Louis Weinstock’s Post

Louis Weinstock How to make positive emotions more viral? I don't know, if it doesn't hook into our group survival instincts (like fear and outrage do) then you probably can't. One thing though I'm trying to teach my kids is the key distinction of whatever I'm looking at on the screen right now, how did it get to me? A) I searched for it myself or B) it's been served to me. Spending time on the internet is fine as long as A) is being maximized. B) is alright for a little bit of fun or algorithmic serendipity under the regime of strict and continual curation of sources (LI connections, Twitter followings etc.). Nevertheless awareness here is super important that it's been served to me for a purpose. What was that purpose? Who is behind that purpose? Why now and why me? Okay, I don't ask these questions on Netflix but on BBC? Hell yeah! Facebook and Instagram? Not in my house! I'm afraid most kids spend most their time online in B). Understanding how these things work, educating children and ourselves is a must. Second key distinction I talk about with my kids - if you absolutely have to be involved in the content creation-consumption foodchain (and not all people have), don't be the consumer, be the creator. Learn to write code. Learn to paint. Create with hands... And then be content (adj.) being your own audience. You are the most important audience you have. Create for yourself first.

Social Media: A Conversation Starter, Not a Playground (for Now) Anyone else come across a surprising homework question lately? Yesterday, helping my 2nd grader, we came across a topic that left me speechless - the positives and negatives of social media! At first, I wondered if this was the right age to talk about social media. Do they even understand what it is? We, as a family, are all about limiting screen time and keeping phones out of little hands. But then, it hit me... maybe this is exactly when these conversations need to start. Think about it. They're growing up in a digital age, and social media will be an important part of their lives someday. Isn't it better to help them with the knowledge to navigate it safely from the beginning? After all, if even adults get influenced by what we see online, imagine the impact on young minds! So, here's to Social Media Day! Let's celebrate its ability to connect people, but let's not forget the responsibility that comes with it. Let's use this as an opportunity to open conversations with our kids, even the young ones, about the good, the bad, and the impact of the online world. This way, when they are ready, they can explore it with a healthy dose of awareness. #SocialMediaDay #DigitalParenting #Raising #OnlineCitizens #NewIndia #Parenting

Social media has undoubtedly changed the way information is shared and received by people around the world. While it has facilitated the rapid spread of news and ideas, it has also been a breeding ground for conspiracy theories. These theories, often based on misinformation or wild speculation, can quickly gain traction and influence a large number of people through the power of social media. #Conspiracy #Psychology #SocialMedia #SocialScience

Have you ever wondered if there are individual differences in impulsivity (low self-control) associated with which social media platform folks prefer? Maybe you are interested because this kind of measure relates so consistently with health outcomes. Or maybe you are interested because this may inform framing of your advertisements, or which platform fits best with your product. Well, in a study of almost 4,000 U.S. residents from last month (July of 2023), we found the following average levels of impulsivity wherein Twitch showed the most maladaptive and LinkedIn the most adaptive levels. More to come! #behavioraleconomics #behavioralscience

"Popcorn Brain," a term introduced by David Levy, a researcher at the University of Washington in 2011, refers to a mental state typified by scattered thoughts, fragmented attention and a propensity for the mind to swiftly transition from one topic to another, resembling the rapid popping of popcorn kernels in a heated pot. Social media platforms, designed with algorithmically-driven features like real-time notifications, infinite scrolls, targeted ads that keep people glued to their screens exacerbate popcorn brain by creating compulsion loops and patterns. 🍿 Learn more about this phenomenon here: https://bit.ly/3VxHDnV

Negative self-talk is a toxic inner dialogue. Our brains are programmed to confirm our beliefs, a phenomenon known as cognitive distortions in the medical world. On a daily basis, our brains seek evidence to validate our thoughts, whether they are positive or negative, shaping our reality. Therefore, what you say to yourself does matter. I love this message, you wouldn’t speak negatively to your friends so why would you speak that way to yourself? This R U OK? day please don’t forget to check in with priority number one, yourself. #ruokday2023 #ruokday #selftalk #selftalkmatters

Navigating the digital age with our young ones! 🌐💻 Reflecting on my own childhood, I'm grateful there was no internet back then. Today, with the online realm and social media, our tweens and teens face a sea of risky behaviors. Kids will be kids, making mistakes and engaging in impulsive actions as their brains develop. 🧠💭 The allure of Facebook likes, Instagram favorites, and Twitter follows amplifies peer approval, impacting self-perception. As parents, the knee-jerk reaction might be to cut off internet access, but that may not address the root issues. 🚫📱 Instead, let's foster open dialogue, discussing consequences and the right kind of behavior. 🗣️💖 Support your child by setting aside quality time, encouraging face-to-face connections, seizing teachable moments, and discussing safe social media use. 🤝📲 Remember, they're in constant growth. Guide them with love and instill rational thinking skills for a bright future! 🌈👩👧👦 #DigitalParenting #NavigatingTeenYears #OpenDialogue #EmpowerThroughUnderstanding

