Social Media

 We all know social media is a double edged sword right? Even though many of us are aware of the positive and negative sides, it still affects us in many different ways we may not be aware of. Social media has a huge impact on society, controlling the way we live life on the daily. Social media is a beautiful way to connect with people, express yourself, share a passion, etc. Social media is also filled with people saying mean things, false information/drama, comparison, knowing what everyone is doing all the time/who they are with, diets you shouldn't try, people living “perfect lives”, etc. It can affect our mental health in many ways and capacities, even when we are not fully aware of it. 
I recently watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix and it opened my eyes to some of the harmful parts of social media and how it is affecting society as a whole. The documentary is by Jeff Orlowski, mainly talking about “how addiction and privacy breaches are features, not bugs, of social media platforms.” Social media is addictive and it is made that way on purpose. There is always more to see, notice how you can always load more, for endless tweets to read, pictures, and videos to see. After watching the film I turned all of my notifications for every app off besides text messages and phone calls. Notifications play the biggest role in addictive factors. It also talks about comparison with teenagers and how dangerous that is especially for young people, and young girls in particular, according to statistics. The film also touches on how it feeds you more information you want to see, such as politics, personal interests, people, etc. There is more of a divide in society than ever. I think it was an important conversation to bring up in the name of peoples lives and the future. 
Even if one has a good relationship with social media it can occasionally negatively affect one's mental health. I think it is very important to go on social media breaks every now and then because it can help someone realize how detached they are from reality, which is what and who is physically surrounding you. Whenever I spend less time on social media it makes me realize how much I actually look at it because it feels weird without it. It is refreshing to put it away for some time even if it is just one day, and realize that life is everything around you, not what’s on your phone. I think then you are able to separate it better when you do go back on it and have a better relationship with it. To me that means separating it from my real life and only using it for the positive, learning not to compare myself to the way someone looks or the life they live  (everyone struggles), and not getting caught up in any part of it. I would say my relationship with social media has gotten better from growing up, maturing, conversations about it, knowing what is important, learning how to expand my knowledge properly, what is real and what is not, and putting in effort to learn how to use it positively. However, it is always a battle of being able to recognize when it is rubbing off on you the wrong way and being able to remind yourself that you might need a break, or not to get caught in whatever aspect it is that is affecting you negatively. For example, if I catch myself comparing my bad day to someone’s “perfect” life, I am able to give myself a pep talk and remind myself that social media is mostly a highlight reel. The scary part is not everyone is able to remind themself, which is why the conversation about social media and how it affects mental health is so important. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/movies/the-social-dilemma-review.html

Privacy

 The discussion of privacy is becoming more prominent as we speak. The more technology evolves, the more privacy issues there are to consider and learn about. These TED TALKS opened my eyes to even more privacy issues than I knew about, and provided me with more insight on the ones I already knew existed. I enjoyed the analogy about tattoos. Tattoos tell you a lot of stories, saying a lot about a person without always having to be explained. People often think something of someone by seeing a certain tattoo, which may be correct, not correct, or close. This idea was compared to “electronic tattoos”, which could tell more about a person such as who/what they are without you having to say anything about yourself. An example of this is facial recognition, which is able to take a picture of someone, then having their name and information. 
Another discussion of privacy in the surveillance equipment industry. This allows police departments to gather a vast amount of information. I was not aware that everyone driving on the street was getting tracked by a picture being taken of their license plate, I thought it just took a picture of someone speeding or something. It can see where you are or where you are not. I would assume that when a picture of your license plate is taken, other information comes along with that. According to the TED talk, someone can make a good idea of who you are based on that information. The information is converted prom the license plate into readable text. I was not aware that everyone's information is being kept in records by local police. Another example of surveillance equipment that I find interesting is the stingray that sends tracking signals inside people's houses to their phones. Something I have always heard people talk about is other people being able to listen in on a conversation, or that our phones are listening to us. The part that makes me feel uneasy about that is someone you really don’t want listening could be. 
I agree that some of this technology definitely comes with a cost and can go beyond just protecting us. Our ciber civil rights definitely need to be looked over as technology continues to grow, and it is hard to know what/what lines need to be drawn. A lot of times it is a double edged sword, and there will be good and bad that comes with all of it.