Psychology of Social Media Week 6:
The good, the bad and the ugly of social media:
This week in social media psychology we learned a little
more about the negative aspects of social media, and negative behaviors on
social media and on the internet, and then later on in the week finally
introduced to some positive aspects of social media again. Some final points on
the negative sides of the internet were topics such as oversharing. Dr.
Kinghorn showed us real life stories, even with his own Facebook friends
stories of oversharing and doing ridiculous things online, it was interesting,
funny but honestly at times sometimes ridiculous
the things people overshare. One of the
examples of how oversharing, or sharing so much personal information on the
internet is detrimental was an example of a Florida teenage girl who posted a
crude Facebook post, that costed her father an $80,000 legal settlement. The
father was fired from a school, and after suing the school, they offered him $80,000 if they wouldn't go tell everyone about the stipend he received (part of
the confidentiality agreement.) The daughter, not thinking before she let her
fingers type away, posted with ignorant excitement, "Mama and Papa Snay
won the case against Gulliver. Gulliver is now officially paying for my
vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT." (Stucker, Matthew CNN.com.) Since
it broke the confidentiality agreement, they didn't end up giving the stipend
to the father and former professor at Miami private school.
Everyday people are oversharing, and because of this- identity theft, burglary, people getting fired from their jobs from Facebook posts, and many other consequences happen every day that honestly a lot of people, don't think the consequences could happen to them, but it happens every day! From this we learned to stop and think before we post things on Facebook that could be detrimental to ourselves, our futures or for the things we want to represent or become.
Article of this story talked about in class: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/02/us/facebook-post-costs-father/
Video telling about the story we learned about in class: http://youtu.be/UInaWMPZIL
In addition, to help bring in the introduction to the
positive effects and aspects the internet and social media has on mankind, that
we will be learning next week also, Dr. Kinghorn brought in the guest speaker
again, Paul Wilson as an introduction, to finally start talking more about the
wonderful and positive effects and aspects the internet has had, and is
currently having on mankind.
Paul Wilson basically stated a lot of similar statistics tendencies,
that we have heard of in class before that show the increasing numbers of
people and hours spent on social media usage each day around the world. Dr.
Kinghorn already stated some possible reasons of why these social media tools
are so appealing to us; such as, based off attending or mimicking to certain psychological
needs such as the need to belong, or the need to feel like our voice is heard
and more. Although the statistics just proved the overall spread of social
media once again, one other additional topic and other statistics that Wilson
brought in that we haven't heard of before, were statistics that focused more
on YouTube more than on Facebook, Twitter, and/ or other social media websites.
In regards to the statistics showing the social media usage
on Youtube, Dr. Wilson stated that there are over 1 trillion views just in one year on YouTube
alone. To help us reach a realization of just how large 1 trillion views truly
is, the guest speaker asked us a question of about how many years we thought 1
trillion views would add up to and he stated it was about 33,688 years it would
equal to match the amount of views that happened, in just in one year on YouTube!
The guest speaker, that Dr. Kinghorn thankfully introduced
as adding more topics and information in regards to social media and its impact
on humans and their behaviors, the guest speaker, Paul Wilson also talked about
some strategies, as asked from Devin Supertramp and other social media guru's about
how to make social media videos or information go "viral" and reach
large groups of people on the internet. He introduced this topic by naming his speech,
"How to Become a YouTube Superhero." He also introduced a fake and made- up, joke business that people would
pay for clicks to get their social media to go viral, that some classmates
honestly believed was real at first. But after the joke, we learned that there
is actually some attributes that actually do make YouTube videos or online
media more likely to go viral in the first place. Some advice, he listed as
some possible, correlated attributes and strategies that allowed videos and
information to go viral on the internet included some of the following attributes
and advice. First, the video or information should have the qualities of; introducing
novel ideas or tricks that surprise or haven't been done before, or that don't happen
every day; second, keeping content short or "bite size," third, relatability
and fourth and finally, consistently publishing videos or information, or
commenting on the links allows for more consistent audiences- all in which,
Paul Wilson stated he learned from some guru's like Devin Supertramp and others
that these behaviors allow for the success of videos and information to go
viral, and to reach and appeal to largest groups of people online and more!
http://youtu.be/m4Bm3cs9TFo
Here's another video shared in class Will It Blend Brand - Coke Can Smoothie
After the lectures introduced in class this week, all this
talking about the realities, of how much time, and how many people
truly use social media and internet every day, every month and every year around the world and in the U.S. like most
people, who are becoming aware of this social media becoming ever so present in
the world, made me think and wonder...is this technological tool referred to as
the internet, and world wide web, providing more help or more harm to humans
physical, cognitive, social, emotional and moral health and well being? From
being taught by Dr. Kinghorn about the
positives and negatives of social media on mankind, I learned that when used in
moderation, I feel like technology, the internet and social media, can actually
help mankind improve in their physical, cognitive, social, emotional and moral
health than ever before! Why do I think this? The internet, lets information
and knowledge reach more people and places than ever before, and allows people
to learn skills and knowledge about different topics that might not be available
to them in their communities. For example, awhile back Dr. Kinghorn told us a
story and showed this video of a young boy who around ten years old learned how
to break dance incredibly good, just from using YouTube to teach him how to do
different break dance moves and from using the internet to teach him to develop
his talents.
