Author: Olivia Woolley

Digital Wellbeing

A blog dedicated to discussing the digital well-being of users that use the web, including the usage of social media platforms and digital marketing to cater to each individual behind the screen.

Reflecting on whether social media is good or bad for users’ wellbeing. 

‘Social Media detox’, a new term steadily being used more often by users of the web when they feel social media is taking over their lives. However, the addiction they fester towards their profiles and using such platforms can never keep them away for too long. When discussing social media, we can definitely create a quick list of pros and cons to the usage of these platforms, however we must dive deeper to understand the true affects these issues cause on the user themselves and their wellbeing.

Social media has many benefits from a personal perspective, but also for businesses to grow and gain engagement and customers. We have the ability to create social bonds and share our opinions with like-minded individuals, allowing us to network further than the area we live by the click of a button. Furthermore, social media platforms give space to businesses to allow them to promote their work and products, as well as giving them the ability to tailor advertisements to those who likely would be interested in their work/ product. However, we must reflect on the consideration that every good aspect has a negative side to it as well. Whilst we can reach more users in a positive manner, we must also recognise that the ease of doing so can create space for negative attention, such as the risk of cyberbullying, the spreading of mis/disinformation, and the business aspect can give way to overconsumption and capitalism. It is heavily implied by a section of users on the internet that the sociotechnical imaginary of digital self control makes it difficult to address these issues by presenting social media well-being as simply a matter of making good active choices (Niall Docherty, 2021). However, sometimes it isn’t as easy as just ‘turning off your phone’. “There is only so much you can do to prevent yourself from reopening social media due to the tailoring it creates for each user’s experience. The creators of these platforms want you to engage, whether it’s through notifying you someone liked your post, or commented. We can never truly escape social media. In 2017, a 14 year old girl by the name Molly Russell committed suicide due to platforms like instagram, pinterest and twitter. Her death was deemed to be caused by her social media consumption as 2,100 out of the 16,300 posts she viewed contained content regarding self-harm, depression and suicidal ideologies. Platforms such as those previously listed emphasise on safety and security, yet they have weaker barriers when it comes to the viewing of such content in the first place. 

These platforms utilise their design and layout to make you feel like you are in control of your feed and the posts you witness, when in reality, the ai behind our screens is what causes our feeds to be tailored across every platform. The system behind each platform tracks our interests, meaning our feed is never truly catered by ourselves, but instead by what the system believes we want to see in order to keep us engaged.When considering studies based off the topics of negative and positive well being, one may discover negative well-being effects because it operates on the usage of social media features like clicking on links or the like button on Facebook (Shakya and Christakis, 2017), meanwhile another study may find more positive effects as it measures social media’s integration into social routines (Bekalu et all, 2019).  The aim of the design of websites is to be simplistic yet enticing for the user to keep them engaged and increase usage of the platform in their daily life. Instagram, for example, has features like stories where the user can post content that lasts for 24 hours before disappearing to other users, allowing more freedom with what you post compared to an upload that stays on your profile until you choose to delete it. Furthermore, they provide the concept of engagement furthermore on these features through the ability to like stories and reply to them, encouraging you to interact with other users. Alongside this, short-form content such as reels is used to provide entertainment for users by tailoring the videos to content they may be interested in or have engaged with in the past. Reels can be seen as addictive as they cause the user to gain interest in certain topics, sounds, comments provided by other users, or the profiles that post them too. In doing so, it causes the engagement levels to go up further to tailor the feed of the user for their interest. However, this can impact the user in a negative way depending on what side of the platform they end up on. You may begin with looking at cute puppies, but then 200 posts later you may be faced with content regarding triggering topics such as animal abuse or political views that concern animal rights activism that politically manipulate you into changing your beliefs on the topic. Whilst obviously this matter is largely moral based, this situation can apply to any political view that is discussed on such platforms. 

