Academic Research:

I personally felt I needed to conduct a literature review to gain an academically based understanding on connection, its relationship to social media, the effects social media has on our wellbeing, and the ways in which I could redesign existing social media networks to improve genuine connection and therefore overall wellbeing and happiness.

I produced a 2800 word literature review that aimed to deepen my understanding of the ways in which I could potentially redesign existing social networks, by improving/modifying their methods of interaction to facilitate genuine connection building, and not weak ties as defined by (Twenge, 2013).

Being able to back up my redesign changes with peer reviewed research makes sure I'm addressing the correct problem and strengthens my argument for why current social media and the design implementations that exist are detrimental to our mental health and wellbeing.

Overall I managed to cite over 23 peer-reviewed research articles that have informed my understanding. My research focused on investigating what defines social networks/media and the evolution of social networks throughout our history. Understanding the history and development of social media is important to navigating its trajectory in the future.

I researched social bonding and human interpersonal relationships. Understanding how bonding occurs from a biological and an anthropological level informs design decisions that are made by the designers of existing social media platforms and will inform my potential redesigns.

Researching the impacts that current social media networks have on genuine connection building, and our overall well-being lays the groundwork and argument for why these platforms need to be redesigned.

I researched what connection is on a fundamental level and the differences between shallow and genuine connections, and the ways in which we can best facilitate genuine connection building on social media. I also studied and researched the ways in which connections are built on Facebook and Instagram. This is imperative to understanding the methods of interaction that exist on these platforms and how I can redesign them to drive genuine connection building.

I found that there is no universally agreed definition of what social media is:

(Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010) mention that although there is no standard definition of social media, many researchers in the field define it as being technologies that embody and enable the creation and exchange of user-generated content. (Karim et al., 2020) defines social media as a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts and information, through virtual networks and communities. Social Media can be categorised into several different groups; social networks, blogs, wikis, podcasts, forums, content communities and micro-blogs, among which social networks are the most used form of social media (Sadagheyani & Tatari, 2020)

Interpersonal relationships are developed through the social penetration process (Taylor, 1968).

The social penetration theory presents a framework that explains how interpersonal relationships are formed. Research has found that for relationships to last and continue, the reward that both parties benefit from needs to exceed the cost of the relationship.

The 2 brain neuropeptides which have been found to be crucially important in the formation of social bonds are oxytocin and vasopressin.

Brain imaging studies conducted on individuals viewing their romantic partners have shown that Oxytocin and vasopressin releasing regions are activated when viewing images of their partners. Evidence from sheep studies has also shown that oxytocin is released from visual cues of faces (Kendrick, 2004).

We seek to reduce uncertainty in our social environments

URT’s (Uncertainty Reduction Theory) foundational premise is that we seek to reduce uncertainty in our social environments. Berger and colleagues found that people always modify situations to increase certainty in all interactions (Berger, 1979)

(M. Lee et al., 2001) defines connection as the degree to which we feel close to others and that we belong to a larger group

(Rideout et al. 2010) shows how humans are social creatures in which companionship with others is crucial to our happiness and overall well being. Social connection with other people gives us fulfilment and a sense of belonging, however, a lack of genuine social connection increases the risk of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation (Karim et al., 2020). Research shows that although social networks such as Instagram and Facebook do increase social connectedness, it does so by increasing shallow connections and does not fulfil us with the genuine connections that are reinforcing to our mental wellbeing. These shallower, more superficial connections are known as “weak ties'' (Twenge, 2013)

Connection overload is caused by being exposed to hundreds if not thousands of notifications on a daily basis from friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, celebrities, and those in your network.

This constant bombardment of information is unnatural based on our evolutionary history, in which we were only connected with news of those directly around us (LaRose et al., 2014). Being constantly connected is associated with higher levels of anxiety, higher rates of depressive symptoms and feelings of helplessness (LaRose et al., 2014)

The five potentially harmful methods of interaction towards genuine connection building and our overall wellbeing:

the infinite scroll effect, time based scarcity viewing of information, like/react buttons, and the individual input method used for connecting users ie text vs imagery vs audio/video, and read receipts

The infinite scroll effect is used intentionally, social networks are designed to be addictive

They are designed to keep us on the application for as long as possible, as this presents more opportunities for advertisers to generate revenue through advertising (Collins, 2020). The reason infinite scrolling works can be explained through the psychology of BF Skinner and his theory of operant conditioning (Mcleod, 2022). In Skinner’s research, he found reinforcement of behaviours with a variable-ratio schedule to be the most effective at reinforcing/encouraging behaviours. These behaviours become addictive (Mcleod, 2022). This is due to the fact that when behaviours are reinforced with a variable ratio we don't know when to anticipate whether we will receive reinforcement - this keeps us guessing and hoping that our behaviour will be reinforced with a pleasure stimulus. Hence this is what makes the infinite scroll so addictive, we anticipate finding something valuable, interesting or entertaining and keep on scrolling, endlessly (Mcleod, 2022)

Time-based scarcity viewing of information, such as Instagram stories which are viewable for only up to 24 hours and Snapchat’s 10-second viewing duration of snap messages are harmful

Due to our intrinsic nature of wanting to reduce uncertainty as mentioned through uncertainty reduction theory (Berger, 1979)

Like buttons are addictive for the very same reason we find infinite scrolling addictive:

It is due to operant conditioning (Collins, 2020). When we create a post, or share an image/story that gains likes/reacts it results into 3 of the most powerful reinforcements we get as humans; attention, approval, and affection from others. These reinforcers encourage us to post more, share more, and overall stay on the platform for longer (Collins, 2020)

Text based content is the primary way in which connection is built on the Facebook platform:

Studies have shown that compared to text messages, emails and other forms of text based communication, talking over the phone or by computer facilitates stronger social bonds (Kumar & Epley, 2021). Kumar suggests we should “type less and talk more” as people undervalue the positive relational outcomes of using voice compared to text alone. From the literature we can see that although image/text based sharing methods may be good for engagement and interaction, if our aim is to increase the ability of genuine connections to be made digitally, then an increased emphasis on audio/video communication needs to be placed on social networks, and integrated through design.

Read receipts are a potentially harmful design interaction as according to (Rutledge, 2019)

Rutledge states that the effects social media has on our wellbeing are that “read receipts can set us up for unrealistic expectations that go against the realities of human communication and they can also cause us to feel anxious”

Social media addiction is thought to affect 5% of young people, with social media being described as addictive as cigarettes and alcohol (Health Rsfp, 2017)

Recent research suggests that heavy users of social media (2+ hours a day) are more likely to report poorer mental health such as psychological distress (Health Rsfp, 2017). Studies from (Wang and Saudino, 2011) show that social media use causes less positive mood. (Brooks, 2015) correlates social media use with decreased happiness, and (Kross et al., 2013) has shown social media use to be correlated with decreased life satisfaction. It’s been shown that limiting social media use does have a positive and direct impact on well being over time, especially for decreasing symptoms of loneliness and depression (Twenge et al., 2018; Hunt et al., 2018)