Mental Health Impacts by Social Media
How has social media impacted how teens feel?
More teens have felt more stressed, peer pressured, anxious, and sad because of social media.
What are some examples of manipulation tactics companies often use?
Notifications, comments, likes, tagging, rabbit holes, etc.
What are some cons of using social media?
Depression, effects on body image, addiction, etc.
In the documentary The Social Dilemma, how did the movie producers get reliable sources to prove their point?
They interviewed people who formerly worked at Twitter, Facebook, Google, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
Gets people to engage and use the app more.
Notifications.
What mental illnesses are often worsened/ increased in severity with the use of social media?
Depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.
What do companies gain by using manipulative tactics?
They earn more money and convince more people to join their website/app.
What are some pros of using social media?
Connecting with friends, meeting new people, expressing your creativity.
Which social media platform rose to popularity first?
Facebook.
Teams and people who “hack” people to get people to use more technology and get it to grow.
Growth hacking.
What year did suicide rates go up due to social media?
2011-2013.
In what ways are people categorized?
Age, gender, interests, race, nationality, location, etc.
In what ways are the cons greater than the pros?
While the pros of social media are often addicting, the cons are greater in severity and risk, including the risk of self harming, suicide, having depression due to insecurities, and many more.
Which social media platform was highlighted most in the social dilemma movie?
Instagram.
A select group of individuals categorized by certain factors.
Target audience.
In what ways has the beauty standard changed with social media and how does that affect the way people see themselves?
For girls, being skinny, being white, not having body hair, having clear skin, and it changes the way we see ourselves because we compare ourselves to this unfair standard.
What other tactics besides manipulation have these companies tried? Why does manipulation work better?
Marketing; this did not work as well as manipulation due to the inability to attract a target audience.
At first, the people who were creating Facebook wanted the like button to do what?
They wanted it to spread positivity and happiness to others.
"If you're not paying for the product, you are the ______."
"product"
Notifications to get you to look at a photo or email.
Photo tagging.
What rate did suicide and self-harm increase since the spike in social media usage?
Suicide for girls 15-19: up 80%, 10-14: 151%
Self harm for girls 15-19: up 62%, 10-14: 189%
What is the most negative thing that could be created from the companies’ manipulation?
Fake news that may cause people to believe in false myths and even incite people to do bad things (e.g. the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol)
How did the like button impact others’ lives?
People used the number of likes they had to determine their self worth and how good of a person they were. Not having enough likes automatically meant no one liked them, leading to even more serious problems.
“It's the gradual slight impeccable change in your own ______ and _______ that is the product” -Jaron Lanier
behaviour, perception
Digging down and planting an unconscious habit, being programmed and manipulated by technology.
Positive intermittent reinforcement.