Social Media's Mind Games: Unmasking the Hidden Manipulations

In today's hyperconnected world, social media has become an indispensable part of our lives. But behind the seemingly harmless interface lies a sophisticated network of psychological and algorithmic manipulation designed to keep us hooked. Join us as we delve into the captivating world of social media, unraveling the subtle tactics that influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Explore how social media companies exploit our inherent vulnerabilities to engineer addiction, foster insecurity, and shape our perceptions of reality. Discover strategies to reclaim control over your social media experience and safeguard your mental well-being in the age of digital influence.

Transcript

M Aponte: Today we delve into the intricate relationship between social media and our mental health. Social media is an undeniable force in our lives, has revolutionized the way we connect, communicate and consume information. However, its profound impact extends beyond mere social interaction, shaping our thoughts, emotions and overall well-being. But before we begin. Don't forget to like, share and subscribe. Since we do not use any funding for marketing and we only use our critical thinkers community to grow this podcast. So without further ado, let's get into it.

(Music Intro)

Welcome back to Thinking to Think. The podcast that helps you navigate the complexities of the modern world teaches you critical thinking and reinforces the ideas of building a critical thinking society together. I'm your host, Michael Antonio Aponte, also known as Mr. A or M.A. Aponte. And today we are going to focus on social media and its effects. First, the social media landscape, a realm of connection and consumption.

Social media platforms have become ever present weaving themselves. To break up our daily lives. From Facebook and Instagram to. and Twitter None. These platforms have transformed the way we steak acted. Loved ones, shared experience and engage with the world around us. How most people are being, and I quote educated, unquote, by other social media influencers who have no idea on what they're saying. No understanding of the ramifications of what they are pushing. Nor the ability to grasp context to have a better understanding. Chances are they learned their ideas from another social media influencer who learned it from another who just made it up but has a following enough to appear credible. And here's some real world examples of that. The impact on social media on mental health is evident in current events. The recent tick tock controversy surrounding comments about Osama bin Laden's letter highlights the dangers of misinformation spreading rapidly through social media platforms. Unverified claims and harmful narratives can quickly gain traction, causing distress and fueling social unrest. Bin Laden also complained about the LGBT Q Plus Group's Western society not being Muslim and not allowing Sharia law to spread to Western society. But yes, social media influencers claim they read and agree with everything. Another stark example is the growing body of research linking social media usage to increased rates of depression. Studies have shown that excessive time spent on social media platforms can contribute to feelings of sadness, isolation and low self-esteem. Now let's dove into unveiling the positive effects of social media upsides before I spend the rest of the podcast episode talking about its negative effects. And we're going to be discussing how to combat some of the social media repercussions for our own ourselves, but our friends, families and our children. Now social media is a leurs lives and its abilities to connect with us with friends and family. So you have that. Transcending geographical boundaries. Back in the day, you write a letter and several days you may receive it before that. If you send a letter through a carrier and they may get it within the month. Nevertheless, social media has transcended that boundary that now it's instant. It fosters a sense of community providing a platform of shared interests, discussions and support. And social media also serves as a window into the world. Keeping us updated on current events, global trends and diverse perspectives. However, the benefits of social media extend beyond mere connection. It offers a gateway to knowledge and learning, such as this podcasts, providing access to educational resources, inspiring stories and diverse viewpoints. Additionally, social media platforms can serve as a springboard for creativity, self-expression and entrepreneur endeavors. But of course, there's a big dark side to social media, and we're going to discuss The negative impacts.

