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Are you really connected...?

Feeling connected

There are certain factors that the marketing teams of these social media (SM) sites put in place to help the user feel more connected to their counterparts on SM. The algorithms that the SM sites employ are one of the things designed to feed the user more of what they like because what they like helps the user feel good and valid in their own opinion this in itself leads to homophily. Homophily as defined by American Psychological Association (2017) “the tendency for individuals who are socially connected in some way to display certain affinities, such as similarities in demographic background, attitudes, values, and so on” (para. 1). Meaning we people will gravitate to other people who look, think, and at like they do. Read more about homophily. https://smartalick1.tumblr.com/

Algorithms and cognitive biases

The use of algorithms by the SM sites has a large effect on cognitive biases and can intensify homophily and contribute to feelings of isolation leading to many problems such as hate speech and political extremism. The algorithms that these sites employ are good at weeding out what the user wants to see and what they like. These algorithms are designed to pick out the most relevant information, the things that cause real engagement in the user. Cognitive bias can be grown out of this, Ciampaglia, et al. (2018) “the detailed advertising tools built into many social media platforms let disinformation campaigners exploit confirmation bias by tailoring messages to people who are already inclined to believe them” (para. 14).

Constructive steps  

The best steps an SM user can take to ensure that they do not get caught in the trap of cognitive biases is to fact check the information that they are seeing. “social media platforms expose users to a less diverse set of sources than do non-social media sites” (Ciampaglia, et al., 2018, p. 15). The user should also make sure that they are gathering information form a variety of different sources to help get the most accurate information possible.  

References

American Psychological Association. (2017). http://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/12/numbers

Ciampaglia,, G. L., Menczer, F., & The Conversation US. (2018, June 21). Scientific American. http://scientificamerican.com/article/biases-make-people-vulnerable-to-misinformation-spread-by-social-media/

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#homophily...

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Motivations for use of social media (SM)?

Commerce Is one motivation to use social media. The feeling of community and connection with other people and the wider world around provides users with a feeling of connection and accomplishment.  

social media provide the opportunity to connect with customers using richer media with a greater reach. The interactive nature of these digital media not only allows sellers to share and exchange information with their customers but also allows customers to share and exchange information with one another. ( Tsimonis & Dimitriadis, 2014, p. 3)

Most research findings revealed that personality traits are the best predictors of intrinsic motivations for social media use.

The motivations vary with respect to user age, gender, culture, or country of origin Zhang, Feng, and Chen (2018)

In modern theories of motivation a cycle is emphasized in which thoughts influence behaviors, behaviors drive performance, and performance impacts thoughts. Empirical researchers have suggested that social media sites are beneficial for users by providing them with the ability to share knowledge and gain access to potential future possibilities (Sin & Kim, 2013). These benefits motivate more users to participate in social media. ( p. 4)

Some more motives for social media use are for educational, entertainment, or commerce reasons. People are also driven by the need to socialize and SM allows for all those things to happen at one time. The marketers for the platforms use the information about people’s wants drives and desires to make their platform more inviting to the user. Ensuring that a good time is had neurologically as well as physically. Zhang et al. (2018)

people have been able to become increasingly inclined towards cultivating their virtual social relationships and virtual life on social media sites on the Internet. On these social networking sites, users can interact with others, and they are able to create an online public profile that reflects their interests, activities, and real-world connections. Moreover, in this space, individual preferences, relationships, and ideologies can converge and be displayed simultaneously. ( para. 1)

This makes the marketing efforts amazing, they can be very targeted toward the likes and dislikes of the viewer.  

References

Tsimonis, G., & Dimitriadis, S. (2014). Brand strategies in social media. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 32, 328–344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/MIP-04-2013-0056

Zhang, D., Feng, X., & Chen, P. (2018). Examining microbloggers’ individual differences in motivation for social media use. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 46, 667–682. http://dx.doi.org/10.2224/sbp.653