Post 3: How will your own work in this studio be informed by your understandings of social media, the data from the Sensis surveys and your examples of social media mentioned above? What information do you hope to gather from the Sensis data?

I would like my work in this studio to be informed by my progressive knowledge of how social media operates, who uses it, and for what purpose, whether it be for personal reasons or for business. What interests me about social media is that the media landscape is always changing and with each update, the way we interact with each other becomes more complex.

It is interesting to see the younger generation gravitate towards platforms that the older generation tends not to use (Snapchat and TikTok, for example). For this reason, I would like to know how social media platforms are engaging these younger audiences. What drives social media use for each age demographic? To learn, to be entertained, to buy, consume news content, to be creative? This knowledge would be useful for running business accounts and creating content that consumers will respond to (which is especially important during a pandemic). Additionally, looking at the Black Lives Matter movement has given me an insight into how platforms like Instagram are always changing to reflect what is happening in the real world, and how it brought political conversations into the online space.

As the Sensis data suggests that social media is seen as having more of a negative than positive effect on privacy, concentration, productivity, sleeping, and patience, I would like to discover how much of an impact increased social media use is having on the mental health of its users during a pandemic. Moving forward, I would like to conduct further research with Sensis to develop a campaign that build awareness for public health (or something in this sphere) as mental health awareness is something I feel strongly about. 

Post 2: What examples of social media do you find inspirational or challenging? Mention 1 or 2. Cite a reference or URL for each. Explain why they inspire you.

One advantage of social media is users’ ability to advocate for social change over several platforms. Shareability occurs, for example, on Instagram through the use of hashtags, posts, stories, reels, tags, and mentions on the platform. An example that I find inspiring is the use of Instagram to advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, in conjunction with other social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube. The Black Lives Matter (or #BLM) movement gained traction online after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other Black Americans in the US in 2020. Millions flocked to social media to advocate for police reform in America and challenge systemic racism.

On Instagram, this was demonstrated through the posts of its users, related to protests, petitions, and updates related to the issue. Influencers and celebrities utilised their large platforms to circulate donation links that were highly shareable. Instagram was flooded with informative content that focused on dismantling racism on the platform, posted in carousels, Instagram reels, and hashtags like #blacklivesmatter.

Fig. 1, Emma Watson’s tribute to Breonna Taylor 

Interestingly, the trend #blackouttuesday (which involved posting a black square to the Instagram timeline) was criticised for encouraging performative activism rather than inspiring any real change. Black communities have stated that a more effective way of showing solidarity is by donating money and sharing resources that help combat racism. This demonstrates that social media can be used to advocate for social change, regardless of its intended use. Instagram is a site where most of its users can share a curated version of their lives. Over time it has transformed into an increasingly political platform that is hosting conversations about issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement. This example of social media use inspires me because it confronted many people to make changes in their lives that challenge systemic racism.

Post 1: What is your interpretation of the term ‘social media’? What have you learned from the Sensis reports? Include 2 or 3 references from academic sources.

What constitutes social media is constantly in flux, as new technologies challenge what is possible. The rise of AI and algorithms underlying social platforms like Facebook and Instagram is changing how we interact with brands and each other. For this reason, social media can be viewed as an extension of the real world. The accessibility of smart devices and faster connection speeds has made online platforms so pervasive that we don’t even notice their presence. Additionally, the online space has become a creative playground for businesses and creators to reach new audiences.

Social media is a tool with many uses in our everyday lives. It facilitates connections with people from all over the world; it allows users to simultaneously produce and consume media; it can be used for entertainment, marketing, and so on. It fuels a massive increase in both the amount of documentation on the world and the size of the audience for it (Jurgenson, 2019 p. 34) and gives us multiple channels of influence over people.

From our discussions in class, I have been able to notice the cultural, social, and economic impact that social media has on us. The Yellow Social Media reports published by Sensis have given me several insights: Something I found interesting is that according to Sensis data, one-third of consumers inspect a brand’s social media presence before making an online purchase if they have not purchased from their website before (Sensis Top Line Findings 2020). This indicates to me that businesses’ branding on social media is more important than ever in building trust with consumers in today’s competitive market.

Sensis’ findings state that there are evenly divided views about the impact of social media on the user’s mental health, personal relationships, and on grammar and spelling. However, they also state that social media is seen as having more of a negative than positive effect on privacy, concentration, productivity, sleeping and patience. This demonstrates that there are underlying concerns of the public regarding adverse health effects associated with social media use. What I found interesting is the data on social media usage. In march 2020, Social media use has increased for 31% in the last year and decreased for 13%. 31% say they spend too much time on social media; and this is even higher among the 18-29s (49%), 30-39s (37%) and females (39%) (Sensis Top Line Findings 2020). Moving forward, I would like to know what Sensis can tell us about the impact that increased social media use has on our mental health and how it influences our relationship with the world.

References:

• Sensis, 2020, Yellow Social Media Report Initial Top Line Findings: Draft March 2020, viewed 23 March 2021, <https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/85925/files/17041718?module_item_id=3091665> 
• Jurgenson, N., 2019, The Social Photo: On Photography and Social Media, Verso Books, Brooklyn, New York p.1-40.