In conclusion, we can consider both the digitization of our society and the usage of digital media to have both positive and negative effects that are not mutually exclusive, but instead can happen at the same time when consuming the media provided to us. There are benefits to using certain platforms and their designs, meanwhile they can come with harmful after-effects or joint effects that can influence a person’s political views, psychological well-being, or their personality as a whole. We must take into consideration how we use social media to ensure the content we consume does not negatively impact us, yet this is not always achievable as the content can catch us off-guard when navigating these platforms, therefore causing us to always be at risk when using social media for personal and business-related reasons. Overall, we must find balance when using social media platforms to ensure the content we put on it, and take away from it, provides a good experience for all users. 

Food for Thought: Linked is the trailer for one fo Netflix’s most intriguing, realistic documentaries in my opinion. If you wish to learn more about social media’s impact on humanity, check it out here:

Reference List.

• BBC News (2022) ‘Molly Russell: Social media causes no end of issues, head says’, BBC News, 28 September. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news
• Bekalu, M.A., McCloud, R.F. and Viswanath, K. (2019) ‘ Association of social media use with social well-being, positive mental health, and self-rated health: Disentangling routine use from emotional connection to use’, Health Education & Behaviour, 42, pp. 69-76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198119863768.
• Buchi, M. (2022) ‘Digital well-being theory and research’, New Media & Society, 26(1), pp. 5-17  https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211056851.
• Docherty, N. (2021) ‘Digital self-control and the neoliberalization of social media well-being’, International Journal of Communication, 15, pp 3827-3846. Available at: https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/17721Shakya, H.B. and Christakis, N.A. (2017) ‘Association of Facebook use with compromised well-being: A longitudinal study’, American Journal of Epidemiology, 185(3), pp. 203-211. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kww189.

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how data driven digital advertising and marketing shapes individuals, for better or worse.

Privacy. An  issue many users come into contact with when using the internet, sometimes even being unaware of all the concerns it can create. It can be classified as a condition where others have limited access to one’s personal information, thoughts and intimacies, but arguably more importantly, it is also a right known to be the right to control access to such personal affairs. We as a western society more commonly deem it to be the right to be let alone, a term coined for the first time in a published paper within the US by Warren and Brandeis in 1890 through a Harvard review article. 

A key issue found within privacy is the topic of Surveillance, which can be through multiple outlets such as our peers, states and companies. These outlets surround us within every section of society we are involved with, meaning we are being surveilled 24/7, however this does not mean it is always negative or positive. This is because surveillance is used by different outlets in different manners, whether it is protection or a more sinister revelation. For example, Parents use surveillance for their children to ensure they are staying safe as they grow up, to protect them from inappropriate or harmful actions and content that may be inflicted upon their child. However, there are concerns regarding when a parent should limit, or even stop surveilling their child as they grow. As their children become adults, they should be given the freedom to formulate their own media consumption and understand how to protect themselves in their daily lives to become more independent. Furthermore, on the opposite end, cameras are sometimes used to monitor elderly loved ones to ensure they are receiving the best care and are safe at all times, therefore we can see how surveillance is used on multiple age ranges and how it can impact those involved in a more positive manner. 

On the contrary, other forms of surveillance be harder to notice as they are more discreet and are not always crystal clear, with companies using surveillance techniques to gain a deeper understanding of their customers and users to tailor content for them to ensure higher sales and web activity flow to their pages However, advertisers and marketers who are taking up ideas and techniques from behavioral economics tell their clients a very different story about the aims and use of digital marketing and consumer surveillance (Nadler, 2017). When using social media, their policies are often lengthy and difficult to read the documents of, which means sometimes users are unaware that their information is constantly being recorded, tracked, measured, stored, and sometimes even sold to other companies and users. An example of this is how Tiktok collects our names, message content, images, purchase information and even our biometric identities to keep track of what we do on the internet to ensure they can control our feeds to ensure user activity by showing us thighs we are interested in. They make a conscious decision to surrender personal information, and control over the mutable design of digital platforms, in exchange for benefits determined at the discretion of the service provider leveraging that personal information. Through this, they can form user-focused advertisements and show us ads for items and companies we may be interested in, leading to an increase in ad revenue for these companies the more ads we watch through consecutively. However, this brings forth the question of whether target advertising has become an issue.

