The World's Greatest Attention Seeker

Growing up in today's society guarantees exposure to a social media app. There's an expectation to have at least one app, no matter your age. If you're not on Facebook, then you best have a Twitter, if you don't have a Twitter then how in the world are you connected to the world, and let's not even argue on how you use your free time if you're not on TikTok. 

There are positives to the use of these apps. However, those who helped developed these apps or assisted in the creation of the business models spoke out against these same apps in the documentary, The Social Dilemma. 

We rely on these apps to keep us connected which is exactly why the documentary mentions the addiction aspect each of these apps has. The masterminds behind the apps have perfected the structure so that users continue to come back or continue to refresh their feed.

"If you're not paying for the product, you are the product." (The Social Dilemma, 0:13:30)

One of the main elements of social media is it's "free." It costs us absolutely nothing to download and upload on these platforms. It costs me nothing to write a caption except maybe anywhere from five minutes of my time to an hour to create exactly what I want to say to go with a peaceful beach picture. This creates data. Through our data, these internet companies have become the richest in the world and in history because they are selling their users. 

The companies win at the end of the day simply due to the fact of greed. What was once supposed to be a positive outlet by liking a post on Instagram, now has turned into a competition of how many likes you can get. If you have enough followers then you can be monetized, and you can be considered an influencer to make an income. 

On the opposite side, mental health awareness has risen through these same platforms causing depression and anxiety in the same people who use them to speak out and share their experiences with their mental health. 

At the end of the day, and as sick as it is, people like Mark Zuckerberg do not care that an individual has developed body dysmorphia or an eating disorder from seeing filter, photoshopped images of these idyllic women that have been placed on a platform, literally and figuratively. He cares about how much money he can make and how much the company can make based on the users who paid nothing to be involved. 

Below is a graphic displaying the simple business model of how the masterminds work behind the posts, the tweets, and the highlight reels to make their money. 

For further reading, here is an article from the New York Post discussing the level of addiction Generation Z experiences and why taking a break from social media could be a key in fighting back. 

The Likes and Dislikes of Social Media 

We as human beings can have nonproblematic effects due to our interactions with social media. One is the connection aspect. I can message a friend who's moved from a different state or they can post a photo about something exciting, that way we can still be in contact with one another without seeing each other every day. We can also meet people who have similar likes and dislikes as us. There are entire groups of fandoms from all across the world who can interact with one another due to one-third party medium. Social media allows connections to exits that may not have without that third party. 

On the flip side of the connection is the comparison element. The idolization society has deemed worthy to be placed on a platform is usually unattainable to "regular" people. The majority of influencers, Instagram models, celebrities, and Youtubers who are placed on a pedastool have to keep up with their appearances which they have access and the priveledge to. The lip fillers, the photoshop, the nice designer clothing, and studio lighting all contribute to what is seen as likable. In reality, the average teenage girl can't afford what her favorite influencer has. 

Another nonproblematic element is the spread of awareness. Going on right now in the social media space is the case of Gabby Petitio. The young female who was found dead after going missing and the boyfriend who is also missing came back alone, without her. Theories have ravaged multiple platforms about what happened. It has caught our attention and we can engage with one another on it. However, this case alone has brought about the "missing white woman syndrome." Multiple individuals have spoken out about those who go missing all the time, specifically Indigenous women and people of color who never get news coverage. Social media reveals the problems in our own society that may have never had the platform to do so. Here is a journalist speaking about the double standard. 

One main problem area in the world of social media is the misinformation and how easy it is for individuals to spread lies on the Internet. One person can create a ridiculous theory about covid or the election and the next thing it's spread all over the place. Mainly targetting those who are like-minded. Platforms like Facebook seem to not care about it or feel the need to stop it before it catches momentum until the narrative can no longer be controlled. This is the biggest red flag, next to mental health, social media waves in the sky. Misinformation is dangerous. 

The World's Watchdog

Social media uses captions, video, images, and other creative content to promote a brand, business, yourself to the entire world. The language used within our posts can have more influence than we could imagine. 

Something as simple as one voice creating doubt in election results, can lead to the Capital being stormed by those who refused to believe the results, amongst other reasons. The power of language spread on social media through all platforms has the potential to create destruction. Not only destruction but social media helps to spread an entire mindest for people who believe in those theories and those theories are constantly supported by social media. 

Social media toes the line on posting vacation pics to spreading hate to igniting an entire group of people to believe in something that is not true. 

Social media can be an uncontrollable monster. One that has taken a tole on mental health, in-person communications, and spreading false information with a single app, on one device, to the entire world. These apps obtain a ridiculous amount of power because they have captured the attention and are not letting go any time soon. 

Photo Citations: 

Money in Hands. February 5, 2012. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Money_in_hands.jpg.

Social Media. January 15, 2021. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Social-media-1.webp.

System Web Network. November 10, 2019. Photograph. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/system-web-network-connection-4615905/.

Thumbs Down in a Red Circle. February 18, 2015. Photograph. Free SVG. https://freesvg.org/vector-drawing-of-thumbs-down-in-a-red-circle.

Thumbs Up in a Green Circle. February 18, 2015. Photograph. Free SVG. https://freesvg.org/vector-clip-art-of-thumbs-up-in-a-green-circle.