Why Social Media Is Addictive

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When you are taking a crossroad, it is not uncommon to see people walking with their heads bowed down, staring at their phones. A new research led by Nielsen suggests that we are spending more time on social media than ever before, upwards 11 hours per day watching, reading, listening to or simply interacting with media. That is up from nine hours, 32 minutes just four years ago.

In another study, it was found that people find it easier to resist alcohol and cigarettes than social media. But is social media so addictive?

Social validation is important. An Instagram Like is a social signal; the same way people acknowledge you with a nod on the street. Companies know that and they design their apps to be deliberately addictive to users.  

Companies have built features into their apps that manipulate our brain chemistry. These tricks are borrowed from slot machines and casinos. For example, every time someone likes your picture on Instagram, you instantly receive a push notification, which prompts you to open Instagram to see who it is. Moreover, if you are scrolling on Facebook, the automatically refreshes and loads new content. If you don’t give your brain time to adjust, you can easily lose track of time and keep scrolling.

Social media companies such as Facebook claims its goal is to connect people, but it seems like their purpose is a double-edge sword. Instagram has gotten ride of its likes count and it is a step in the right direction.

What more do you think social media apps can do to curb social media addiction?

References:

What Makes Social Media So Addictive? Retrieved from http://blog.hellosocial.com.au/blog/why-is-social-media-addictive

People spend most of their waking hours staring at sreens Retrieved from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/people-are-spending-most-of-their-waking-hours-staring-at-screens-2018-08-01

Twitter is harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, study finds Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/feb/03/twitter-resist-cigarettes-alcohol-study

FACEBOOK: Did you know we spend more than 11 hours on social media? Find out why social media is addictive by reading new my article. https://bit.ly/2LffqzR

TWITTER: Why Social Media Is Addictive https://bit.ly/2LffqzR #socialmediaddiction #fomo #socialmedia

Dating Apps and the Loss of Intimacy

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Everyone I know has downloaded Tinder, an online dating app, at some point in time. It has become a rite of passage for teenagers graduating high school looking to experience love for the first time. However, those entering the dating game are quickly disillusioned and assimilated into the hookup culture.

For those who don’t know, a hookup culture is one that accepts and encourages casual sex encounters, without necessarily including commitment and emotional bonding. And apps, such as Grindr, Tinder and Bumble, make sex easily accessible, right at your fingertips. Sex is no longer seen an act of intimacy, but becomes an act of sexual liberation. It is not surprising that sociologists are sounding the alarm on an “intimacy crisis” because young people are moving forward in life confused about what it means to be intimate.

Dating apps have also created a shallow world where people only care about someone’s appearance because we are spoiled for choice. After all, how many people actually read someone’s profile before swiping either left or right?

It is exactly because we are spoiled for choice that we are unable to learn intimacy. Even when we meet someone with whom we click, something in the back of our mind is telling us that the next match could be more exciting and exquisite and beautiful. Because why would you settle for an Acura when your next match could be a Jaguar? And so we test drive and test drive and test drive until we’ve become jaded…

Do you think dating apps have changed the fabric of society? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

References:

Hookup Culture. Wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookup_culture. Consulted on June 16, 2019.

Image. https://www.breezejmu.org/opinion/hookup-culture-creates-confusion-blurs-relationship-lines/article_50a6a36e-a700-11e4-ad81-73b2df54b025.html Consulted on June 16, 2019

Facebook: Let us know what think on the subject of dating apps and the loss of intimacy. https://bit.ly/2WGNNBG

Twitter: Dating Apps and the Loss of Intimacy #dating #millennials https://bit.ly/2WGNNBG

How to Start Vlogging

A year ago, I was a teacher’s assistant at a French-language high school in Toronto. I once asked my students what they wanted to be when they grew up and I was astounded to find out that many of them aspired to become YouTubers and vloggers. Gone are the days when children dreamed of becoming doctors and lawyers. In fact, a study revealed that more than 75 percent of children dream of making it big online and the trend suggests that YouTubing and vlogging can be very lucrative careers.  

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Many adults are afraid to jump on the vlogging bandwagon because they feel they are not hip and tech savvy enough for the cool careers of the 21^st century. But let me put your mind at ease: it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to start vlogging. Toronto native, Lillly Singh, reportedly earned $10.5 M in 2017 and recently got her own TV show.  She never thought she would find success online. After all, she began making videos as a way to deal with her depression.

Here are five tips that will help you become a rock star vlogger in no time!

1. Invest in the right vlogging equipment

Cameras are expensive, but they are worth the investment if you want your content to engage people. If you don’t like watching low-resolution videos, why should you expect your viewers to? If your videos are in HD, it will be easier to build a relationship with your vlog audience and a community around your channel. If you’re just getting started, start playing around with your smartphone or GoPro to shoot quality content.

2. Set up your YouTube/vlog channel

Now that you are comfortable shooting videos, you need to create a channel so you can start vlogging! Also make sure to customize your “About Me” section. In this section, make sure to list contact details so that users can reached out to you professionally. This will also check out Google and YouTube’s algorithms and give you more exposure online. You can also customize additional features such as your cover picture, profile picture, and adding your other social media handlers, etc.  

