“Privacy is dead, and social media holds the smoking gun.” – Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable.
It’s been a little over a month since the movie The Social Dilemma was released and it’s still being talked about worldwide. The documentary shows first hand the issue of social media addiction and how it’s gotten out of hand for many people. Silicon Valley experts admitted having worked to get users to spend more hours in front of the screen, but they also have been victims of the addiction themselves. The film talked about the non-stop collection of data across all platforms and the human computer machine running all of it. Since Covid, many people have only had the ability to reach out and network via social media, so the timing of this new Netflix documentary was perfect as peoples usage has increased on all of the popular digital platforms. Notifications, infinite scrolling, and personalized content are what dominates social media addiction. The more data the algorithm collects, the more it’s able to pinpoint exactly what you want to see. And in essence the more you see what you like, the more time you spend on each network. The more time you spend on the network, the more money they make showing you advertisements. It was very surprising to find out how much we are being tracked online. From the phone calls we make, to the text that we send out, our mobile devices are able to predict based on the data its constantly collecting. Have you ever been on a phone call and mentioned something to your friend on the other end, and when you went to Facebook you saw an ad for that particular thing you were just talking about? As shocking as it is, it’s true. There is no such thing as privacy anymore. This is the type of behavior this movie speaks of, only on the surface level……
Now that you know some of what’s going on, ask yourself do you think you have an issue with social media addiction?
Answer these next questions honestly.
- Do you feel anxious when you can’t access your social media?
- Does social media cut into your work time, or productivity time?
- Do you keep your notifications on, and stop everything when you hear the sound go off?
- Is your mobile phone the first thing in your hand in the morning and the last thing at night?
- Do you check all your social media accounts several times daily?
- Does social media take away from time you could be spending with family, friends and associates?
- Are you distant from friends and family?
- Do you post everything on social media because you want to feel validated?
- You measure your success by the number of likes you get on social media?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could be experiencing an unhealthy level of connection with social media. Social media is suppose to be used as a resource, not a necessity.
Young people believe social media is empowering them, with 65 per cent having said seeing their selfies on such sites boosts their confidence.
Christopher Shearer
Research has shown that spending too much time being sedentary is not good for our physical or mental health. So its better to limit your usage now versus later, especially if you have younger kids. It would be healthy for them to pick up great habits early on.
What can you do today to stop this addiction to social media?
- Just Stop Using Social Networking Apps That Dominate A lot of Your Time
- Pick a dedicated time that you will spend on social media and don’t break that time.
- Check in with Friends and Family outside of social media, call them, visit them, have real conversations
- Find something to do with your new freedom. (work on your hobby, read a book, write a book, go for a hike ect.)
- Delete the apps that you feel bring you down or cause anxiety.
- Turn off notifications on social media apps, and only check them in the dedicated time that you have allowed for yourself.
- Don’t get caught up in the drama of social media- remove people who post negative things or have a bad energy on your timeline. (family included)
So the great thing is technology has enabled us to do limitless things because we have information at our fingertips, on the flip side it’s also hard for many people to balance. The Social Dilemma documentary has been a huge wakeup call to many who didn’t want to face this realization. It hit close to home for parents who weren’t really monitoring their kids internet usage. This film showed how teenagers can have unhealthy relationships with technology and they should learn a healthy balance and it starts with what they see from the parents in the household. If you are a parent, are you setting a good example for your children? Certain behaviors like no cellphone at the dinner table are things that you can do to have more healthy time with your children, away from technology.
“The assumption is that people can be manipulated by a combination of big data, algorithms, and behavioral psychology”
So is the solution to stop using social media all together? I don’t think that’s realistic, but I’m very optimistic that people are searching for something different online. That’s one of the things that I had in mind when I was envisioning the community of TechMae. I wanted a community where women could uplift one another, and show support in an intimate space online, dedicated to us. A true sisterhood online where we as women aren’t divided, but we are united. The interesting thing that many of the people behind some of the top apps said in the documentary was that when they built out these platforms, they had no idea how the algorithms were going to take over. I don’t believe in manipulating the timelines, only real-time connections. I think that’s what is missing from many of the social networking spaces today.
Meghan Markle raises concerns about social media, says it’s an ‘addiction’ for some users. Study after study has shown that women, and especially women of color, are disproportionately targeted by cyberbullying on social media platforms. This isn’t something that’s new to me and I had this in mind when creating the TechMae social networking app. One of our rules is no bullying, and we have created technology to protect women inside of our community. Now more than ever with women being at the forefront of losing jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we need a community that will unite and uplift us as women. It’s time we had something different on our social networking apps, a different theme. On TechMae women can share their experiences with other women on topics ranging from business to health and wellness in a safe space dedicated to us. Built with the intention of uniting women when we are all lost in the noise of social media. A secure eco-system where every user is verified via our patent-pending facial recognition technology, leaving every user assured they are entering a safe space. With networking spaces being limited now due to the shutdown, women still need a way to connect and find support.
Technology is something that we all have to use. It’s pretty much impossible to get through the day without touching some form of technology. If you haven’t seen The Social Dilemma on Netflix, I highly encourage you watch it, share it with your friends and family so that they know how much they are being manipulated, if nothing else. With networking spaces being limited now due to the shutdown, women still need a way to connect. TechMae isn’t into manipulating our users and showing them what we think they want to see, we are only about real-time interactions for women in a positive space. Seeing the Social Dilemma shows how much a space like TechMae is needed more than ever for women. It’s time we have something different online, built by women who actually knows the pain-points of what its like to be a woman. Social network should be simple and without the confusion of the machine learning. TechMae offers users a simple way to network, in real-time without the craziness of the algorithsm.