Social Media Cont...

Social Media

A reflection assignment is now posted on Google Classroom and is due Monday evening.  Feel free to use this information to help you.  It is a mix of things that I came up with and what we talked about in class today.

Frequent Positive Effects of Social Media

• Social connection near and far
• Get to know others in a way that was not available to us before
• Stay in touch with your friends that move away more easily
• An online diary/journal and photo/video memory storage
• Building communities: schools, churches, organizations, musical ensembles, teams, etc.
• The sharing of ideas and events/news
• Expand our worldview
• Recommendations and the hive mind
• Building empathy by knowing others stories
• Ways to pass the time?
• Inspiration to try to new things and go new places
• Empowering introverts to share their ideas
• Forums and groups, similar interests 
• Job connections and skill development
• Platform for artists to share their work, creative expression
• Promoting civic engagement
• Comedy
• Fashion
• Getting to know public figures on a more personal level
• Boost your knowledge by following experts in various fields
• Increase in written communication
• Being known
• Product promotion, expanding a business

The Dark Side of Social Media

• “Comparison is the thief of joy”
• FOMO - as Rainer said “sometimes ignorance is bliss”
• Self-worth dictated by likes. Are you confident with who you are regardless of what others think?  
• Are you still connecting in real life? Prioritizing your close friends and family?
• Entitled options and disrespectful dialogue.  Would you say that in person?
• The social media “group think” - Are you letting others think for you?
• Are you being an authentic and genuine person in your posts?
• Privacy: who do you want to know about your personal life? Who has access to your posts?
• Are the personalized ads in your feed causing you to spend more money than you’d like?
• Are you able to connect with others in person as easily?
• How distracted are you by that ding on your phone?  
• Is the amount of hours you spend on social media taking away from other areas of your life? 
• School: homework, class time
• Are you leaving room for creativity and ideas?
• Physical health and outdoor activity
• Are you addicted to social media?  Are you in control?
• Is social media giving a voice to hateful and destructive ideas? Is connecting people with like ideas causing harm in society?
• Can kids escape from bullying when they are bombarded with it virtually?
• What kind of mis-information or fake news is being spread on social media?

Social Media Solutions

Many of us know that we are not going to eliminate social media from our lives.  Perhaps it is better to practice “safe social media use” rather than “abstinence” (ha!)

Safe social media use ideas

• Is a particular friend causing you discomfort in your social media experience?  Consider unfollowing or snoozing them for a while.
• Follow people that inspire you.
• Follow things/people that make you laugh.
• Follow people who will help you grow in positive ways.
• Apps that put limits on certain apps
• Set limits for yourself when needed.  Minimize semi-conscious scrolling that doesn’t actually bring happiness.
• Practice critical thinking.  What is the source of this information? What is the bias?
• Make decisions to be in the moment with other people.  Turn your phone off if needed.
• Ask yourself: “Would I say this in person?” 
• Adjust privacy settings on your accounts to avoid breaches in your privacy
• Be kind. Call out others if they are not.  
• How authentic/genuine is this post? Maybe put down your phone and see if you still want to post that picture/video in an hour.  What is your motivation in posting this? 
• Report dangerous or illegal behavior
• If you don’t feel in control, ask for help.  Social media can be an addiction.