(*umm, do I have a “social media brand?”)

Read these websites and work through some of the exercises they suggest (but please note that I’m not asking you to delete anything unless you want to):

• “How to Perform a Social Media Audit for Your Personal Brand” (Cooper)
• “Would You Pass a Personal Brand Audit?” (ThoughtWire)
• “A Painless Way to Do a Personal Social Media Audit” (Shona)

Then report back via a blog posting. Some possible questions to get you started:

• What did you find? (Any surprises?)
  • What impressions, if any, would a classmate get about you from your social media presence?
  • What about an employer or a graduate admissions committee?
  • Is there anything that seems particularly misleading or particularly accurate?
• Did you think about making any changes in your social media presence or in the way that you use social media?
• Do you feel that you have a “personal brand”? Do you feel that other non-celebrities do? Do you think you should have a personal brand? (As a college student? As a person?  Or does the whole idea seem a little… weird? Would you want your grandma to have a personal brand?)

This article  opened my eyes to how addicting technology can be and how I fall for it. When I read the statistic that smartphone owners check their device about 150 times a day, it made me reflect on how many times I use my phone and realize how much unproductive time I waste throughout the day being on my phone. This makes sense, though, because according to the article, creators purposefully create ways to make the user want to check his device and apps. That kind of blew my mind because I’ve never really thought about social media and technology that deeply. While this is a great business strategy, it makes me want to use their “products” less because I don’t want to play into their hands. I don’t see a real solution to this problem because so many people are already addicted to technology (including me), but I think it is important to realize when too much is too much. The concept of apps and media as being “junk food” is incredibly accurate because at a point it becomes unhealthy and addictive. While I don’t think I would pay for an app to control my usage, I do think it would be beneficial for something to be done. Harris’s envision for more user-controlled tech is a step in the right direction.

This article really brought to light how much I am on my cellphone and checking my social media. I think the reference to social media being like junk is very accurate, because the more we use social media and our phones, the more addicted we become. I have never thought of apps being modified to make them more addictive to their users, but after reading this article it is clear that I have played into their tactics. I definitely am addicted to snapchat, and I think the modification that made it that made it even more addictive than it already was is the creation of the “story”. With this new invention, snapchat users could see what their friends were doing all the time, making users, especially me, constantly refresh their stories to see if something new was going on in their friends lives, or more importantly if they were missing out on something. I have a friend who deleted her snapchat because she said it made her anxious and constantly have “fomo” when she saw other people’s stories or snapchats. She told how much better it felt to not have the responsibility of a snapchat, and how she could be more in the moment because she wasn’t constantly checking her phone.

I personally think that I check my phone a little too much throughout the day, but it has become such a habit that I would never download a software that modifies my usage. I think that social media and apps are continuing to become more addictive, and that at this point, no one is willing to give up any time spent on their smartphones.

The topic covered in the article that I found most compelling was the concept that certain changes made to social media can cause it to become more or less addictive, as I can immediately think of an example of each of these instances. I remember when Snapchat first updated their app to include interactive filters. Everybody at my high school couldn’t put their phones down, as it was hard to resist playing around with these fun filters. I can admit that this update with filters made the app a lot more addictive than it was before, as I still use these filters just as frequently today. On the other hand, I became less “addicted” to Twitter after they updated their app and took away the “Activity” page, where you could see what those you follow are doing, such as who they follow or what tweets they “favorite.” This update made it harder to find new accounts to follow and discover funny tweets.

I also found Harris’ social media tracking software very interesting as well, as it would lead to new findings about our excessive usage. Personally, I wouldn’t download a software like this, probably because the results would scare me and I would be in denial about how much I actually use my phone/social media. If somebody was to use Harris’ software, I think it would be beneficial to discover which forms of social media they use the most, and for how long. This would allow them to cut their time spent on social media and learn how to use it more efficiently.

First off, I’d like to acknowledge my extreme delight in how social media was compared to junk food and how this overload of social media was like a junk food binge. That was rather clever.

Secondly, as I’ve stated before, I truly don’t see an issue with my social media usage. Honestly, I don’t binge it; I use it in moderation. This article made me realize just how addicted to their phones people are. There are actual people who constantly check their phones. They can’t go a single minute with checking to make sure that they aren’t missing anything. I, on the other hand, only use my phone when there’s not much else to do. In fact, I accidentally messed up a fifteen day long Snapstreak this weekend because I forgot to check my phone all day. I was with my friends that I was streaking with, so I completely forgot to snap them back. Because I was so engrossed with reality (and also sleeping a lot), I forgot about the world of social media.

Because I’m not addicted to social media, having to pay for it would anger me. I use it honestly because everyone else does, but being forced to pay for things even when everyone else is using it, is pointless to me. When new phones come out, a lot of people want to buy it, but I’m not buying something just because it’s popular. In that case, I won’t use anything at all.

All in all, I’m certainly not a part of the group of people who binge social media. Truly, I find it rather pointless and annoying to invest so much time into something that may not matter later.