Weeks like this always remind me that the dehumanization of social media discourse is tearing our social fabric apart. Over the years, I’ve met dozens of online friends IRL. Anyone who has done the same can confirm that you get so much more depth from speaking in person than you do from typing to 2D avatars. Whenever someone is hanged in the digital public square, I think about my loved ones from different backgrounds—how they all feel convicted about their beliefs. And even though millions of people find some of their views wrong or even harmful, who they are as people stretches far beyond that. It’s natural to judge others based on their projected beliefs. After all, our beliefs lead to real actions with real consequences. None of us exist in a vacuum. Even if we keep our thoughts to ourselves, our collective action or inaction plays out in the world. To move society toward our ideas, we're required to fight opposing ideological frameworks. Of course, we often feel personal offense (or even harm) when others fight against our own. But that offense against our beliefs is *nothing* compared to the direct dehumanization we're all so willing to partake in over distant disagreements or petty grievances with people we barely know on social media. Growing up, I ping ponged beliefs over new experiences and education all the time. I was a conservative evangelical, a progressive exvangelical, an atheist, liberal, leftist, the list goes on. And on the flip side, I've witnessed loved ones swing from Republican to Democrat, liberal to libertarian, fundamentalist to agnostic. Some changes happened over the course of years, others over the course of a single aha moment. But in each season of singular beliefs or overarching ideologies, both I and my loved ones were still so much more than any one held belief. Again, that doesn’t mean we can’t critique each other over our differences at a given time, sometimes with passion or with rage—especially when we feel ourselves being dehumanized. But the very nature of social media platforms *incentivizes* that dehumanization. 97% of the time, we're simply reading typed words on a screen next to profile pic that may not even accurately portray what someone looks like. We don't see their mannerisms or facial muscles. We don't hear the tone of their voice. We don't know their story at all. And just to knock myself off the soapbox, I’m far from above social media dehumanization. Every day, I allow contextless snapshots shade my perception of individuals I barely know, along with entire ideological groups. I've been an asshole online countless times. All that to say, scrolling through social media for too long breaks our brains. These platforms magnify our base impulses to otherize each other. Talk to your neighbors. Call your friends. Sit on a park bench and people watch for an hour. Remember that each of us are more than our online personas. This is the advice I need for myself. Maybe it'll help you too.

Social Media: The Illusion of Other People's Great Life I am no Luddite. I don't believe in destroying technology: I have benefited from it. Advances in heart surgery saved my life when I was faced with a Staph infection that caused Congestive Heart Failure. That was seven years ago. I made it to 60 three weeks ago, knowing my life could have ended. So many advances in technology--including AI--should not be condemned. We have to find a way to make sure that we maintain control over the implications in technological advances. I gave up on Facebook long ago. My privacy was being compromised: I had enough. I am too old for TikTok but I am painfully aware of the difference between the technology in China and America. Instagram is also for younger people as well. The addiction of pre-adolescents and young teenagers to these sites is troubling and sad. These kids are bombarded with lies: That their friends and peers are living a great life that they cannot live up to. Life is full of anxiety for young people trying to find their way in life and they are confronted by this bullshit illusion. I don't know anyone who has lived a charmed life. And surprise: one day, sooner or later, we will all die. I tell kids: Make something of your life. Dispose of envy. Be true to yourself and love yourself, without being an egomaniac. Don't be fooled by the addiction of Social Media. And certainly, don't cut your life short. There is promise for the future in each of us. Believe in your skills and talents. Employ them. You don't need "friends" or "influencers" to make you feel inferior. Fuck them and their "superiority complex." Perhaps because I was born in the last year of the Baby Boom, I just have no tolerance for the idolatry of the iPhone. I established a calling by lecturing and teaching students without the technology of the classroom. I relied on a microphone, a podium, and for multi-week classes a print out of an original outline (I produced fifty of them in 25 years). While I was willing to lecture on Zoom after the pandemic, I much preferred not being in a "Virtual Classroom." I have used basic technology to compose 300 published essays. Even the shortest ones demand more attention than "Information" on TikTok. I provoke readers and make them think--that is what I do on LinkedIn. That I began my writing career at 39 has only sharpened the quality of 20 years of essays. I envy other published authors. But that does not consume me. I write because I believe in myself--my skills and the quality of my work. My message to teenagers: Don't live someone else's fantasy--or be intimidated by it. Life is good but often it can really suck. Do you really believe every post about how brilliant their life is? You are fooling yourself. Parents and grandparents better do something about this crisis. Be responsible. Don't let Social Media addict your kids and grandkids. You care more for "quality time" for yourself? The future is at stake. Don't destroy it.

The Conundrum of Social Media times SM Moghuls have created a monster : The space that gives attention and brings attention is now a quick dopamine fix. Self worth and image is partially or totally linked to public response. The assumption they seem to have made is that consumer on an average is a creature of low self control and very easily broken boundaries. The consumers have proven them right. By liberally opening the platform to 'free communication', the side effects we see is that almost every social media platform now doubles up as a dating portal. A research on Linkedin in 2023, covering women here found Linkedin had morphed badly. The Game: The SM space makes a nobody a name if there is good content So nobody makes a lot of content till they get to be somebody Now somebody wants to know how everybody feels about them So Somebody writes for all nobodys hoping everybody writes lovely praise, feedback or pays compliments if not land into private messenger Somebody's name draws more followers and he/she is hooked line and sinker At this stage Somebody is living on SM checking every like, comment, expression for dopamine rush. The addict is formed All the meaningful people fade into less importance because nobody's have taken their place This is the part where on danger ⛔️‼️ lurks #socialmedia #technology #image #psychology #linkedin