Response: Social Media Ted Talks

The Scary World of Social Media

With new advances in technology, it is becoming increasingly difficult to realize the apparent role social media has on life. While waiting, bored, or procrastinating turning to social media for entertainment has become second nature. Although, is this habit that is good for your productivity, health, and your personalized stand on social issues?

Facebook Eye Detail

According to Zeynep Tufekci (in the TED Talk “We're Building a Dystopia Just to Make People Click on Ads), having social media causes people to be less productive because they are too focused on the addicting aspects of social media. She reveals that the people who design, update, and regulate social media apps hire people who specialize in keeping people interested, creating addiction. This new addiction causes people to be less productive and lazier. 

This addictive quality that social media possesses is not the only quality that social media ruins people. It also has ruined people's health. According to Cal Newton in another TED Talk, he explains how social media is not a harmless pastime activity. Because of the addictive qualities, it possesses people who are always looking at what others are doing. They are not going to post any bad things, so instead people think they are not good enough, causing depression. 

In a study done by the University of Pennsylvania two groups of people tested to see how much social media affected their mental health. One of the groups spent a large number of hours on social media, while another group was told not to spend time on social media. The group that spent more time on social media had higher levels of depression, anxiety, and a worse mental state overall (Mammoser). Which shows the negative effects social media has on your mental state. 

Social Media

Social media also changes your opinion about many matters. Sometimes this can be positive and raise awareness about issues such as climate change. Although there are many other ways that it can be used negatively. Social media can be manipulated in many different ways. A TED Talk about the ways social media affects society. He tells of the firewalls that can be set up to modify the information on certain sites, which can drastically change your opinion which in a surplus can change the world. 

"With prodigious power comes prodigious risk (Zeynep Tufekci)." Social media has the potential of doing great things, although, with possible firewalls, health problems, and the lack of productivity social media has more of a negative impact in today's world. It is too focused on trying to be addicting and is doing more bad than good. It has a secret monster that no one can eliminate. 

Works Cited

Creative Common Photos of Social Media. Photos for Class, Pixabay , pixabay.com/get/5fe9dd4a4352b108f5d084609620367d1c3ed9e04e50744e712c7fd19f4acc_340.jpg. Accessed 21 Nov. 2019.

Facebook Eye Detail . Pixabay , cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/07/29/15/09/eye-1553789__340.jpg. Accessed 21 Nov. 2019.

Mammoser, Gigen. "The FOMO Is Real: How Social Media Increases Depression and Loneliness." Healthline, 9 Dec. 2018, www.healthline.com/health-news/social-media-use-increases-depression-and-loneliness#Does-social-media-cause-depression? Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.

Newport, Cal. "Why You Should Quit Social Media ." TED, June 2016, Tysons, Virginia. Speech.

Shirky, Clay. "How Social Media Can Make History." TED, June 2009, Washington, DC. Speech.

Tufekci, Zeynep. "We're Building a Dystopia Just to Make People Click on Ads ." TED, Sept. 2017, New York. Speech.