Homophily to Polarization

FEELING CONNECTED
There are many factors that lead to feeling connected when it comes to social media. One of those factors is feeling social validation. For example, someone who lacks self-esteem would normally turn to social media and start posting things they know will get attention. The more “likes” and “comments” the user gets, the more validation they receive which leads to validation. Another factor is addiction. Believe it or not there are people who are addicted to social media. In a study from Swansea University, it showed people actually experienced psychological withdrawal symptoms when they stopped using social media.
https://medium.com/@crystalkidd/feelings-and-social-media-fc69b6386d5c
ALGORITHMS AND COGNITIVE BIASES

Studies have shown that the more time you spend on social media the higher the chance of feeling socially isolated. Algorithms and cognitive biases play a big role. The more you are on-line the more likely you will see things that you connect with, such as articles or ads. Those things are based on the algorithms that are gathered from you own searching for content. A study was done that showed people who logged on more on social media felt a decreased sense of belonging, less fulfilling relationships, and lower engagement with others.

CONSTRUCTIVE STEPS
There are a few steps that you can do to avoid the isolation feeling you can get. Make plans with people to have face to face interactions. You can also limit the amount of time that you spend on social media sites. For instance, only allow yourself forty-five minutes to an hour a day for social media. The less time you spend on-line, the less likely you will feel isolated.
REFERENCES
Dodgson, L. (2017, March 7). Spending more than 2 hours on social media per day could make you feel isolated, study finds.
Retrieved from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-isolation-2017-3
Zugay, A (September 7, 2017) The polarization of homophily
Retrieved from: https://medium.com/@andrezugay/the-polarization-of-homophily-189ec8545b6d
Root; (September 7, 2017), Factors that contribute to feeling connected to social media
Retrieved from: https://beat.10ztalk.com/2017/09/07/factors-that-contribute-to-feeling-connected-to-social-media/