When they see us

Sarah Triplett
Nov 3 · 3 min read

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Development of Homophily

One thing is for certain and two things are for sure, everybody wants to have a connection with someone and everyone wants to be connected to someone who is similar to them in one way or another. There are a few different factors that contribute to feeling connected through social media and aids in the development of homophily. Things like having a sense of belonging, personal investments and emotional safety. People need to be connected to others in order to survive. This is a physical, tangible, personal connection that turns into a yearning that we all need.

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Algorithms and cognitive biases

Algorithms is something that all social media platforms utilize for their users. Algorithms help to gauge the things that a person like and don’t like on social media. The things that they do like will continue to be displayed across their timeline, along with other things that are similar. With that, the things that the user isn’t fond of will be filtered out. This is a way to keep the user engaged.

Everybody loves a good filter. A filter is put in place to alter a perception whether it be good or bad. Filters are called Cognitive Biases. A Cognitive Bias is a strategic way to deter someone from rational judgment. Some people create these cognitive biases on social media because of what they think others will think. They conjur up these characters that sometimes are far from who they really are. But often times its because they believe this is what people like. And they just want to be liked.

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Algorithms and Cognitive Biases together will for sure attract the type of attention on your timeline the things that you like as well as the people that like you. But while you will receive the attention that you want, the attention wont be a reflection of the real you. There are some potential risks associated with this. This can turn into a state of isolation. According to James (2012), “Perhaps the strongest criticism that can be made of social media networks is that they deprive us of human interaction, and create virtual substitutes that still maintain emotional distance”.

Steps for Risk Prevention

One of the best things you can do to avoid social isolation is by spending less time scrolling and posting on social media. Most people spend way more time on social media than they even realize. Being that invested in other peoples lives, online shopping, your own expressions of yourself and entertainment can be very time consuming. So giving yourself a time frame that you indulge on social media would be ideal so that you can actually focus on other things in life.

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Another thing you can do to avoid any risks of isolation in social media use is increase face to face interaction. Having real personal relationships with people will help keep. You could even go to events that people that you interact with or follow on social media post. That way you can engage each other on a more personal level.

References

Jones, G. (2012, Dec 17). Does Social Media Create Social Isolation or Unity? Retrieved from Graham Jones Internet Psychologist: https://www.grahamjones.co.uk/2012/articles/social-media-articles/does-social-media-create-social-isolation-or-unity.html

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