In 2024, Meta’s ad revenue was revealed to have amounted to $3.9 billion overall from all the ads given for users to watch. However, many users find that they seem to receive nothing in return. Of course, the availability of these social media platforms provides us with sources of entertainment, however that is the only form of repayment users receive. Ad targeting is done by predicting the users’ emotional instabilities, gendered idealised types and their vulnerabilities that may have formed due to difficulties in an individual’s life that may then influence the content they choose to watch. Furthermore, not every ad on platforms like Tiktok are shown outright, and can sometimes be hidden advertisement, leading to the risk of misinformation being spread to those viewing as they may be consuming a biased reaction to the product being showcased. Consumer vulnerability is not an enduring characteristic unique to specific individuals or groups (e.g. children, elderly people, etc.); it is a contextual condition of powerlessness arising in consumption situations (Baker, Gentry, & Rittenburg, 2005). 

Overall, data-driven marketing is highly beneficial to the companies that utilise it, but there ca be negative effects put onto the users involved, as they can often be stereotyped through this form of marketing when the companies assume that the user behaves or engages in certain manners that the company will then use to drive more user-aimed ads towards them. This can lead to the ads being stereotypically driven, for example to those who may be under the LGBTQ label, and whilst this doesn’t always have a negative impact on the user, these presumptions can be inaccurate and may not apply to the user behind the screen. On a more darker approach, this content may even be shown to someone who is prejudiced to those who classify under the label, which could lead to discrimination and possible harmful outcomes. Whilst this may be uncommon, it is not utterly out of reach, as ads can demonstrate almost anything on Tiktok, leading to a constant risk even if it may have minimal impact.

Food for thought: What actions are companies and marketing students considering for the future to ensure privacy is protected? Check this video out for more:

Reference List

• Baker, S.M., Gentry, J.W. and Rittenburg, T.L., 2005. Building understanding of the domain of consumer vulnerability. Journal of Macromarketing, 25(2), pp.128-139. https://doi.org/10.1177/0276146705280622
• Nadler, A., 2017. Customization as information control: The case of targeted internet advertising. In: J. Turow and L. Couldry, eds. Media and the Politics of Algorithms. London: Routledge, pp.91–109.
• Warren, S.D. and Brandeis, L.D., 1890. The right to privacy. Harvard Law Review, 4(5), pp.193–220. https://doi.org/10.2307/1321160
• Meta, 2024. Meta Reports First Quarter 2024 Results. [online] Meta Investor Relations. Available at: https://investor.fb.com
• TikTok, n.d. Privacy Policy. [online] Available at: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/row/privacy-policy/en .

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Has social media influenced how we view and engage with activism?

Activism is a key outlet that is commonly produced from different social media platforms and the issues of the world they elevate and raise to the eye of its users. Activism is known to be the process of campaigning in public, or working for an organisation in order to bring about political or social change, however it takes a multitude of forms when conducted, including collective action and social movements. There are a multitude of ways that activism is demonstrated through social media platforms as activists have the ability to use their platforms to inform users and advocate for their cause to a wide audience, compared to if they did it through word of mouth.

