07/07/2024
Social media is a widespread phenomenon in today’s world. Everyone seems to have an account on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter). This can cause various concerns as anyone can make accounts that appear like a real person, but on the other end is a person that is being malicious and trying to obtain information. The YouTube video “How Cybercriminals Can Use Your Social Media Activity Against You” goes into detail about this scenario and provides insight on how many people do not practice appropriate social media etiquette that could lead them to potential data leaks.
After viewing the video, I participated in the Social Media Disorder scale, which is a 9 question survey pertaining to social media and how it affects you. Personally, I scored a 1 out of 9, regarding the questions being “Yes/No” and felt that the survey tries to paint a picture of how social media has ties to your life. A score of 5 out of 9 would allow for someone to meet the criteria of having the title of a “disordered social media user”, and each question specifies what they are referencing, ranging from preoccupation to conflict.
As a general basis, the items that are questioned are a great baseline to research in people as social media is quickly becoming something addictive such as alcohol and other substance abuse. When these questions are answered, one could see how much their social media activity affects their lives. It can be very critical to look at across the world also, as different cultures and poverty levels may change how many people are affected by this disorder. With the lack of resources to use social media or just families and cultures who do not favor the use of technology, the idea of being attached to their phones and accessing social media sites would not factor in and affect their personal lives compared to people who have access to technology 24/7 and knowingly place social media at the peak of their lifestyle.
References
Edo, J. (2023, September 24). The influence of culture on technology adoption and design. Medium. https://medium.com/@JacobsEdo/the-influence-of-culture-on-technology-adoption-and-design-e8ea61fbdac1#:~:text=Cultural%20norms%2C%20beliefs%2C%20and%20values,to%20cultural%20practices%20or%20beliefs
Van den Erjnden, RJ.J.M., Lemmons, J.S., & Valkensburg P.M. (2016). The Social Media Disorder Scale. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 478-487.
Micro, T. (2018, August 22). How cybercriminals can use your social media activity against you. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbqo7MGVElw