http://youtu.be/EIZwPMrBBcU
Additionally, from a click of a mouse, you can get help in the worlds larger communities with any concern, advice or health issue out there, even I know people who use WebMD, to look up emergency health questions and answers before even going to a real life physical doctor. The opportunities to spread truth, light, knowledge and even participate in charity and altruistic behavior, by donating money to causes online or even providing answers to random people's questions that you specialize in or have knowledge of to represent online; the opportunities seem to be nearly limitless and abundant. If, like most Christians believe, we are here on earth to become like God, and according to the Bible "the glory of God is intelligence," and he wants everyone to become like Him, well then this incredibly inspired tool, helps us to spreads all varying topics of knowledge we had the opportunity to receive in our life, that others may not have, around the world, and to helps aid in the search for understanding and putting all the life's many questions and puzzle pieces together.
On the other hand, since the world is almost, in some peoples' opinions, being overcome with social media and the internet, is it crucial and imperative than ever before- that parents, teachers, and all individuals become educated of what using technology in overly excess amounts and not using technology in moderation, or what viewing the negative or filthy webpages or behaviors online, can truly do to them and their societies.
Sadly there are thousands and thousands of households, that I have even been in that use the Ipad, and internet or t.v as the babysitter, and who instead of playing outside running, strengthening their bodies and lungs, instead are on their technology video games the whole time. Not to mention there are also thousands and thousands of households around the world, that parents don't teach a single thing about internet safety, or don't even place a single internet safety block or password on their computers to protect their children from accidentally or curiously running into trouble. This social media over-usage, seems to be- even in many of my own personal friends and even actual and extended families lives-an epidemic problem in my opinion. If households, communities and school systems would just provide even more education about internet safety itself, about using internet in moderation , and the physical, cognitive, social, emotional and moral negative health effects of over-usage, and/ or the negative short long term consequences of attending or observing filthy sites, then the internet would become more of what it was meant to be, a tool if used in moderation, could help spread truth, light knowledge and altruism happiness around the world.
All in all, like I stated before; from class this week, my final reflections are that, if people become more educated, and seek to educate their families and others about moderation and about the positive websites and tools the internet puts out there( that humans should be thankful for,) it is then the internet could be the tool it was sent out to be-one of most incredible, awe-inspiring and back in the day unimaginable tools, to help aid in spreading truth, light, knowledge, goodness, and altruism to reach individuals who would have NEVER had the opportunity to access this information. As well as we all know have the ability, to reach further nations of people, and further individuals than ever before. The internet, breaks the bonds that physical space sometimes has on our access to information, people and events, that the limits of physical space wouldn't allow us to previously access knowledge and events to occupy at a single time, that the internet allows. Additionally, the internet allows people to present good information and release much good third order thinking out there in the world. From class this week, and my reflections from them, it is my hope that people will focus on using technology, internet and social media, with moderation, with focus and intent before opening their computer-to control the time and control their ability to reach ones purposes for getting on the internet in the first place. Additionally, it is my hope and wish, that everyone could focus on using the internet, with the intention of doing good, all of these concepts I reflected upon, as learned from class, I believe when implemented, can help aid in allowing the positive aspects of the internet to outweigh the negative aspects that so many people seem to be complaining about in their health and relationships these days.
#use-the-internet-for-good. #psych-social-media. #moderation-in-all-things, #focusandpriorities
In Finale, Here are some links on the topics of using technology, information and our time to do good.
Random quote I like, to do with moderation and balance
with social media and all things:
"We have thousands of times more available information than Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln. Yet which of us would think ourselves a thousand times more educated or more serviceable to our fellowmen than they? The sublime quality of what these two men gave to us—including the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address—was not attributable to their great resources of information, for their libraries were comparatively small by our standards.Theirs was the wise and inspired use of a limited amount of information."Available information wisely used is far more valuable than multiplied information allowed to lie fallow."
-Dallin H. Oaks, "Focus and Priorities" Ensign, April 2001
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/04/focus-and-priorities?lang=eng
“I have learned
that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to unclutter one’s life by
starting at the top of the pile with the idea that the solution is just to
get things sorted and better organized.
It is nice to get better organized, but that is not enough. Much actually has to be discarded. We must actually get rid of it." -Elder William R. Bradford "UnclutterYour Life" Ensign, May 1992 https://www.lds.org/ensign/1992/05/unclutter-your-life?lang=eng
(reminded me of the golf ball and sand analogy that Dr. Kinghorn taught us about.)
#focus and priorities, #use the internet for good. #moderation-in-all-things
THINK Is it Thoughtful, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, kind?
only use internet for life's main focuses and purposes.
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The End of me OVERSHARING about
OVERSHARING
howwww ironiccc...
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