Despite its undeniable benefits, social media pervasive influence also carries potential risk to our mental well-being. The constant stream of information, notifications and updates can trigger feelings of overwhelm and exciting. The carefully curated and often idealized portrayals of lies on social media can lead to social comparison, fostering feelings of inadequacy, envy and low self-esteem. An example of this would be social media influencers who take pictures of beautiful backgrounds only to realize if you pay close attention, many of those influencers are not really there or they're in some other place, and it could be assumed that they're in the place that they're staying. So you have to be wary of that. Moreover, the anonymity and reach of the Internet can embolden cyberbullying, a form of harassment that can have devastating consequences for victims. Mental health. The nature of social media, fueled by dopamine hits from likes, comments and shares can lead to excessive time spent online, detracting from other essential activities like exercise sleep and face to face interaction. An example of this that you see this even in young people, is when I was an administrator, I was an assistant principal at a school and it was a middle school, and I was the assistant principal behavior. The amount of cyberbullying that I had to deal with was. In Berkeley. It was every single day with my students. It was always a different student on top of that. When I grew up in that age and I'm showing my age where whatever thing, anything that happened in school was left at the school. And if you're home, your home and you were relatively safe, depending on your family dynamic. However, this is not the case anymore. Social media follows these children around if they have it. And I've had parents who would defend the cyberbullying saying, well, it didn't happen on school grounds. Granted, it brings it back into the school. So explaining that to parents who just doesn't don't understand the ramifications of cyberbullying is mind blowing because they already the children are already addicted to social media. So they have all these ways of communicating outside of the school, talking about the school, within the school and all the other rumors and gossip with kids do. And there you have it. We have a problem. it becomes a norm for these kids to seek out the dopamine hits, look for the likes, look for the comments, look for the shares. Even if it's negative, for example, there's an uptick in people recording fights and people starting fights because they know somebody is recording. They're going to get tagged in it and they're going to get a dopamine hit because it's reinforcing negative behavior. So this is a huge problem within social media and I can go on, but I'm not going to stay focused on task. I don't want to go on a rant. so let's talk about the social dilemma. And this is unmasking the psychological playbook that we see. It's it was a Netflix documentary by the same name, The Social Dilemma, and unveiled the intricate psychological strategies employed by social media companies to captivate users and keep them glued to their screens. These tactics, often referred to as persuasive design, exploit fundamental human vulnerabilities to achieve their desired outcomes. It's your things and your pop ups and your bells and whistles and your flashing their addiction. There's the same thing that you see when you go to Vegas. I love Vegas. I love having fun in Vegas. I haven't been there in a while, but I am planning on going eventually again with the missus. It's a great time as long as you can self-regulate yourself. Having said that, casinos use this all the time. Bells, whistles, you know, all the sounds that create that dopamine hit, even if you're not winning. But if somebody next to you is you get a piece of that dopamine hit because of the sounds and the noise and the lights and what have you. Social media uses the same thing. Another thing with social media is the FOMO fear of missing out the constant craving for connection. Social media companies tap into an innate desire for connection and belonging by creating an environment of constant updates, notifications and real time feeds. This relentless stream of information triggers a fear of missing out FOMO, a nagging anxiety that we might be excluded from important events, conversations or trends. Variable reinforcements, the dopamine rollercoaster. This is why it's becoming more and more popular to actually withdraw yourself from dope, from possible dopamine. It's basically your, you know, you're going to go through withdrawal. It's an addiction and you're going to have to isolate yourself to avoid the dopamine hit. So this way you can focus on more long term than short term gratifications. Social media platforms masterfully employ variable reinforcements, a technique that rewards users intimately with likes, comments and shares. This unpredictable pattern of rewards triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure and motivation. The brain becomes conditioned to seek out these dopamine hits, leading to an addictive cycle of social media engagement. This is what you see in TikTok. This is what you see in X formally, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, the likes, the comments, the shares. Even when it's negative, there's interaction. And we are a very. Social creature, us humans. Even The ones that like to isolate themselves. Social Comparison, the mirror of self-doubt. Social media platforms provide a constant mirror, reflecting back to use as carefully curated images and narratives of others lives. This exposure to idealized portrayals excuse me portrays of success, beauty and happiness can foster social comparison, a breeding ground for feelings of inadequacy, envy and low self-esteem. Perfect example. We see celebrities all the time, and this is something that's happened before social media, where you see successful people, you see Elon Musk, you see Jeff Bezos, but yet you find it's so easy to forget where they came from. Jeff Bezos had a hand-me-down half made prebuilt table and worked from his garage. And slowly had a small warehouse in which you practically lived in. And there's images of this is not like I'm making this up. There are images if you seek it out of the young Jeff Bezos, who was very smart from the beginning. Anyway, he was an executive and we owned and he resigned in order to start Amazon, which was a bookstore at the time, and expand. That was a grind. You never see the basketball players practicing 8 hours a day five, six, sometimes seven days a week. Michael Jordan, who we all know and many love, he grind. He was not the best player. He was not naturally talented. He became talented through practice, rigor and grit. But yet, in social media, you do not see that you see the outcome. Some people share their grind, and that's great. But they're not as popular as the ones that you just see the end result or people start following because they see the end result and don't see previously when they were grinding. So that is something to consider with social media. And then there's viral sensations, manufacturing popularity. And this is the problem that we have with our society, at least special, especially in the Western society. When I say Western, I'm I'm referring to Canada, the United States and most of Europe, European countries. Social media companies can manipulate algorithms to artificially boost the visibility of certain content, making it appear popular or trending. This can be achieved through techniques like increase in the frequency at which the content excuse me, as the content is displayed, prioritizing it in search results or even playing influencers to paying excuse me, paying influencers to promote it So you may see a trend come up in social media, and one of the most notorious ones would be Tik Tok. Believe it or not, Tik Tok is notorious for putting in the front page things that they want to promote rather than the natural, organic people sharing enough that it becomes popular. It's the social media. Companies have the dials and they turn those dials in order for them to show which societal norms they prefer. So you have to be careful with that. Then there's the illusion of popularity, which is a distorted reality. Through the manufactured popularity of certain content can create a misleading illusion of widespread acceptance or interests. This can be particularly harmful to impressionable individuals, and many young people are impressionable who may internalize these trends as reflections of their own worth or relevance. This is your social contagion. When you have social media turning the dials to where they see fit, and then you have a social contagion, which I did make an episode about, do recommend you listen. It creates a normalization within the individuals that are impressionable, and they may internalize it. See this podcast is for critical thinkers or those that want to be critical thinkers. And my goal is to build a critical thinking society. Critical thinkers are individual thinkers that are willing to be active. Listeners, debate, listen to reason, and have discussions in order for a society to grow to be positive. Because if you have that ability to self-reflect. You have the ability to grow and expand. But I digress. let's talk about navigating the social media maze, strategies for healthy use