3. Pick a theme

Pick a subject matter that you have a genuine interest in and can speak about with confidence.  Now is also the time to start following some successful vloggers. Pick a few vloggers that you like and start spending a few hours a week studying their vlogging style. You don’t want to completely copy them, but get a look at what makes them unique and use them for inspiration! For example, if you are a dermatologist by trade, you can check out Dr. Dray’s channel. She’s the perfect example of someone who is monetizing her medical knowledge online.

4. Wash, rinse, repeat!

OK, so you have invested in the right equipment, created a channel, selected a theme and learned a few tricks from some of your favorite vloggers. It is now time to get your feet wet! Practice makes perfect! So get in front of the camera and exercise those facial muscles until being in front of the camera feels natural to you. At this stage, it is also important to learn to edit your videos. Then you can start recording and posting your vlogs!

5. Promote your videos on social media

if you thought creating content for your channel was the hard part of becoming a rock start vlogger, hold your horses! The hard part comes when you are competing against all the vloggers from across the world for viewers. To compete, you have to promote your content on other social media channels, such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for increased exposure. Check out this article from Hootsuite: 23 Smart Ways to Promote Your Youtube Channel.

If you are a vlogger and have additional tips that you’d like to share with beginner vloggers, let us know in the comments below!

References:

Moreau, Elise. How to Start Vlogging on Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-start-vlogging-on-youtube-3486164

Forget being a nurse or doctor, three quarters of today’s children would rather be YouTubers and vloggers. DailyMail. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4532266/75-cent-children-want-YouTubers-vloggers.html

Lilly Singh. Wikipedia.org. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilly_Singh

23 Smart Ways to Promote Your YouTube Channel. Hootsuite. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-promote-your-youtube-channel/

Facebook: Jealous about your neighbour who is making bank vlogging? Here are five tips that will put you on the same path: https://bit.ly/317Nbsf

Twitter: 5 tips that will get you vlogging in no time! #vlogging https://bit.ly/317Nbsf

5 Things I’ve Learned from Making Friends through Social Media

Moving to a new city where you don’t know anyone is both thrilling and scary. Thrilling because of the possibilities that a new beginning might bring, and scary because you don’t yet know if you will eventually manage to build a strong support network and thrive in your new environment.  

As a digital native, I have relied heavily on digital technology—more specially dating apps—to meet new people since arriving to Ottawa. Some encounters have proven fruitful, others have proven to be a waste of time. Through my encounters, I have learned that you lose some and you win some. Here are five things I’ve learned from meeting people through social media.

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1. Be ready to tell your life story a gazillion times
   
   Once you get through the small talk, people will start to ask questions about your personal life online, and again in real life, in an attempt to make conversation. Those, of course, include questions about your decision to trade Toronto, “the best city in Canada”, for good ole’ Ottawa. You will notice after a while that you begin to anticipate and dread those questions every time you chat with someone new. My advice to you: buckle up, answer the damn questions with a smile and quickly change the subject.
   
   
2. Getting ghosted—and ghosting others—is part of the game
   
   Always err on the side of caution. Don’t get too invested in somebody because as funny and great as you may think they are, they might just cut you off the next day! Don’t take it personal! It’s all part of the game. Whenever you get ghosted, deal with it with finesse and remember what Ariana Grande taught us in 2018: Thank U, Next. If you are having a hard time coping with getting ghosted, I suggest you pick up a copy of The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck.  
   
   
3. Show up ready to do all the talking
   
   It’s super easy to come across as a different person online. The person you are chatting with online might seem to be super outgoing, social and talkative… but once you meet them in real life, you realize they are anything but! They have their mouth zipped shut and you can’t seem to get more than a few words out of them. But don’t fret! If you want to get up and leave, I understand. After all, your time is a precious commodity. If you don’t want to be rude, especially if like me, you are gay and acknowledge that all gays are somehow connected, be a class act and stay an hour or so. Remember you are a star and they came out to see you. After a few times, you will realize that talking to a wall can count as an opportunity to sharpen your social skills.
   
   
4. Make sure your intentions are known
   
   People use social apps for different reasons and the most common one is to find a relationship. I find it important to make your intentions known from the get-go to avoid any compromising situation. It has happened that other people have gotten the impression that I wanted more than friendship from them simply on the basis that we met on a dating app—and needless to say, things between us got awkward. So be upfront! it’s going to save you a lot of time down the road!
   
   
5. Don’t get lost in the shuffle
   
   If you are serious about making lasting relationships, you have to learn to take the initiative. You have to remember that meeting someone online is less organic than say, befriending your classmate who you see a few times a week at school. After the initial encounter, decide if you would like to see them again and if you two are a good fit. If yes, make it known by sending a text telling them you had a good time and would like to hang out again. Or add them on Instagram so you can keep up with them. Don’t wait too long to reach out, the train might leave the station without you.

If you too have used social media to meet new people, tell me about your experience. 🙂