brainspace SUMMER 2019 25In the next issue, we will talk
about dopamine: the natural
chemical in your body that
fuels social media and makes
it so hard for us to unplug!What you post on social media has
real-world consequences. Although
there may be a “delete” button on
most social media apps, the things
you say and do online can have
a permanent impact on your life
offline. While social media lets us
express parts of ourselves that we
don’t feel comfortable expressing
in the real world, our actions
online do not exist in a bubble and
their consequences may not be as
easy to delete.You will meet people online
with different views than your
own – use this as a learning
experience. The global reach
of social media connects us
with people from around the
world with diverse opinions
and points of view. Whether
we agree with them or not,
this exposure should be used
as an opportunity to learn and
expand our understanding of
the world. And in situations
where this does not seem
possible, engaging in online
arguments with people
thousands of kilometres away
Protect your information. is never the answer.
When you sign up for social
media, all of the information
you upload becomes public
data. It’s not just your
Facebook friends and Twitter
followers that have access to
this information; social media
sites also sell your profile to
web companies who fill your
feed with advertisements and
products they think you might
like. Sometimes this can be
helpful, but if you do not feel
comfortable with companies
accessing and using your
personal information, do not
post it online.Unplug! 45 percent of digital
natives say they are online
“almost constantly” and only
24 percent unplug from social
media every day. I can’t even
count the number of times
I’ve refreshed Instagram only
to realize I have already seen
all of the photos on my feed,
or clicked back onto Facebook
moments after I closed the
app. FOMO (fear of missing
out) can make it hard to
unplug, but disconnecting for
a couple of hours every day
has been proven to reduce
stress and lead to better
sleeps! This year, I am trying
my best to spend at least an
hour away from my phone
every day. Give it a try, digital
natives,and let us know how
it goes!2
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