As rapidly as it has been implied in politics, the working environment, family life, or elsewhere, it keeps evolving at incredible speed, making it hard to predict Social Media’s Mind Warping potential.

“In just over a decade, the influence of social media has gone from being an entertaining extra to a completely integrated part of almost every aspect of daily life for many.”

Episode 7 Social Media

Growth in the number of people and hours spent on Facebook Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and other platforms has sparked interest and concern by many policymakers, teachers, parents, and clinicians about the role of social media on our lifestyles and mental well-being.

The Impact of Social Media on Companies

Firstly, It doesn’t matter if you run a small local store or a large national business. Social media is an important part of your business marketing plan.

By giving your business brand a social media touch, you not only create more business but also effectively connect with your customers and deliver them at a greater level. 

Moreover, Social media provides a huge potential for businesses. Due to ever increasing rate of usage by consumers. It also presents enormous challenges for businesses; however, due to it’s ever-changing platform.

Now, let’s look at the role of social media in business by looking at its perks.

• Leverage Social Advertising
• Boost the Brand
• Rise in Inbound Traffic
• Improve Search Engine Optimization
• Rise in Conversion Rates
• Satisfy Customers
• Enhance Brand Loyalty

However, too much of anything is bad for the human mind. Especially using a device that allows connection while eliminating key parts of social life. You are more apt to stay home when you can do what you want while texting friends whenever.

CHANGING SOCIAL NORMS AND BEHAVIOR 

Moreover, income echo chambers and thought bubbles. They are formed through the elimination of opposing perspectives. At the core you can chose to ignore outside information. Additionally, the social norms have moved to a cancel culture which has plagued social interaction. Coincident with a rise in the self-disclosure of private details that once was hard to access. Social media involvement requires a level of self-disclosure and promotes users to spread chunks of personal info such as location, lifestyles, likes and dislikes, and income. The personal data used to inform, direct, and fine-tune the targeting of the intended audience. So not only are we less private, but now there’s always concern on what we say that might offend.

Mass Psychological Weapon

If the first fights were fought with sticks and stones. Then new warfare is a high-tech battleground where digital networks have rose as an unseen weapon.

In recent times, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and chat boards—originally designed as forms of communication for public use—have evolved into platforms for marketing, political messaging, and the coordination of movements.

Over a very short period of time, social media has become one of the most powerful weapons of politics and power. Not to mention, The long-term psychological influence of social media on individuals remains to be seen. But there’s one thing we are sure about; Our daily lives have been digitized, tracked, and tied in data sets.

The best way to combat this is through transparency. As a business with the power to change mind sets, they must take that responsibility. As well as, the people should hold those companies accountable and take appropriate action. People are the weapon; social media is just a tool to change the use of us.

Resources:

Kitchens, Brent, et al. “Understanding Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles: The Impact of Social Media on Diversification and Partisan Shifts in News Consumption.” MIS Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 4, Dec. 2020, pp. 1619–1649. EBSCOhost, doi:10.25300/MISQ/2020/16371

Reisach, Ulrike. “The Responsibility of Social Media in Times of Societal and Political Manipulation.” European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 291, no. 3, June 2021, pp. 906–917. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ecn&AN=1885780&site=eds-live&scope=site.