Month: October 2020

As technology wires its way deeper and deeper into our society it becomes more powerful. Machines and devices grow smarter and are able to do more with everyday that passes us. We rely on our phones and computers for so many everyday activities without realizing what these devices are using us for in turn. Since this blog focuses on social media addiction, I felt that it was fitting to include a post discussing the information we give out about ourselves and where this information goes. This should be an enlightening post about internet privacy, which will surprise you and teach you a lot about how to protect your privacy when enjoying the use of social media and the internet.

Nothing in life is free. It may be free to download an app like instagram, however you actually are paying something. Something that can be a lot more valuable than money. What you are providing these apps with is information about yourself. Information like what kind of shoes you like, how much time you spend on certain pages, when you use social media and when you don’t, and many other tendencies that you are probably unaware are being stored and used against you. Humans unknowingly share so much about themselves through the use of social media. I you think about it, on an app like Instagram, a user likes pictures of things they want to see more of. They provide information all about themselves, which is perfect for companies to use. Just by observing your online habits for a week they know what to advertise to you and what not to, as well as when you are most likely going to view their add. This information is incredibly valuable because it is an absolute advantage to know your audience before advertising to them. No wonder social media apps are free, you are paying with something way more valuable than money; the deepest inside into who you really are. It was estimated that in 2018 companies spent over 19 billion dollars acquiring  and then analyzing people’s data (Matsakis, 2019). no wonder these apps are free!

Let’s explore what a personalized social media app such as Instagram or Tiktok uses you for. Information such as your geolocation data, pictures you are in and tagged in, facial recognition data, transactional data,  time of use,   liked pictures, and many other things are saved and potentially later used by companies to learn about you (Online Security, 2018). Anyone would be concerned and creeped out if someone followed them around learning about their lifestyle and then reporting back to another source. This is essentially what is happening online except all the learning and data collection is done behind the scenes so you are less likely to resist. In an ever-changing world it is important to stay informed about what is going on around you to stay safe and maintain your individuality. Next time you scroll through social media or post something, remember that your data is not actually only seen by your followers, but by many more eyes that want to learn about your habits to market to you. Stay safe and vigilant, our world is changing rapidly and you need to change with it!

 

 

Sources Used:

Matsakis, Louise. “The Wired Guide to Your Personal Data (and Who Is Using It).” UCLA IT Services, 31 July 2019, www.it.ucla.edu/security/cybersafebruin/wired-guide-your-personal-data-and-who-using-it.

Online Security. “What You Need To Know About Instagram’s Privacy Policy.” Identity Guard, www.identityguard.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-instagrams-privacy-policy.

 

Picture Sources:

https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/going-off-the-data-collection-grid

data collection

Just like anything in life, after you have identified a problem, the next step is to take steps towards fixing it. One of the most common problems humans face is addiction. Addiction is when someone becomes dependent on an external substance or device. The reason addiction can become so detrimental is because it requires a person to willingly stop using something that they depend on for relief and dopamine release. It is hard to quit using something that makes you feel better every time you use it. Social media addiction is no exception. People become very addicted to social media, and because it is so common in our society, no one feels that they need to limit their use. However, as we have seen in this blog, there are definitely harmful effects such as FOMO, and anxiety that come from excessive social media use. This post will discuss how to reduce social media use in order to to attain a healthier lifestyle.

The first piece of advice I have was discussed in last week’s post. Using screen time to see how much time you are actually spending on social media apps is a great way to limit yourself. Screen time forces people to observe how much time they are wasting on their phones. As I found from my own research last week the average person at Penn State spends about 8 hours on their phone give or take a few hours. I bet that if most people realized this they would take steps to reduce this time.

Another strategy I found was to do a social media detox.  This is essentially taking a break from social media for a set amount of time. This allows your brain to focus on other more important things that are occurring in the real world in front of you (Stanford). It makes this time even more valuable if you spend your detox working on improving yourself by developing a new skill with this freed up time you are spending off your phone.

