Further Research: Mindfulness Podcast

Yesterday evening I listened to a podcast about Mindfulness. Mindfulness is; 'the intentional accepting and non-judgemental focus of ones attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment'.

The podcast was really interesting. It emphasised how important breathing is, noting that'a breath can always bring us back' and is one of the most powerful tools to feel refreshed and grounded.

A way to practice mindfulness is to always check in with your breathing when you feel stressed or tense which is really common in todays society. Also, it stated that 'multitasking is the opposite of mindfulness'. Multitasking isn't always a bad thing, but we often multitask when engaging in social media, for example scrolling through our Facebook feed whilst cooking/eating a meal.

The perfect time to practice mindfulness is when carrying out a mundane task, for example washing the dishes. Focusing on each action, like 'I am washing this glass with a sponge, and now rinsing off the suds' (as literal as it sounds) can help bring us back to the moment and prevent our mind from wandering into other thoughts.

Potential Solution?!

What we do, and the way we think can have the biggest impact on our wellbeing. Encouraging the act of mindfulness could possibly be a solution to the issue of becoming closed minded through the extensive engagement with technology and social media. It is free, easily accessible and powerful, if people put the time and effort into practicing it effectively. 

I will explore the possibilities further to potentially include in my visual diagram.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

This image that I found on the internet (ironically)reiterates the points of the article I have just read about Twitter, or the internet in general being one of the most hardest things to resist using.

In this day and age are technology related elements becoming of a higher importance than our basic physiological needs? 

Further Research: 'Twitter is harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, study finds'

Intention of the Study (2012):

A team headed by Wilheim Hoffman of Chicago University's Booth Business school carried out an experiment using BlackBerry's to gauge the will power of 205 people aged between 18 and 35 in the German city of Wutzberg.

They were signalled over the course of a week, seven times a day during a fourteen hour period. In response to the signal they could message back whether or not they experienced a particular desire (up to irresistible) in the last 30 minutes, and the intensity of said desire, and wether they caved in or resisted. There were 10,558 responses and 7,827 'desire'responses.

What the study found

• People were good at resisting sports inclinations, sexual urges and spending impulses
• As the days wore on, will power deteriorated
• The highest 'self control failure rates' were associated with media
• The subjective reporting of desire was relatively low for tobacco, alcohol and coffee, apparently 'challenging the stereotype of addiction as driven by irresistibly strong desires'
• With cigarettes and alcohol, there are more long costs; long term as well as monetary. So giving in to media is supposedly less consequential. 

Hoffman told The Guardian "Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and also because it feels like it does not 'cost much' to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist."

My Interpretation

People have become so addicted to social media because it is so easily accessible. Not costing much is a huge factor, as monetary issues are always going to create preventing boundaries in difficult circumstances. Also the fact that it is not a physical activity, that you have to 'get up and do' is a contributing factor, which is increasing the rise of multitasking.

Solution Options?

The solution for the problem of addiction will have to be something, that again is free and easily accessible, also powerful enough to inform people that there is a whole world out there to be appreciated first hand, and that we should start embracing it rather than experiencing it through others.

Further Research: 'Is being addicted to social media such a bad thing?'

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/08/addicted-social-media-bad-thing

Main points of the article:

• "The virtual twitter me is so much witted and more interesting than the real me" - HIGHLIGHTING FALSE IDENTITY ONLINE!
• He admires people who can go more than half an hour without looking at their phones
• Always checking twitter (that is his culprit for addiction), fighting the urge to tweet, almost like a disease...'twitourettes'
• Twitter is good for Schneider because he is a comedian, so he can test out jokes on twitter and gain a confidence boost
• He has noticed that his concentration span has dwindled since using social media so much
• He finds it terrifying that two year olds can handle an iPad with such dexterity and speed, a two year old he knew even started scrolling and swiping with real objects
• "If only you could block people in real life the way you could on social media" - Laziness and small mindedness
• Asking the question why: it is more acceptable to escape into a good book or become a more intense extrovert of yourself through drinking, than escaping into the internet and becoming a more intense extroverted version of yourself
• Conclusion: "The two year old and I are ahead of the curve, maybe soon it will be fine to say you prefer the virtual world to the real world. Or maybe I'm saying that to justify the fact that I've done no work today"

My Opinion/interpretation

• David Schneider highlights his perspective of being addicted to social media, his personal pros and cons reflecting on a wide scale
• Shows evidence that he prefers the 'virtual version' of himself as opposed to the real version, with tweets giving him a confidence boost 
• Is small minded in the way that he wishes he could block people in real life; taking an 'easy way out option' rather than just brushing them off and getting on with it
• Worried about young children's engagement with technology; a good point! 
• Using social media as an excuse of under productivity and procrastination due to reduced attention span as a result.
• Speculates whether tweets will be as highly valued as novels?? 