A social movement is made up of many components to enforce the ideology, focusing on having a network of interactions, pinpointing shared beliefs, the usage of collective action, and ensuring action is taken outside of institutions (Diani, 1992). Strategically, social media platforms are one of if not the best forms of outlets to share your motive and what you stand for in regards to activism, and i can confidently say most users’ first thoughts are to utilise these platforms to create a larger sense of support and it proves to be useful as long as the four main stages are followed to initiate and create your social movement. It starts with the emergence of the social movement, where the key is to make users aware of an upcoming issue they want to change, which is typically performed by one individual originally. Then, the coalescence starts to bring people together and make plans on what actions to take with the movement, defining the problem further and if any opponents are emerging. The movement then becomes bureaucratised as it becomes almost fully organised, with leaders beginning to emerge and with individuals taking on roles they expertise in. Through this process, it is key that the movement discovers how to sustain itself to continue moving forward. The final stage focuses on whether the movement is successful or fails to progress. This is when we typically see whether the movement has achieved its goal, or ultimately failed to make enough progress to continue efficiently. There are many reasons for a possible decline, as it mainly falls upon establishment and organisational failure, leading to a fall in the movement that might limit it from reaching its ultimate goal. 

Digital media can help prevent this and can be used effectively by activists as it allows for individuals to advocate and develop political commentaries that express support for the ideologies they stand with. Furthermore, it allows for the recruitment of individuals who may share a similar interest to ensure the movement grows and becomes more of a phenomena in society, leading to better levels of organisation and co-ordination as the roles can then be divided through communication with each other using these platforms they choose to utilise to their best ability. Some activists even choose to take direct action through digital spaces to emphasise their points further and to increase the research being put into the movement (Ozkula, 2021). This further demonstrates how digital media offers powerful organisational resources that enable large-scale action without the high levels of formal organisation in the past (Bennett and Segerberg, 2012) as we can successfully communicate through simple posts or text messages to coordinate effectively to provide a more influential outcome. 

A key example of a social movement that found its grounding through social media is the well-known #MeToo movement against sexual harassment, abuse and assault which aimed to empower survivors and bring attention the widespread issues brought forth from these heinous actions. The movement became worldwide through the post of Alyssa Milano, a famous actress, in 2017 when she used the hashtag to give her recount regarding the revelations of sexual misconduct again Harvey Weinstein, a famous Hollywood producer. The movement had many successes through raising awareness towards the issues it hoped to tackle, and developing an important global conversation that encouraged other survivors to come forward and share their experience, forming a sense of solidarity. Furthermore, it helped the implementation of stricter workplace harassment policies, legislative forms in countries and increased accountability, showing success in sharing the motive of this social movement. 

Digital media campaigns have continuously demonstrated success, especially for short term campaigns to grow support and encouragement to stand with the key issues being tackled by each movement. Furthermore, based on  the platformisation of these spaces and the evolution of their affordances, we observe a growth in individual, strategic and low‑commitment participation (Esparcia et al, 2023) which encourages more people to join due to the low entry requirements to join in that are provided by these platforms, as it focuses solely on engaging users to stand up for their opinion, rather than becoming an elaborate maze of trying to figure out how to help spread the word regarding what you do stand for. However, it is important to ultimately note that platforms elevating these issues does not immediately indicate change, as individuals choose how to engage with the posts, which can lead to low risk, easier forms of action being taken, therefore making it important for those interested in using these platforms for activism to ensure that the way they use it is efficient and will provide the best possible outcome for the movement they choose to commit to through ensuring full engagement and encouragement to motivate the user to take more action that what they may from a post  that might have  lower chances of engagement.

Food for thought: Here is one of my favourite TED Talks that discuss the importance of the role of Social Media in regards to activism. Check it out for more information here:

Reference List.

• Bennett, W.L. and Segerberg, A., 2012. The logic of connective action: Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics. Information, Communication & Society, 15(5), pp.739–768. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2012.670661
• Diani, M., 1992. The concept of social movement. The Sociological Review, 40(1), pp.1–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.1992.tb02943.x
• Esparcia, A.C., Caro Castaño, L. and Almansa-Martínez, A., 2023. Evolution of digital activism on social media: opportunities and challenges. Media and Communication, 11(2), pp.150–161. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i2.6534
• Ozkula, S.M., 2021. Digital activism: A new field of research and action. In: M. Barisione and A. Michailidou, eds. Social Media and European Politics: Rethinking Power and Legitimacy in the Digital Era. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 213–234

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