Week 3: The Social Dilemma
Social media was created on a platform for good. Right? These social media platforms have connected family members, found lost pets, raised money for amazing causes, and much more. But there's another side to these platforms. Including the aspect that anyone on a platform is being watched. They know everything. Not just how long youâre on the app - but if you're happy or sad, looking at your ex's profile, and introvert or extrovert. From this information, they are able to predict what we will do and target ads for us and engagement popups to keep us on the app. Simply put, this is terrifying.
I know we have all joked about how we were just talking about how pizza sounds so good or how bad we want this new pair of shoes and BOOM an advertisement for that pops up on your phone. This is purposeful, but have we ever really thought about how or why this happens? We are told that these social media platforms are free. So how do they make money? A quote from âThe Social Dilemma,â that stood out to me was, âIf youâre not paying for the product, then you are the product.â What this means in this particular case is that social media platforms make money from advertisements that are being shown to us. And also, from the data they are getting from us. They can shape these advertisements to our likings based on the information they have retained about us through our social media pages. Basically, there is no privacy on social media, whether your page is private or not.
Big data can be defined as âstorage and analysis of large and or complex data sets.â And these big internet companies take full advantage of big data. An unbelievable amount of data can be stored because these tools are so powerful. And this data comes from us on the Internet. And maybe if all of that data just stayed put, then it wouldnât be so bad. But then there would be no point to it. This data can be packaged, analyzed, and even sold. And if it were data about you, you would never know.
Why can we not get off the app? Algorithms. They are designed to keep us there and keep us engaged. For example, Tiktok. Everyones For You Page is a little bit different and always shaped around what they like and want to see. Just today I was having a conversation with my parents about a Tiktok I saw and went on to say that about every other one I see is of a cat. My dad then replied that on his For You, it's all hunting Tiktoks. This is an example of Tiktok taking our liked videos and the ones we view the entire time, and putting similar ones on our pages to keep us engaged. Their algorithm is designed perfectly to keep us on their app for as long as possible.
Besides social media and the internet taking away all forms of privacy, it is extremely addicting and creates the need for people to crave social approval and perfection. The like button has become so dangerous to many people's mental health. Depression and anxiety has increased immensly in teenages since social media. Social media allows for an unrealistic view of beauty and lifestyle. But there's photoshop! Which can also be used in a negative way. An entire generation has shown how social media has and will continue to change the world, and not in a good way.
Honestly, it seems like there is not a lot we can do to control this aside from not having social media accounts or using the internet at all. But in today's day and age, that is close to impossible. Personally, keeping our screen time to a minimum can help us avoid these issues. Even when we feel the need to grab our phones, we can find other hobbies to keep us busy. Being aware of the implications from social media and the internet is another good way to avoid the dangers of the internet. Simply knowing more about these platforms can help us determine what is good for us and what is not. I also believe that limiting ourselves to a certain amount of time on our phones and particular applications will benefit our privacy and mental health.