Conclusion

Schneider has identified the problem as a whole of social media addiction and how it is impacting on himself personally, society at the present and the younger generation.

He has taken a light hearted approach to the subject. He is aware of the dangers it has caused, but not highlighted a solution to the problem.

Pecha Kucha Self-Reflection and Feedback

Initial Intentions

During my presentation, I was so adamant to communicate clearly with my audience, informing them about how social media and technology have evolved, and highlight the negative impact that overusing them have has had on us as individuals, and society as a whole.
I also wanted to stress the importance of appreciating and living the 'real world' to help with a healthy wellbeing and mindset, as opposed to living virtually, and experiencing things through others.

Feedback

Reflection

When putting together my presentation, I stuck to a structure of four blocks of five slides:

• Introduction - people, events, cause etc.
• My Understanding - my opinion, question, ideas, research etc
• Speculative Drawings - 'I did this drawing because I felt like this'
• Proposing Visual Diagram - 'Where am I going with this diagram?' Talk about image making. Show other peoples work.

Problems/Areas I could have improved on:

• I think it would have been more authentic not to read from a script, I feel that way my audience would truly know that I was passionate and knowledge about the subject to talk about it without prompts. On the other hand, the cue cards helped me get across every point that I wanted to, and keep to my time limit.
• Included reference to my starting point, the book 'Monkey Mind' about anxiety disorder
• I maybe shouldn't have spent so long informing my audience of the history of the development of social media and technology, and got more to the point quickly
• My subject area was extremely broad, I should have narrowed it down and focused on one aspect, rather than the issues as a whole.
• I didn't focus on a solution to the problem, I must do this in my visual diagram
• My research wasn't extensive enough. Reading more articles would have helped me have a professional voice to back up my opinion, and get other peoples opinions to the subject on board.

Plan of Action (between now and developing visual diagram)

• Read more articles on the subject to gain a secondary voice to back up my argument, and highlight further problems that the development of social media and technology has caused
• Listen to podcasts on behaviour, for example 'Mindfulness' as a possible solution to the problem
• Decide what area I want to focus my diagram on; addiction/consumerism/individualism/narcissism

Pecha Kucha Presentation

Research and Critical Awareness

Through my research and speculative drawings, I gained a deeper understanding of my essay topic 'to what extent has the development of technology and social media had a negative impact on society'

Technical Competence

Presenting in front of my peers

During this module, I have been interested in how society and ourselves as individuals have exploited the access to technology and social media on a wide scale; so much so that our dependance on these two developments has become obligatory and almost inescapable from every day life

 The first electronically general-purpose computer, was invented in 1946 with the aim to make complex mathematical calculations possible and to help make the lives of humans easier. As the decades progressed, technology developed gradually with the introduction of advanced software and the founding of two of the largest corporation companies; Apple Inc. founded by Steve Jobs, and Microsoft founded by Bill Gates.

 The modern internet was born in the 1980’s which was somewhat of a revolution, alongside the introduction of CD-Roms and other storage devices, gaming and networking, all of which have become more highly used, accessible and developed from then onwards. This has built up to living in a multi screen generation today, where tablets have outsold laptops, every day tasks can be completed at the touch of a button, and our lives revolving around social media.

Without Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and the founder of social networking site Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg alongside other technological developers, society would not be as technically advanced as it is today. Are they the reason that we have become so dependant on technology? Or do we thank them for the opportunities they have given us to advance as individuals and as groups?

From a pragmatic perspective, these developments have allowed us to become accustom to carrying out the majority of day-to-day tasks at the touch of a button via mobile phone, tablet or computer. As much as this may be a novelty in the height of convenience for time saving, we have forgotten the traditional methods and values of living in a non digital format which has led to a whole catalogue of problems.

 Statistically the ‘boomer’ generation aged 49+ use the internet and social media the least, having grown up in a non-digital age,whereas Generation X ages 38-48 are a little more digitally inclined. Generation Y, aged 21-37 and Generation Z aged 20 and younger are the most frequent, and supposedly the most addictive social media and internet users. Worryingly, children as young as 6 are starting to use social media.

 More and more children and young adults nowadays take more interest in spending time on mobile phones, tablets and computers engaging in social media and online gaming, as opposed to engaging in more physical and social activities. This is already starting to cause a lack of social and communication skills.

 This has had a negative influence on the way in which we as individuals think. The amount of time spent on social media, looking at what our ‘friends’ have been doing is the perfect way to constantly compare ourselves, in a ‘virtual competition’ to be the most popular. Essentially living our lives through other peoples.

 The constant level of comparison and competition has enabled society to become mindless and passive, which has impacted our physical health as well as mental health. Not feeling good enough in comparison to friends on social media will lead to low self esteem, and in some cases mental health deterioration. Not to mention the rise in obesity levels, a lazy attitude comes with a correlation between things becoming easier at the touch of a button.

 Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004 as a site where university students could interact with one another. Today it has 500 million users of all ages, most of which engage in other social media sites as well. How long is it going to be until we stop constantly staring at screens and start living and progressing in the real world?

 In my series of speculative drawings, my first reiterates the point I’ve just made. There are over 500 million facebook users, all of which are exposed to other internet users. It is not always clear if the persons online presence matches their mannerisms in real life. Do people disguise themselves online? How social media users label other users? How many users are hiding insecurities?

 This sketch again focuses on how people, especially young women, strive to come across on the internet. A lot of attention gained via social media is extremely shallow, and often users feel they need to meet a certain criteria to be accepted by others. A lot of the time personal appearance is a large factor with many girls going completely over the top with beauty enhancements, just so they feel comfortable amongst others they consider to be beautiful.

 In this sketch I’ve created the impression of being drowned in social media; emphasising the point that it is so widely and easily accessible, that it is hard to escape from a lot of the time. Almost everything now has a relevant hashtag or barcode that can be scanned in via mobile phone to take you to an internet site related to the purpose.

 I drew these adverts for facebook and twitter to highlight the realities of over using them in general, and abusing their actual purpose which is to keep in touch with friends and what you’re doing with them. Subconsciously we fall into some of the habits listed like competing with friends, complaining about needless things and adopting a false or two faced attitude compared with the way we physically interact and communicate with eachother.

 Responding to the worrying percentage of Generation Y and Z being addicted to using the internet and social media, I drew out a comic strip illustrating a stereotypical students’ day revolving solely around keeping up with other internet users, and going out of their way to feel accepted, ultimately having a negative effect on their wellbeing.

 Starting to think about composing a visual diagram in response to my topic, I admire the way Tom Gauld constructs individual images in grids, using an alphabetical format; this is a possibility I could further explore.

 Working again in a grid format, I recorded a day I spent without using social media. I found this day very refreshing, and would strive to urge others to do the same under the idea of ‘how to survive a digital free day’.

 I also thought about making a poster comparing two or three generations, emphasising the mass level of interaction of internet and social media users today and the potential dangers it could lead to. Having something to compare relatable behaviour to is more likely to have a bigger impact on the viewer and urge them to stop being so digitally consumed.

 Here is a rough sketch of three comparisons of scenarios; on the left a typical walk through the high street, childrens leisure activities, and finding a love interest. On the right are todays dismal and digitally influenced equivalents.

Through my research, it has really hit home to me how digitally dependant our generation has become, and how negatively influenced society has become through the constant engagement and addiction to using technology and social media. In my visual diagram, I hope to inform and change peoples views on the importance of experiencing things first hand in the real world, rather than living their lives through others and never being satisfied. Most of all, I hope that this message comes across clearly to everyone in society. Thankyou for listening.

Speculative Drawings

Over the past few weeks I have been making drawings in response to my topic; 'Has the development of social media and technology had a negative impact on society'

People engaging in their phones rather than paying attention to things happening around them.

The negative affect social media can have on body image, so much pressure to be skinny, in severe cases resulting in eating disorders.

Drowning in social media; it is so easily accessible in todays day and age that it is difficult to escape from, especially if you are addicted to using it.

My day spent without using social media; I felt so much more refreshed by taking in my surroundings, engaging in alternative activities, and not having to compare my day with other peoples online.

A day in the life of a social media addict; a typical students day where she feels like she has to be the best at everything she does by posting on the internet constantly, without realising that this is making her feel alone and insecure.

The evolutionary decline of man; I copied this image I found from a source on the internet. It shows how lazy, and almost weak the human race has become since tools have been developed that are considered more valuable and useful than man.

Meeting criteria; I drew this picture of girls making drastic changes to their appearance to be on trend, making them feel accepted and beautiful. Many girls believe that making false enhancements like wearing too much makeup and making ridiculous poses e.g. the 'duck pout' in pictures will allow them to gain popularity on social media, giving them a confidence boost. In reality this is nonsense. In the real world, people are much more likely to appreciate you if you are yourself and express yourself through things you like to do regarding appearance, rather than following the crowd and being 'fake'.

Just a ranting list about everything I hate about social media

Continuing on from the exaggeration of body image in girls

Passive aggressive social media adverts; highlighting the dangers of over-using them. I drew these out because many people don't actually realise the bad effects that these sites actually have on their wellbeing and interaction with others.

How do we label online users, and how do we label ourselves online? How do we interact online as opposed to in real life? This drawing relates to my issue of false identity, and how we can make pre misconceptions of others online before taking into account the way we physically interact with each other.

Day-to-day activities; then and now (its a slight exaggeration). How easily we can do things at a touch of a button as opposed to going out of our way to physically learn and enjoy things.