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Here is the full story for those who might be interested in hearing it all! I hope you enjoy, and PLEASE pass it along or send them here to hear it!
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Hello Sports Fans!
Here is a short video that should really help you to understand addiction! I SHOULD sound very familiar in many ways! I hope you enjoy!
Hello Sports Fans!
I've talked to several people this week who do not love themselves, who do not see the greatness in them. I found this video, and I hope it helps you and those I talk to see ... how great you really are! Enjoy! Connecting the Likes to the Links, of Feeling Connected! With 86% of US adults and 79% of adults in Europe using social media, and a total of 1.44 billion Facebook users (Brooks, 2016), like it or not, we all seem to be socially linked together! It turns out that “every time we post, share, ‘like,’ comment or send an invitation online, we are creating an expectation … we feel a sense of belonging” (Soat, 2015). It’s probably not very surprising that research shows that people like to be liked and to feel connected to those around them. However, the question becomes: can a ‘virtual like’ or an on-line connection actually be the cause of a ‘real’ feeling? Interestingly enough, current research is showing that the same dopamine reward path that keeps people repeating everything from our workouts to our drug use, is also activated during the use of social media “’likes’ and shares and retweets” (Soad, 2015). In addition to that, people who post things that would naturally release dopamine, like one of those workouts, is shown to give you a “second shot of dopamine from the sharing and “liking” aspect” (Soad, 2015). Perhaps now it makes more sense as to why all those people enjoy posting all of their workouts, and their meals; they are getting a double doses of dopamine! Another driving factor for social media connection seems to be how we feel about the number of likes and who’s liking them. Research shows that when our ‘friends’ like our posts it’s a sign “that others are invested in their relationship with us …(and does) give us the feeling that we are supported” (Seidman, 2016). So, it seems that all those on-line friends that many people get flack about, can actually have a positive impact on our lives and personal outlook. For further information on the development of homophily with the use of social media, you can reference this blog post ‘here’. How Algorithms and Cognitive Biases can Intensify Homophily and Contribute to Isolation. So, the experts are saying that the computer programs in the social media sites are designed to eliminate things in the media feeds that people don’t like and don’t agree with; and instead are programmed to just provide the feed with things that the person using it should agree with and things that are calculated to be similar to the users own way of thinking. This is also known as an “ideological echo chamber” (DeMers, 2017), where we simply hear echoes of our own ideas and beliefs. Someone might read that and be wondering, how could this possibly be a bad thing? At first glance it might sound like the perfect solution to help navigate the vast sea of information in the social media! It would almost be like watching TV and only having the shows you like, while only airing the commercials that would pertain to the people who generally watch those shows … oh wait. The issue is, we already know that like-minded tend to follow others who are like-minded, and research shows that “greater interaction between like-minded individuals, results in polarization” (Dandekar, 2013). One of the reasons for this issue is due to biased assimilation. This means that “individuals process new information in a biased manner whereby they readily accept confirming evidence while critically examining disconfirming evidence” (Dandekar, 2013). For an easy first hand example of that all this means, simply listen to a republican and a democrat, or a Catholic and a Baptist, or a ‘pro something’ vs. a ‘anti-something.’ It doesn’t take long to learn that many people don’t really want to hear an outside view to that is contrary to their currently held beliefs. Cognitive biases and isolation are not new ideas, social media is simply compounding the issue. Imagine if you will, the days when you were imprisoned or killed for ideas that contradicted the churches, such as with Galileo and Hypatia; days when speaking something contrary to the ruling class meant your death, such as with Socrates; days when bringing a new medicine idea into old medicine treatment only got you ridiculed, like Sir Alexander Fleming; or days when one religious or extremist group will kill people in another group simply because they don’t agree with the actions or beliefs of another, such as our current terrorist organizations. These are prime examples of what can happen in extreme cases of cognitive biases and isolation; truths can become destroyed or buried and ignorance and hate can run rampant! Now, does having a computer program that decides what you see or don’t get to see still sound like a utopian idea? How to Avoid the Polarization of Social Media Becoming isolated and a victim of polarization is easier than many might think. This is because our brains are already hardwired to see things in groupings, or schemas. It also doesn’t help that about 93% of our daily thoughts are automatic and subconscious routines; meaning we literally don’t often think about what we are thinking about. Therefore, if we are to avoid the pitfall of polarization we will need to do a few things. First and foremost, we could simply take the advice of many of our parents and “try it” or “eat your vegtables” even if you didn’t want to; and simply try ‘liking’ some things we don’t normally like. One could also try to see the ‘whole’ of everything and not just see life an ‘us vs. them’ or a ‘right or wrong’ mentality. Often times there is more than one option and sometimes one does not have to be wrong in order to make the other right. People could spend more time being mindful of their own thinking; this would help with many life issues. Another thing would be to apply logic and critical thinking to important topics, even to things people believe to be true or believe themselves to fully understand. As Peter Abelard pointed out, “by doubting we are led to question, by questioning we arrive at the truth.” Some of the greatest thinkers of the times have also given us their guidance as how to avoid polarization in life. Nicolas Flamel said “you must learn to questions everything.” Albert Einstein said, “the important thing is not to stop questioning,” and “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” George Lichtenberg’s idea was “One’s first step in wisdom is to question everything.” Eileen Gray said that “to create, one must first question everything.” A Chinese Proverb reads: “A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion.” And even good ole George Carlin said, “Don’t just teach your children to read … Teach them to question what they read.” How do you prevent polarization? You never stop learning! ReferenceBrooks, S. (2016). Does personal social media usage affect efficiency and well-being? Computers in Human Behavior, 65(2016), 65-76. Retrieved from https://ac-els-cdn-com.library.capella.edu/S0747563216305751/1-s2.0-S0747563216305751-main.pdf?_tid=c8d616e8-bf4f-11e7-95c0-00000aab0f02&acdnat=1509573685_26f586b30c8657d65916cee230af4f28
Dandekar, P. (2013). Biased assimilation, homophily, and the dynamics of polarization. PNAS, 110(15), 5791-5796. Retrieved from http://m.pnas.org/content/110/15/5791.full DeMers, J. (2017). How social media is polarizing your audience (and what to do about it). Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2017/06/22/how-social-media-is-polarizing-your-audience-and-what-to-do-about-it/#5fff2b497713 Seidman, G. (2016). Do facebook “likes” affect psychological well-being? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/close-encounters/201610/do-facebook-likes-affect-psychological-well-being Soat, M. (2015). Social media triggers a dopamine high. American Marketing Association. Retrieved from https://www.ama.org/publications/MarketingNews/Pages/feeding-the-addiction.aspx |
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