Scrolling social meeja and loss of intelligence.

I used social media from their inception to about two years ago. I came to understand the great harm they were doing to me mentally. I ditched Twitter first, then Facebook, then all the messaging apps connected to them. 

The benefits are huge, I am safer, am back to reading real books and those friends who were actually genuine Im still in touch with via email and old fashioned text messaging. Time feels to have slowed down, and Im rediscovering the real me. 

Brilliant! I'm definitely going to start using meeja!

Incidentally, last week I rejoined Facebook after about six years of being off it, I thought it would be nice to reconnect with some old friends. Over the weekend they tried to make me do this video thing because they suspected I was a bot or something. They didn't really explain it other than broadly pointing to some vague "Community Guidelines".

I did the little video verification thing and they decided I didn't meet their criteria or something, so they deleted my account! Rude! I'm not so bothered by not being on Facebook, I was only there for a few days and it bears hardly any resemblance to the Facebook I knew before I left. Oh well. Maybe I'm too unconventional for traditional social meeja. Back to Mastodon it is then.

Everything I go to search for when I want information, is either behind a paywall, to basic or I just don't know how to find or use it

I don’t scroll through social media sites for the sake of alleviating boredom, but I do scroll with the intention of checking out new research in one of my areas of interest. I don't have access to academic libraries, only the free open resources, so social media can often alert me to something worth reading and analysing.

I think that aimlessly flicking through magazines could lead to a similar loss of analytical brain function. 

AlanRalph said:

I've got all the main social media platforms hard-blocked on my computer and phone, so I don't even seeing anything embedded into other sites and platforms. An extreme solution perhaps, but it's amazing how much 'reporting' nowadays is literally showing social media posts.

I didn't know that is possible

Jamesmac said:

By looking at something with intention, it does your brain good, as opposed to mindlessly scrolling for scrolling's sake

Thanks for making this distinction.

I have been pondering my Instagram use recently and what you say here helps.

I do scroll but because of cookies what comes up aligns with my interests and I am also discriminating with regard to my choices.

Yeah, it's been scientifically proven doom scrolling kills off braincells. If you're looking at something with intent, it's a different story, though. By looking at something with intention, it does your brain good, as opposed to mindlessly scrolling for scrolling's sake

Not only that, but most social media algorithms are purposely designed to push dangerous, hateful ideology for the sake of engagement. The human brain naturally has a "negativity bias", which means we are programmed to respond more to inflammatory stimuli than positive stimuli, and of course, that means negative content is more likely to get engagement, so the algorithms prioritise it. 

Good work, techbros! You're ruining society!

I've never used them, I've seen them and find them overwhelming and I really don't want to look at pictures of peoples dinners.

Cool wordProfessor Precise-a-bug  

I no longer have any social media accounts, precisely because the endless scroll was so addictive. Unfortunately, there's ample evidence from the major social media companies themselves (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) that the addictive aspect is by design. I tried Mastodon and Bluesky, but while they don't have algorithms driving engagement, they've copied the endless scroll, so eventually I bailed out.

I'm not so sure that it's making people less intelligent. More distracted and less able to focus and think critically? Definitely. But again, I think that's by design, and it's affecting everyone not just neurodivergent folks. Outrage keeps people engaged and scrolling, thus seeing more adverts and sponsored messages.

I've got all the main social media platforms hard-blocked on my computer and phone, so I don't even seeing anything embedded into other sites and platforms. An extreme solution perhaps, but it's amazing how much 'reporting' nowadays is literally showing social media posts.

The only meeja site I ever used was Facebook - got bored & stopped using it years ago.

Of course it is an excellent word. It was invented by an Autistic.  

Professor Precise-a-bug said:

Separately..I am laying claim to a new word I. have invented… "meeja" as a more accurate description of social media as most of what I catch site of on TiikTok, Insta etc seems to be more about the person who posted it than the subject …. LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT ME.

I think that is an excellent word.