The Dark Side of Social Media: How Your Likes and Dislikes are Used Against You
Mindful Mastery explores how social media platforms use your data to create targeted ads, and the potential negative impact this can have on both your privacy and mental health.
Social media has become an integral part of our lives. We use it to connect with friends and family, share our thoughts and experiences, and even make new connections. But is social media really as social as we think?
The truth is that social media platforms are not designed for us to be truly social. They are businesses that profit from collecting data on their users and using it to sell targeted advertising. This means that every like, comment, and post you make is being used to create a profile of your interests, habits, likes and dislikes.
As a result, the content you see on your feed is not necessarily what your friends are posting; it’s what the platform thinks will keep you engaged based on its algorithmic calculations. This can lead to posts being hidden from your friends or shown out of order.
This constant bombardment of information can take a toll on our mental health. Social media creates unrealistic expectations about how we should look or act in order to fit in with society's norms which leads people towards depression & anxiety disorders.
These platforms have been known to manipulate user behavior by using psychological tactics such as notifications or rewards systems designed to keep us hooked for longer periods of time.
It’s important for us as users to understand that when we sign up for these services we are essentially agreeing to let them collect our personal data in exchange for access to their platform. This is making ourselves the product rather than the consumer.
So next time you log into Facebook or Instagram ask yourself: am I really being social? Or am I just another data point in their algorithms?
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become an integral part of our daily lives. We use them to connect with friends, share pictures, and express ourselves freely. However, what most people fail to realize is that these platforms are not truly social in nature. Instead, they function as data harvesting machines that collect vast amounts of personal information from users.
When you log into Facebook or Instagram, you are essentially giving away your likes and dislikes for free. These platforms use this information to create a profile about you which can then be sold to advertisers who will target their ads based on your interests. This means that every time you see an ad on your feed it has been specifically tailored for you based on the data collected by the platform.
These algorithms also determine what posts show up on your newsfeed; meaning that even if someone has posted something important or interesting it may never reach all of their friends because the algorithm decides whether or not it's relevant enough.
This lack of control over one's own content can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression among users. It becomes harder to build genuine connections when we feel like our interactions are being controlled by a machine rather than human interaction.
While social media might seem like a great way to stay connected with others online, it's important to remember that we're more than just numbers in an algorithmic equation.Â
Do you remember this social connection tool? Perhaps it’s time to bring it back?