The most effective strategy I came across in my research was to set limits when you use social media. Something as simple as saying no social media use after a certain time, or not using social on specific days, can really help someone get their usage under control (Stanford). By doing this you are allowing your mind some time to reflect on real life instead of immediately tuning into social media when you are bored. You are also becoming more conscious of your dependance when you take some time purposefully stepping away from it. In addition to these strategies, turning off social media notifications makes it so you aren’t compelled to check these apps every time a notification pops up. These are all easy, effortless ways to get social media addiction under control. I will be trying a few of these tips in the coming weeks to test their effectiveness and get my addiction under control.

Picture sources:

https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/average-daily-time-on-social-media

Social Media Detox

https://medium.com/swlh/the-secret-design-tools-which-social-media-apps-are-using-to-create-addiction-e6a502ccb79f

Reference list:

Stanford, Tomas. “7 Proven Ways to Spend Less Time on Social Media and More Time in the Real World.” Saint Belford, Sept. 2018, www.saintbelford.com.au/blogs/blog/7-proven-ways-to-spend-less-time-on-social-media-and-more-time-in-the-real-world.

So far in this blog I have been reliant on the internet to give me all my information about social media, its effects, and the way people abuse it. Reading online articles and relying on other people’s research is good for general information on a topic, but I wanted to know specifically how other people my age, 18-25, use social media. To learn more about how social media affects the lives of my peers and fellow Penn State students, I decided to ask around this week about other people’s social media habits and how they use their phone.

 

So to start a conversation, I approached some friends, and some new faces to get diverse and inclusive data from the environment around me. To start I asked about people’s screen time. What I found from this was very surprising to be honest. A few people I interviewed had screen times over 10 hours! Most common however was anywhere in the range of 7.5-9 hours. Then the second most common time range was 6-7 hours. The lowest screen time I came across was 5 hours and 36 minutes. My personal screen time was 8 hours and 15 minutes… a shocking awakening. So assuming that the average  person sleeps for 8 hours a day, that means they spend about 16 hours awake. According to the data I collected, most people my age are on their phones for about 8.5 hours a day. This is incredible to me. We spend more than half the time we are awake fixated on our phones. We literally have access to the entire world in our pockets, and it is easy to lose track of time scrolling or watching. I encourage my readers to stop right now, and check your screen time. Chances are you will be surprised in a bad way. Most people I interviewed were also shocked. This is ok though, you can’t make a change unless you identify the problem first.

 

After asking about screen time, I asked about what apps people spend the most time on and why. I got pretty consistent answers on this one. Snapchat  and Instagram were interchangeably the two most used apps for almost everyone I asked. This makes sense to me and as people explained it is the main way people stay in contact with each other. Other social media apps like Tiktok were also named high up in the rankings because it is an entertaining distraction from reality. The only other apps that people really named were apps used for school, shopping, gaming, and Safari to search on the internet. This interviewing process made me and my peers more aware of our habits. It also gave me a more specific view of what kinds of apps people around our age tended to use. Checking screen time is a great way to manage how time you spend on your phone, and realize any changes you may need to make.

Picture Sources:

Unlocking mobile revenue and audience: New ideas and best practices

https://www.fishbowlapp.com/post/whats-your-average-screen-time-on-your-phone

When someone becomes addicted to cigarettes, they can get serious lung damage. When someone becomes addicted to alcohol, they become more distant and their immune system is seriously weakened putting them at much higher risks to become sick. When someone becomes addicted to social media they don’t stand out, but rather it makes them fit in. Social media addiction isn’t like being addicted to a drug. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, there is no negative stigma around excessively using social media for pleasure. So many people are addicted to it at this point that you don’t stand out in any way if you’re also addicted. Social media addiction may be more accepted in our society than other addictive substances, but social media addiction does have serious negative effects just like these other addictive substances.

