Kuende — Rebuilding the Human Social Connection (Part 2)

Empowering Mental Health Through Social Media

The first part of this article can be found here. I recommend you read it to get started.

Last week, I spoke about how Kuende can help fix the social isolation issue that has become more and more common. This week, and to complete the article, I wanted to speak about a topic that I believe is even more pressing — the effects of social media on our minds.

Mental health is a hot topic right now, and it’s been entirely triggered by the intrusion of social media into every facet of our lives. Everywhere, experts are warning against addiction, body image issues, feelings of loneliness, and withdrawal. The truth is, people want to connect, otherwise social media wouldn’t even exist. The problem is that social media is so easy to access and the dopamine hits are so effortless that users have become hooked. In many ways, they are slaves to their online personas, and this addiction separates them from meeting people offline, or, as we used to call it, “real life”.

First, let’s look at the effects of current social media on mental health. I’ll quote from scientific journals on the research that they’ve developed on the matter. Then, I’ll talk about how Kuende is the perfect social media for reversing the trend and how it can actually strengthen your self-esteem.

Facebook Damages Mental Health (And Who Watches The Watcher?)

In the study, “Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults”, they begin by saying that Facebook helps provide a way for social connection. However, it causes more issues than it solves. The abstract states that “The more people used Facebook at one time point, the worse they felt the next time we text-messaged them; the more they used Facebook over two-weeks, the more their life satisfaction levels declined over time.”

There could be a lot of reasons for Facebook damaging mental health. We even know that Facebook itself has implemented psychological tests on its users. In 2012, it apologized for a test in which researchers theorized that by implementing certain emotional words in a user’s newsfeed, that the users would reciprocate and post statuses or interact in a similar way. For example, User 1 sees a lot of sad statuses, and would then go on to post a sad status. Meanwhile, User 2 would see a lot of angry statuses, and would then post a status of rage and hatred. We know, for a fact then, that what we see everyday affects our mood. You can read more here.

Can we really trust Facebook to act in a way that is in accordance with ethics? Of course not — past behavior is generally an indicator of present behavior. One only needs to look at the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Make no mistake — Facebook has, and will, continue to treat its users like lab rats.

Facebook Influences Thoughts

The study I quoted seems to find results that accompany the idea that what we see on Facebook infects our thoughts. They said, and I quote, that “Some researchers have speculated that online social networking may interfere with physical activity, which has cognitive and emotional replenishing effects [27] or trigger damaging social comparisons”. Further, they go on to say that “If harmful social comparisons explain how Facebook use predicts declines in affective well-being, it is possible that interacting with other people directly either enhances the frequency of such comparisons or magnifies their emotional impact”.

So, we now know that some of the most currently popular social media channels have negative effects on our minds. They can even influence our moods, and consequently, our actions! There must be an alternative.

Thankfully, there is a cure for the rampant problems that millions of people all around the world are now facing because of social media. Kuende is the first blockchain powered social network that uses gamified challenges to reward real-life social interaction.

Kuende — Empowering Users and Building Self-Esteem

Gets You Out Of Your Comfort Zone

The rewards and gamified challenges of Kuende are designed to get you out of your house, and into the real world! You are not getting the full experience if you are just using the Kuende app on your desktop, or on your phone. Plus, you aren’t even getting the full benefit of the platform. When you participate in these challenges, you get Kuende Points which you can use to redeem prizes on the site! As Kuende grows, more businesses are going to be using Kuende to present deals and offers to users.

Builds Relationships

Of course, life can be difficult, and we know that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. However, by focusing on the good things in life, everything can be much more manageable. Many of life’s issues are far easier to conquer when you have built relationships with other people that can assist you. There is an old saying (paraphrased) — if you wish to go quickly, go alone — if you wish to go far, go with others.

Helps You Express Yourself

Kuende’s method of expressing yourself is far different than in other social media platforms. You can, of course, post photos, and talk about yourself. However, where we are different is in our interest-based system. You can truly express yourself through the experiences and talents that you are most proud of. If you love pets, we have a pet lover badge. Artist? Music Lover? Love reading? We have an interest badge for just about anyone.

The takeaway from this series is that there is a fundamental issue with how current social media is affecting users. I wish we could say that it was in a positive way, however we have seen that this is not true. The mission of Kuende, and of myself, is to help people. I believe that you should leave the world better than it was. It would mean a lot if you would join me on this mission to bring people up.

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