Leveraging on all the hype on the Netflix documentary the Social Dilemma lately, I would like to talk about how social media is not only starting to control our life and the decisions we’re making – but it is also starting to affect our mental health. Social media was created with the initial goal of making users share experiences and feel connected; but recently, a study from the University of Pittsburgh and other universities have shown that excessive social media use is linked to feelings of social isolation. Especially negative social media experiences were strongly correlated with loneliness.

Obviously, using social media in moderate amounts (30 min per day) and to initiate offline connections has its benefits. Yet, in the digital era, people can spend up to 60 hours a week on social media; this is especially realistic in the time of Covid-pandemic where one can be highly tempted to spend his/her free time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. Studies however show that excessive use of these platforms can induce social anxiety and fear of missing out, thus contributing to social anxiety. Especially adolescents and young adults can be suspectable to these issues. According to a 2017 survey of college students, up to 65% of them has said that they felt very lonely in the previous year. For example, the nature of Facebook posts causes one to compare his/her life with others; moreover, Twitter can take an emotional toll on you if involved in heated discussions.

Hereby, I would like to raise this important issue with everyone and be mindful about the consequences of social media. From the documentary the Social Dilemma we have been reminded that social media is taking control over our daily decisions; however, be mindful about how it can also affect your mental health.

Bibliography

1. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-a-steady-diet-of-social-media-unhealthy-2018122115600
2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2019/01/24/loneliness-linked-to-negative-social-media-experiences-study-finds/#6bde742d7afe
3. https://www.psycom.net/how-social-media-increases-loneliness/

Inarguably, Artificial Intelligence has provided humans and the modern era with numerous benefits. AI algorithms specifically, is a method of machine learning where computers can learn on their own by giving instructional inputs. AI algorithms are applied in your daily life – it determines what comes up in your Facebook feed, which Netflix movie recommendations you get, the ads that you see in Gmail etc. but its uses reach beyond your personal life to sectors such as the healthcare, law enforcement, recruitment processes and such.

So here comes the problem with algorithms – they do what they are taught. Indeed, AI machine learning just reproduce what they’re taught and AI does not have social understanding. If uncarefully managed, this can lead to discrimination, racial prejudices, and reinforcement of our social biases. You might think that drawback of AI would not happen in real life, but it does. For example, Amazon used algorithms to help its recruitment process by data over the past ten years. In those times, male candidates still dominated the industry and therefore the developed algorithm actually discriminated against female candidates. Another example, more detrimental, is the use of algorithms in the criminal justice system where black defendants were assigned a higher risk score and therefore receiving heavier sentences in prison.

I believe that although the benefits of algorithms have helped humanity immensely, if not carefully managed it can bring more harm than good. As I mentioned, it can cause loss of opportunity for people in employment by displaying racial or gender biases; in a more severe manner, it can cause somebody to lose their freedom if locked up in jail due to false crime predictions. So how should such implications be solved? I believe that algorithms should be carefully tested and monitored before being used; for example by questioning whether AI machine learning is even appropriate in certain situations, and by adopting more inclusive approaches when building these systems. At the end of the day, ethics and responsible governance of AI should be at the center of decision-making, what do you think?

Works Cited

Chowdhury, R. (2019, August 2). How to stop AI from reinforcing biases. Retrieved from Accenture: https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/artificial-intelligence/stop-ai-reinforcing-biases

Saifee, M. (2020, January 17). Can AI algorithms be biased? Retrieved from Towards data science: https://towardsdatascience.com/can-ai-algorithms-be-biased-6ab05f499ed6

DeAngelis, S. F. (n.d.). Artificial Intelligence: How Algorithms Make Systems Smart. Retrieved from Wired: https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/09/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-2/