Life is on Pause. Your Social Life Doesn't Have to Be.
Life is on Pause. Your Social Life Doesn't Have to Be.
How do we know if the way we’re using the internet is healthy?
Right now, it’s impossible to have a social life without using social media. We need to proceed with caution. I've been hanging out on Discord nightly and video chatting with irl friends twice a week. Otherwise I’m trying to stay off social media that I use passively.
How have your social media habits changed during quarantine? Are you finding it helpful or harmful?
Digital Health
Remember, actively using social media is healthier than just lurking. It's wise to cut back on anything that involves passive use (Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) unless you're super involved and active there. Instead, join a community. Discord, once used mainly by gamers, is quickly becoming a quarantine social lifeline. Check out https://disboard.org/ and search around for a server that interests you.
Right now, a lot of us are online more than usual. Be gentle with yourself if you find that you're getting caught up in social media and scrolling aimlessly at times. It's okay, becoming mindful of our online activities requires patience.
Connected Culture
Q&A with Kathleen Carley: The spread of coronavirus disinformation
Bots are responsible for 40% of coronavirus posts on twitter. Kathleen Carley, computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, explains the influence bots have on the spread of misinformation.
“The network around them is configured such that they have a lot of listeners. Forty-two percent of the top 50 influential mentioners are bots, 82 percent of the top 50 influential re-tweeters are bots, and 62 percent of the top 1,000 re-tweeters are bots. This means that, similar to the virus itself, disinformation about the virus is spreading quickly—only much, much faster.”
This may explain why no one ever seems to agree on facts about the virus. We’re wading through a sea of misinformation. Thanks, bots.
How Technology Shapes Society
Society is currently functioning in an online world. So when will computer science accept that it's a social science?
Also on the internet…
Digitally Well is starting a blog next week
In our first post, I'll be discussing why digital detoxes don't work and what you should do instead. See you then!
-Madi
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