit focus of

social media

organizations and the solutions involve

regulation and financial incentive to do

less

harm there are also Solutions at a

personal level experts recommend you

uninstall apps you don't need that are

wasting your time turn off all

notifications that aren't helping you to

get things done if you can delete social

media apps entirely and take back

control of your data and your online

footprint