To harness the benefits of social media while mitigating its potential harms. We must adopt mindful usage of practices. Setting boundaries and taking breaks to the day can help prevent social media from encouraging on our mental well-being. Being selective about the content and people we follow is crucial. Unfollowing accounts that trigger negative emotions and subscribing to those that inspire and uplift can significantly enhance our social media experiences. Recognizing the curated nature of social media is essential. Remembering that online portrayals often represent a carefully constructed for Cade affected can help prevent unrealistic comparisons and self-criticism. Prioritizing real world interactions is vital for maintaining healthy relationships and fostering a sense of connection that goes beyond the digital realm. Social media should complement, not replace, face to face interactions. So let's talk about striking a balance.

Social media presents a double edged sword. While it offers a plethora of benefits, including connection, information, access and creative expression, it also possesses potential risk to our mental well-being. Striking a balance between the positive and negative aspects of social media is crucial for maintaining a healthy relationship with these platforms. As we navigate the intricate landscape of social media, it's crucial to recognize the psychological and algorithmic forces at play. By understanding these manipulative tactics, we can empower ourselves to make concessions or conscious choices, I should say, about our social media consumption, limiting screen time, diversifying our online interactions, and prioritizing real world connections can help us break free from the addictive cycle and reclaim control over our digital experiences. Let us not be mere pawns in the social media game. Instead, let us use the platforms judiciously harnessing their benefits while safeguarding our mental well-being, and by adopting mindful usage practices, prioritizing real world interactions, and recognizing the curated nature of social media. We can harness its benefits while mitigating its potential harms. Remember, social media should serve as a tool to enhance our lives, not as a source of anxiety, comparison or isolation. I recommend you find outlets outside of the Internet because it is very enticing when you're doing something and you get a notification from a social media platform wherever it is, it could be, Oh, someone started following you like a comment or what have you. I do not necessarily follow my stats on the podcast. For example, I post I share on Rumble and YouTube the same podcast that you're listening to now. Nothing different. I don't even show my face and they move on. I have family that I take care of my and my kids and I spend time with them. I try to stay away from social media. I'll post things, but I don't look for the clicks or the I'm just posting to share and then I move on I try not to follow the comments or the trends. I'll be probably the last person to know if I ever go viral for anything, because that's how I do not look for the stats or anything of the sort. I just post because I hope that everybody that is listening will just do a share and try to spread the message about truth, critical thinking, individual lives, experience and and wellbeing, and trying to build a critical thinking society. But also it takes building that community of just face to face time. I'm also huge on tabletop gaming. I love, you know, Daddy, even though I rarely get to play. I paint miniatures. I do things deliberately that involves me being disconnected from the Internet to avoid the social media norms. I am human. I can be pushed and persuaded to go a certain way if I'm not careful. So there's no immunity to it just because you're a critical thinker. If anything, being a critical thinker acknowledges the fact that you are human and you are prone to making mistakes, and that is okay as long as you're aware of it and you try to avoid it. So thank you so much for tuning in. I'm trying to post weekly, I may add more of a every two episodes a week depending on time because of my career and also the I'm finalizing a second version of my of the book I'm writing as well as finalizing a course and already building another course on leadership. So I have a course on critical thinking coming as well as a and another course. So I it's it's slim. It's my time is limited to to say the least. So please like share, subscribe, really appreciate it because I have no marketing finance. I have kids and I'm an educator, meaning I have no real funding or money. Who that is a substantial. So I appreciate you. I love you all. And thanks for listening.

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