For this assignment, I read about how social media affects me and society overall.
For the "Am I ADDICTED to social media?" quiz, I got the result "You’re FAIRLY RELIANT on social media." I have been taking steps lately to be more mindful of my time on social media. I've mostly switched to using Bluesky, which I find much more plesant than Facebook or X.
I was really surprised at the proportion of Asians who use Truth Social. The other statistics show that Truth Social is used more by conservatives, and of course Asians can be conservatives, I was just surprised at how many used that platform.
Meta and YouTube were recently found negligent in a court case. They found the companies create products that are addictive and harmful to teens' mental health. I am hopeful this will encourage them to be more responsible towards their users moving forward (though I'm not holding my breath). I have been reducing my time on social media (and specifically Meta platforms) but I find that Facebook is still one of the best ways to learn about local events, so it's hard to eliminate it entirely. I think social media can be a great tool to find new groups of people or learn more about niche topics, but it can be harmful if not used mindfully.
Probably the thing that stood out to me the most was I hadn't been thinking of YouTube as a social media site. It does have features that allow users to interact directly with each other, but I only ever just watch videos.
Meta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction case. (2026, March 25). The Salt Lake Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2026/03/25/meta-youtube-found-negligent/
Pew Research Center. (2024, November 13). Social Media Fact Sheet. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/