Life and Choices
Through the Lens of Your Phone Screen
A short piece by Aman Sinha
www.amansinha.design
Let's think of a few numbers in our head
How many hours do you find yourself immersed in the digital realm each day?
Let's think of a few numbers in our head
How about a ballpark figure for a month and a lifetime of social media consumption?
Let's dig deeper and find answers to some of these questions.
The reasons behind this extensive time investment vary. Social media are the go-to platforms for communicating, entertainment, and staying up to date with the latest content and news.
However, studies have shown that the pervasive use of social media is linked to negative impacts on mental health with one study finding that lengthy social media usage was linked to an increase in depressive symptoms in adolescents.
“Any social media algorithm whether it’s Instagram or Facebook or Snapchat, works essentially the same. They are optimized for engagement. They are optimized to keep you on the social media platform, no matter what. Instagram or Facebook don’t care if it’s quality or if it’s harmful or if it’s anything else. If things like this keep you there, we’re going to show you more of those things.”
However, the good part is,
You're not in this alone.
There were 4.88 billion social media users around the world in July 2023, equating to 60.6 percent of the total global population.
Social media user numbers have continued to grow over the past 12 months too, with 173 million new users joining social media since this time last year. That equates to annualized growth of 3.7 percent, at an average rate of 5.5 new users every single second.
The latest figures indicate that well over 9 in 10 internet users now use social media each month. On the other hand, it’s also worth noting that comparing social media users with figures for a total population may under-represent the full extent of social media use because most social media companies restrict the use of their platforms to people aged 13 and above.
For context, the latest data suggest that the number of social media users around the world now equates to more than 77 percent of the eligible global population.
With ever-increasing engagement with social media, we also need to realize
We've got a very limited time left with the ones who matter most.
So, next time you get on a social media platform and are all set to get on a reel spree,
Just take a step back and think to yourself, Is this the best you could do with the time you are left with?
Here's a little help on your way,
If you're struggling to set limits for social media usage for yourself or the ones you care about, here are some ways that social media platforms suggest you could set limits
Here are the sources that helped shape this story.
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- Brian, D. (2023). Social Media Users: Statistics & Facts. [Website]. Backlinko. Retrieved from https://backlinko.com/social-media-users
- Statista. (n.d.). Daily social media usage worldwide. [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/
- Statista. (n.d.). Regional distribution of social media users worldwide. [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/295619/regional-distribution-of-social-media-users-worldwide/
- Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, and Joe Hasell. (2021). "Rise of Social Media." Our World in Data. Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/rise-of-social-media#:~:text=The%20percentage%20of%20US%20adults,to%20around%2030%25%20in%202018.
- Kincaid, J. (2008). Top social media sites of 2008. [Website]. TechCrunch. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2008/12/31/top-social-media-sites-of-2008-facebook-still-rising/?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABciastNyYS_3pPyhoDCITk493g1hYDeGu25x71GpntF7w25Sc38gWQ6FjghOGYGJCECu7edKJ9Jp204EDysKJo6dcDtkTfiI9YUmjtOxqLqSNyg4jKJmF4E5eBye8vjL0i31eexsjFIy_6m3BlEWgJsrNK_xQo0UTnj86PHbY8A&guccounter=2
- Wikipedia. (n.d.). Timeline of social media. [Website]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_social_media
- Pew Research Center. (2015). Social Networking Usage: 2005-2015. [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/10/08/social-networking-usage-2005-2015/
- Al Jazeera. (2023, June 30). How Many Years Does a Typical User Spend on Social Media? [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/30/how-many-years-does-a-typical-user-spend-on-social-media#:~:text=How%20much%20time%20on%20average,a%20little%20over%20a%20month.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). American Time Use Survey. [PDF]. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/atus.pdf
- DataReportal. (2023). Digital 2023 July Global Statshot. [Website]. Retrieved from https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-july-global-statshot
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