The Human Psyche and the Effects of Social Media:Are We Really in Control of our Thoughts

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Everything we do affects our conscience and subconscious mind.  From the events we experience to the emotions we feel all have an unknown impact on our thought process and the way we view life.  The human psyche is the entire human mind, conscious and unconscious.  

Our conscious mind contains all of the thoughts, memories, and feelings that we are aware of at any time. This is the part of our mental process that we can think and talk about in a rational manner. Whereas our unconscious mind holds our feelings, thoughts, urges and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness.  Our unconscious mind holds anything that is not pleasing or unacceptable. Such as, pain, anxiety and conflict.  

Even though it is our conscious mind that views social media, the way we feel about the things that we see on social media are interpreted and stored in our unconscious mind.  When someone like a post or a picture we’ve posted it causes an “activation in BRAIN CIRCUITY IMPLICATED IN REWARD”. In other words, it makes us feel good.  A result not getting the likes we hope for causes the opposite reaction, we no longer feel good about ourselves.  These are the feelings we carry with us every day. Even after we see the things, we see on social media the implications last long after.  We as users need to give more attention to what social media is doing to us.  The feelings of resentment we may have towards our past decisions could be triggered by watching others post about how successful they might be.  

Our distorted body image towards ourselves could be caused by seeing all the models who have altered their bodies.  These affects could negatively impact the way we see our lives and the way we look forward to our future.  

A study conducted in 2018 by Pew Research Centre concluded 88% of respondents between 18 to 19 years old reported using social media.  78% of 30 to 49-year- old said the same things.  Keeping in mind that this was a study conducted in 2018 you can only imagine how much these numbers have potentially increased.  Especially in these times of a global pandemic where one of the only means of socializing is through social media.  The only course of action to defend ourselves from these negative implications is to decrease our use of social media and realize that you cannot take everything posted at face value.  We need to take control of our lives and feelings, we should not allow social platforms to determine how we feel every day! Will you take control?

Related Reading:  

Psychology of Social Media

Reference:

“The Psychology of Social Media.” King University Online, online.king.edu/news/psychology-of-social-media/. 

Anti-Social in a Social Era

For some reason social media engagement is increasing but in person social skills seems to be
on a decline. When was the last time you met someone in person for the first time? Rather
than through an app? Do you still make eye contact when speaking to people or does your gaze
seem to wander elsewhere? Are you still able to hold conversations without making social
media remarks or using online shortcuts? If you have said yes to any of those then
congratulations, you might be a part of a small percentage of today’s youth and young adults
who’s in person social skills are still intact. Social media is impacting the way we have face to
face communications today in a way that could possibly be detrimental to all of our futures.

Today’s generation is the generation set to run the world in the coming years. They will be our
CEO’s, doctors, prime ministers, lawyers, and teachers. Keeping that in mind can you imagine a
generation deprived of social skills running our world? How scary is that?? Imagine being in a
doctor’s office being diagnosed with (god forbid) a critical illness and not getting the
appropriate body language or reaction from your doctor. Or speaking to a CEO of a
multimillion-dollar corporation and he is looking everywhere but at you. Teacher’s teaching our
children but aren’t able to effectively communicate with them. If the current situation keeps
up, the future is not looking too good.

While we are currently amid a global pandemic there are still things, we can do to keep our
social skills up to par. Although it may be hard to have to daily interactions it is still possible to
have more effective communication with the people in our lives. Some swaps you can make
are phone calls, facetime, skype calls, group zoom calls, and clubhouse instead of twitter,
Instagram, Facebook, and snapchat. These are all ways to have more effective and meaningful
conversations and communication with the people in your life and also people that you may
meet in the future. So, what’s the hold up? Get off twitter and facetime your best friend!!

Reference

Belmont, Rachel. “The Effect of Social Media on Social Skills.” Horizon, lhshorizon.com

“The Impact of Social Media Use on Social Skills.” New York Behavioral Health, newyorkbehavioralhealth.com

Social Media Links

Twitter:Anti Social in a Social Era https://algonquincollegesocialmedia.wordpress.com/2021/02/17/anti-social-in-a-social-era/(opens in a new tab)

Facebook: Anti Social Era https://algonquincollegesocialmedia.wordpress.com/2021/02/17/anti-social-in-a-social-era/(opens in a new tab)

Social Medias Effect on Your Attention Span and the Need to Reset

Have you ever caught yourself in a situation where 10 minutes of scrolling through Instagram reels, Tiktoc, or Facebook posts turns into an hour and you’ve barely blinked an eye?  It happens to the best of us.  What if you replace those short ten second videos with a 5-minute presentation? Or a 30-minute lecture video? All of a sudden time is not going by as quick.  From 2000 – 2013 the average person’s attention span had decreased from 12 seconds to 7 seconds. That being said keep in mind that was before the creation of Tiktoc, Instagram reels, and Snapchat spotlight.  Over the course of these past few years social media has done a great job rewiring our attentions spans. Our attention span itself has decreased but, our ability to multi-task has improved accordingly.  We are now able to process information at a faster speed.  The perks of that rewiring are never ending but cons aren’t quite as easy to overlook.  Social media give us the opportunity to access an abundance of information, networks, and ideas just with the taps of a few fingers.  That being said we are humans, and our brain don’t function the same way as these automated apps.  The information overload caused by spending too much time on these apps can cause difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, short attention span, and fatigue.  As addicting and as important as social media is in our day to day lives, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.  It’s important to take some time away and reset and rest your mind.  Some great ways of doing this are; 

• Reading 
• Meditation 
• Listening to music 
• Arts and crafts 
• Exercise  
• Baking 
• Indulging in self-care 

     These are just a few ideas to help you reset and take a break from social networks as often as you might need.  Keep in mind, disconnecting is just as important at your need to stay connected.  

An Athlete Feeling Stuck in a Pandemic…

Looking at this past year, we could say it has been like no other – similar to a rollercoaster with a never ending drop. With most seasons, practices and camps being cancelled due to the pandemic, some collegiate athlete have been discouraged and have lost motivation for fitness and the sport they love.

With intense training and mastery of workouts there is often a sense of euphoria where you feel like you are on top and cannot be stopped. Taking all the right measures to ensure your body is well maintained, getting stronger, faster, and mastering your craft, preparing yourself to unleash a beast in the upcoming season. However, due to the pandemic there are a few questions that have emerged; When is that next season? Are training facilities going to reopen in the fall and winter months? Is this pandemic going to end soon? Have I potentially played my last collegiate game?

Uncertainty contributes a massive factor to why some athletes are discouraged and unmotivated. At the beginning of the pandemic, fitness was trending, with gyms closed we incorporated pushup challenges and home workouts into our daily and weekly routines. With some athletes attaining the privilege to access gyms, building home gyms or simply having weights at home. The cost of gyms may not be reasonable for some athletes. The question becomes, what happens to the athletes that relied on school facilities? Acquiring access to school facilities through team training sessions and open gym hours, was essential throughout their development. Even as high school athletes, many who could not afford gym fees relied on their school facilities to help them with their progression.

Through these rough times of uncertainty, we should express ourselves, voice our concerns, talk to someone, and find support from family, friends, or even a coach. They may be experiencing the same feelings or have been in a similar situation. Remember, encouragement and motivation can go a very long way from the people around us. Sometimes we need that extra push, when we don’t have the inner strength to motivate ourselves. In kind be that friend to reach out, give hope, and give that push we may need. And to all my fellow athletes who may be facing the same trails and tribulations I was once going through myself… There will be better days.