This article intrigued me because it gave me insight into the psychological effects that technology has on us. We are subconsciously addicted to our smartphones and social media, constantly checking to see if we have any new notifications or not, even if we don’t hear the phone buzz because maybe we just didn’t hear it. Seeing the screen light up with notifications gives people a certain satisfaction because they’re getting attention and appreciation from people not within the vicinity. Apps are definitely designed to manipulate their users by offering sorts of prizes with followers, likes, comments, and views. It gives users a satisfaction that the content they’re posting seems important, entertaining, or exciting.

When I read about the strategies that Snapchat uses to keep its users addicted, I realized that I was unfortunately guilty of succumbing to their tactics. Snapstreaks make it easier for you to talk to certain people constantly, and it feels almost accomplishing when you can get to triple digit streaks. I definitely have given my friend my login information just to keep up streaks while I was on vacation before.

While I do think social media is worth the time because they are platforms for communication, sharing, and memories, I think I spend more time on it than I should. I believe apps should be curated to be more organic and user-friendly so that we can balance our lives in the real and digital world. It almost seems sad that it makes people angsty if they go too long without checking their phone, but the app creators are also responsible for sucking up users’ time and attention by the design of an app.

This article awakened in me a realization of the scams that media companies are forcing on its users.  Our attention spans are limited in a sense way, in which we are unable to remain focused on a task when we are presented with our phones. Also this article essentially epitomizes this class as a whole; the various reasons for us to be mindful of our media habits. I personally have felt manipulated many times on websites by click bait. This first happened on facebook, when endless ads would trick me into following an empty deal. Ironically enough, the article discusses how facebook was the only media company to reply to independent inquiries about consumer attention schemes. They explained how they had gone after various ad agencies over unfair click bate on their platform. The interesting part is how Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn declined to comment. I predict this is because they fully know that they are taking advantage of their customers attention spans.  Apps are being consistently infused with addictive qualities that are made to attract users to certain features. For example, whenever you are tagged in a picture or receive a follow request, the red lining is specifically chosen to garner our attention away from whatever we were previously doing.  This is also elicited by the formats and platforms that social media is presented to us on. They are extremely easy for us to get hooked on. I absolutely do not believe that people would pay a premium for so called “organic” apps. If their usage was tracked they would be shocked and upset at their habits, and nobody wants to be saddened.

Reading the Binge Breaker reinforced all of my previous thoughts about technology and its impact on our lives. Although some people feel as thought they are not addicted to technology, I think that many people are without even knowing it. I totally agree that apps and many different forms of media are engineered and meant to increase the amount of time spent on then. Obviously this makes sense because by spending more time on an app or certain media, the app or media benefits greatly and in turn becomes more popular and relevant. Apps and media become obsolete when people do not spend any time on them, and because of this people are forced to figure out ways to attract users to the app or media not just every now and then, but multiple times a day. In most cases when it comes to media, there is a competitiveness that keeps people coming back. In an app that competitiveness comes out when trying to beat a level or get the most points. In forms of social media that competitiveness comes out when trying to post pictures that people will like and by making your life look more entertaining than it actually is. By doing this, people gain more followers and more likes and therefore they feel a lot better about themselves. I think that it is important for people to realize that many forms of media are meant to be addicting, and once people accept that I feel like they will be better able to control themselves and prioritize their lives in a healthier way.

After reading the “Binge Breaker” I was not surprised to see all the negative associations discussed about electronic devices and their massive impact on our daily lives. It is no shocker to almost anyone in my generation that electronic devices are inevitable. Even when it comes to situations that are not related to social media, such as Gmail, we are still notified when there are updates or someone has come in contact with you. I agree with the author, that this behavior may not be healthy and should be reduced. With that being said, it appears almost impossible to reduce electronic activity and no longer binge on our accounts. We get that “high” from the satisfaction of a like and the feeling of recognition. Everything we do is not for ourselves to view, but is so other perceive us as fitting in.

I have most definitely felt manipulated by an app to continue to use it because of the satisfaction it gives you. We as a society have almost been classically conditioned to automatically respond when we are notified.  The idea of not looking at one’s phone for 30 minutes is honestly challenging for most individuals in today’s world. The solution seems as though to cut back on electronic use and limit our social media presence, but that is unrealistic in this day in age. We continually add new platforms that will grab more of our attention. We are spreading ourselves too thin through our electronic use and will eventually have nothing left to give.

After reading this article, I’ve become aware of the negative effects social media has on our daily lives. Social media has negative effects even if you don’t think so.

Social media has negative effects on us in some aspect even if you don’t think so. You may not get as many likes on Instagram and it could make you feel like you aren’t good enough. You may not get enough retweets that could make you feel like you are socially inadequate. On Snapchat, you are more likely to see more inappropriate posts because they are on there for a such a short period of time. Social media leads to bullying which can really cause negative effects on someone.

Social media can easily drag you down by making you think you aren’t good enough, you aren’t pretty enough, and you aren’t social enough. It leads to eating disorders because social media platforms are promoting a body image they seem is acceptable when in God’s eyes you are wonderfully made. Snapchat is not my most used social media platform. I don’t use it to snap my friends, I just use it to post to my story. “Snapstreaks” can show favoritism towards your friends. It can show unhealthy relationship with friends. Snapchat can make one feel like they are being left out when seeing a story or something.

Social media hinders people from spending time with others in person. People now a days tend to build relationships through social media rather than actually spending time together. Social media has lots of negative effects on people and sometimes we don’t even realize it.