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Kindness and Social Media: How Are They Connected?

Today's scope and depth of social media are staggering. Facebook has over 2 billion active accounts, and according to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey, 74% of Facebook users, 63% of Snapchat users, and 60% of Instagram users check their medium every day. Young adults spend an average of one hour on a platform each day (Levenson et al., 2016). Social media are an extension of - not a departure from - our real lives.
Primarily, these media assist us in connecting with people we already know, but content creation, entertainment, and support are also important parts of the experience. In spite of distance and time, these platforms give us the ability to interact with the people and causes that we care about. Therefore, the same norms, and the same skill of intentional kindness should guide our virtual lives.
However, users-especially adolescents-are not immune to negative aspects of social media. Cyberbullying, an offense that occurs outside of the classroom, is punishable by school authorities, thereby necessitating the discussion of responsible virtual behavior inside the classroom when appropriate. Students can call upon the skills developed in the Kind Campus materials to mitigate the effects of objectionable and unpleasant social media content.

Changing Social Media with Kindness

Kindness requires knowledge and action. Social media gives us knowledge, as "users are more aware of major events in the lives of the people close to them," and with conscientiousness, one has the opportunity to actively engage with friends (Radovic et al. 2017). For example, unexpectedly posting a supportive comment or messaging kind words are far more meaningful acts than simply liking a status. Using social media in this purposeful way "may lead to a decrease in depression and improved quality of life" (Radovic et al. 2017).
Due to the brain's neurological reward system, we take great pleasure in constructing our social media profiles and announcing our immediate experiences. However, the pressure to portray oneself in a desirable way may lead to unkind behavior. Studies show that approximately half of young adults feel unattractive when comparing themselves to others, which leads to habitually deleting photos, comments, or even accounts (Madden et al. 2013). Because we so rapidly consume social media, we allow our unconscious brain (see: Kind Campus materials, Month 3) to take the driver's seat while our negativity bias (see: Month 5) discounts vast amounts of positive and neutral content to which we are exposed.
In order to undermine self-denigrating comparisons and other impulses, we can practice labeling our thoughts (see: Month 1). Noticing a thought and acknowledging it with a statement like, "Oh, I'm feeling self-critical after seeing this post," facilitates a psychological distance between the self and the thought. The goal is to do this labeling without judgment. Then, we can utilize a positive affirmation (see: Month 2) such as, "I am more than the images I post on Instagram," to confirm our humanity and worthiness.
Many assume that the best way to avoid negativity caused by social media is to cut it out of our lives entirely. Chilling statistics support this impulse: "teens who visit social-media sites every day are 19 percent more likely to be sleep deprived," and "teens who spend more time than average on-screen activities are more likely to be unhappy" (Twenge 2017).
However, researchers Andrew Przbylski and Netta Weinstein found that an adolescent's mental well-being actually improves up until approximately one hour of screen time (2017). Beyond one hour, the aforementioned adverse side-effects arise. Limiting an online presence to one hour a day maximizes the benefits of social media. For instance, adolescents with depression and sexual minority youth use virtual platforms as a way to gain social support from others who share common life experiences (Naslund et al. 2014).
Furthermore, virtual emotions are contagious. Each positive Facebook post - simply regarding the weather - "yields an additional 1.75 positive posts amongst one's friends. Meanwhile, each additional negative post yields 1.29 more negative posts by friends" (Coviello et al. 2014). So we are more likely to see positive content if we make positive content.
The greatest takeaway: use social media to enhance your real life. Join movements. Support friends. Make plans to meet people in real life! "Teens who spend more time than average on nonscreen activities are more likely to be happy" (Twenge 2017).