Module 01 Discussion - Social Media and You

Discussion Topic

Top of Form

Reflect on your own social media use, and that of others in your social media circles. Discuss the following topics in depth, using at least one theory from this module. This discussion has TWO parts. Complete ALL of part one and select one question from Part Two.

Part One

· How much time do you spend on social media? (Not much, a good amount, too much)? Do you think it is proportionate with peers, age dependent, or something else?

· How often do you and others post to social media? (Too much, not enough, something in between?)

· How often do you type something and then delete it? What makes that more or less likely?

· How does interaction (comments, likes, retweets, re-pins) change the experience?

· If you were asked to “disconnect” (no phones or internet) for two weeks, how easy or hard would it be for you and why?

Part Two: Select ONE question to answer

A. Before 2006, there were views on the internet and social relationships saying that internet keeps people away from family and friends, it is destroying relationships, and using the internet is anti-social. Would you still agree with these statements, or disagree? Explain. Think about this in terms of before, during, and after the current pandemic.

OR

B. Everyone, regardless of culture and geography, use social media the same way, for the same purposes. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain.

The Psychology of Social Media

Module 01 Theories

· Once we have changed behavior, we have to explain how and why it happened. Some of the most prominent theoretical views are listed below. They attempt to explain how frequent exposure to social medial might lead to changes in values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.

Cultivation Theory

Cultivation theory explains that regular and frequent exposure to certain types of social media information have an effect on a person's attitudes and behavior. Cultivation theorists believe that social media has effects that are small, gradual, indirect, and cumulative - they add up over time to change a person's attitudes and behaviors, kind of like a stalagmite building up on a cave floor over the years.

Social Learning Theory

Social learning theory explains that we learn through observation. According to social learning theory, the three pieces of this puzzle are the person, the modeled behavior, and the environment. We form a model of behaviors without needing to actually do it ourselves - we can see someone almost being hit by a car in the street and know that we need to be very careful in the street without being (nearly) hit ourselves. We can watch a YouTube video on makeup application or car repair and then go on to try the process in real life.

Agenda Setting Theory

Agenda setting theory explains that social media influences people regarding what to think about rather than what to think. This theory holds that social media influences and amplifies our existing beliefs, and that people are willing to look to social media to cue us as to where we should focus our attention. You might see this as waves of people on your social media sites tend to post about similar issues, which gets you (and them) thinking about them more and leads to more posting for a while. Then the attention goes somewhere else. For example, for a while, the gold and white / blue and black dress was lighting up social media sites (google it if you don't know), which led to a lot of discussions on visual processing and the work our brains do. Then along came the next big item on the agenda.

Uses and Gratification Theory

Uses and gratification theory identifies that people look to social media to escape from challenges or be entertained. This theory assumes that people are not passive, but are actively searching out and using the information they are consuming from social media sites.

Schemas

Schemas are ways of organizing our world. We all have stereotypes that help us classify people and things. Schemas are not a theory, per se, but an explanation on how our memory organizes information. Jean Piaget developed the use of schemas to explain not only how we categorize our knowledge, but how we utilize that knowledge as well.

For example, if someone asks you to describe a Republican or a Democrat, how would you do that? You may have a particular schema of a person belonging to one or the other political party. Your information on political parties may be extensive or limited, so how you explain a person from each party will reflect that level of expertise. If you were someone who routinely watches a particular 24-hour news network, your schema may change toward a particular party as you assimilate the new information into your original framework (schema) of that political party.

In the same light, viewing the social media networks may alter or accommodate your existing schema to fit the new information.

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