Information Overload
I desperately needed another internet break, so last weekend I went camping. The constant stream of information I get even when using the internet intentionally might not be the best for my health, so breaks are important. While I was in the woods I was dying to check Reddit and Instagram. For a moment, checking my feeds felt more important than enjoying a pretty day in the woods.
Digital Health
Why is it so hard to dial back on social media? For a long time I used to blame myself, that I was a weak person with no will power. But that’s not it. This stuff is designed to be as engaging as possible. The more time you’re online, the more data you’re producing that can be sold to advertisers. The amount of your attention these platforms get is directly correlated to their bottom line. For a more in depth look at the mechanisms of why social media is so “addictive,” check out this Gizmodo article.
So in the midst of all this chaos, if you’re looking for mindfulness hacks for your iphone set up, here is a helpful guide.
Connected Culture
The Era of Antisocial Social Media
Though platforms like Facebook are still growing as a whole, their accumulation rates among young people are stalling. Gen Z is concerned about a lack of privacy on publicly posted platforms, and are flocking to private messaging communities like Discord for more intimate spaces.
Digital Edits, a Paid Army: Bloomberg Is ‘Destroying Norms’ on Social Media
Twitter deleted 70 pro-Bloomberg accounts that were “spamming” the site. Bloomberg also posted an altered video of the debate that made him come off better than he actually did. Lastly, he’s hiring people to promote him on their socials without consistently clarifying they’re working for him. “We would not tolerate a falsified, unattributed political ad on CNN. We would not tolerate a paid campaign staffer masquerading as an objective analyst on NBC,” a social media researcher commented. “We should not tolerate these behaviors on Twitter and Facebook today.”
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-Madi