To learn more about how harmful social media addiction can be, I did some research to further understand the consequences. What I found was surprising, but at the same time I was able to relate to a lot of these effects just as I am sure many of you reading this will also be able to. Excessive social media use  can lead to low self-esteem, mental health problems, unhappiness, and even a feeling of intense isolation (Hilliard, 2020). Social media, a place that is supposed to bring people together and create a feeling of connection, actually makes its users feel isolated! I think it is incredible how contradictory the intent, and the actual result of social media is.

It is important to understand why social media creates these negative mental effects in the people that use it. The detrimental effects someone who is addicted to social media may experience are a result of comparing your life and possessions to those that you see online. People only post the best pictures of themselves, from the most fun and important events they attend. A lot of times people will also show off materiel possessions in their posts as well. It is easy to be at home sitting on your couch looking at all this and think, “I wish I had that many friends”, or “I wish I could afford to dress like that.” Seeing the portrayed greatness of other people’s lives makes us subconsciously compare this to our seemingly less eventful and less luxurious lives. People create the self-deprecating notion in their mind that because their lives don’t compare to what they see others posting on social media, that they must be pathetic or lonely.

It is important to remember that your life is the only one that matters at the end of the day. You are given one chance at existence and you should spend it however you wish to, not worrying about what others are doing. Another important takeaway from this is that what you see on social media is a fabrication of reality, people are showing themselves off at their absolute best. You don’t need to match them or post similar things to prove yourself. Just stay focused on your own path and you will learn along the way what your real values are.

 

Reference list:

– Hilliard, Jenna. “Social Media Addiction.” Addiction Center, 17 Sept. 2020, www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/.

Picture Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/06/518362255/feeling-lonely-too-much-time-on-social-media-may-be-why

 

http://chintanjain.com/journey/how-to-stop-comparing-with-others.php

 

 

As we’re starting to see there are a lot of reasons why social media is so compelling to humans beings. We get addicted so easily, and then without even realizing, once these platforms have us wrapped around their finger, we become trapped! Social media can show us what all our friends and other connections are up to at all times. People post things to make their lives seem exciting and fun. Users post photos and videos with other friends demonstrating how incredible their lives are! If you’re not contributing to this, unfortunately you lose relevance. Social media is theoretically a place to see interesting things, learn about current events, and be entertained, but there is a heavy pressure that comes with it. If you aren’t keeping up with everyone’s posts, or contributing your own posts, you lose connection. Social media pulls on the strings of one the human races most fundamental desires; to not miss out.

Just like a lot of human tendencies, the desire to be in the know is an instinct of ours. This fear is referred to as FOMO, which is an acronym for “fear of missing out”. This concept goes beyond just social media and also explains why people read the news paper or magazines, so they can inform themselves of what is going on. Social media utilizes our natural desire to stay informed to keep us as active users on their platforms. To understand how we become dependent on social media to stay informed, think about this example. Someone checks social media everyday for a year to see what their friends are doing and what is going on in the world around them. One day they decide to delete all platforms of media. Now this person has lost touch with what their peers are doing and has to find out about the world in a new, more difficult format such as reading a newspaper. We become reliant on social media platforms to keep us up to date on our interests.

The feeling of connection is very important to humans. It is one of our basic needs. When someone uses social media for long enough it becomes one of their main ways of staying connected to their community. This is one of the sole reasons that social media has so many people hooked. There is an infinite amount of new information being posted, so it never gets boring. Social media constantly provides new, interesting information specifically filtered to hold your attention. The most popular app in my opinion which does the best job at providing constant updates about communities and our world is Facebook. As I have stressed repeatedly in this blog, it is important to at least understand how we are being manipulated by these platforms so we are not just mindless consumers of their products. By no means am I saying we need to unplug ourselves immediately, my goal is just to continuously inform about the reasoning behind our addiction.

Picture Sources:

-https://www.statista.com/chart/5005/news-consumption-on-social-media/

Heads Up: FOMO is For Real