In my previous post, I touched on the problems of social media and my resolution to use social media less and connect more in-person. After watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix, I became fascinated about the impact of social media addiction and the impact of FOMO (fear of missing out), as well as the false façade social media transmits.
It turns out that the mechanisms for creating social media apps are similar to the design of slot machines in casinos. Apps such as Facebook and Instagram are designed to be addictive and the algorithms behind the technology promotes endless scrolling. When we swipe down on our phones to check out message centre, there are parallels to a gambler using a slot machine. The outcome is unknown and there is a possibility of a reward, but we do not know when. When we do see a message there is a dopamine spike, a rush of short-lived pleasure, much alike other more illegal forms of addiction.
An interesting phenomenon occurs on our news feeds. Because the algorithms rely on engagement, we are likely to click on posts and stories that we agree with. Unlike a page such as Wikipedia, where the same information is available to everyone, social media has individually tailored feeds. When typing on “is climate change…” into Google, there are differing results depending on the location it is typed in. It is like we are living in an individual matrix without realising. Much alike The Truman Show movie, in which Jim Carrey lives in an artificial bubble for years without noticing his environmental is completely staged.
The movie The Social Dilemma touches on the impact of these parallel social media universes. Namely, it creates greater social polarisation and radicalisation. Recently, Trump’s twitter account has been banned due to inciting violence, (as well as circulating inaccurate and misleading information). Just recently, the capital building in Washington DC was stormed by a group of enraged Trump’s supporters.
The other scary aspects of social media are that companies such as Facebook and Google know everything about you. Data that has been gathered over years of surveillance, is used to drive a profit and pull your emotional strings.
Another hidden impact of social media is overstimulation. Scrolling through infinite images on Instagram is unlike reading a book or watching TV. Our brains have not adapted to this plethora of rapid-fire information. Over time, overstimulation from social media changes that the ways your brain functions in regions that control emotions, attention and decision-making. The transmission of blue light also messes with our melatonin production, delaying our sleep cycle and making us groggy in the morning.
So, what is the solution? Change from blue-light into night mode on your brightness settings in your phone. Search for individual news articles instead of mindlessly scrolling. Remove your phone from your bedroom. Put on do not disturb where possible. Reduce the number of notifications so that you are using your phone and your phone is not using you.
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