Scrolling Through Life

Often, I think what my life would look like if I hadn’t grown up in the age of social media- how many minutes, hours, and days I could have put towards more meaningful causes rather than doom scrolling. Fitting enough, I recently tried a free trial of the app Opal, which calculates how much of your life (in years) you are projected to spend on social media, based on your average daily screentime. The results were nothing short of alarming! The sole reason I didn't use it was the somewhat hefty subscription cost.

Growing up, I used platforms like Snapchat and Instagram as a means of connection and stress relief. Still, these platforms can bring a sense of stress relief with a side of procrastination, often paired with a sense of rueful inertia. I find myself scrolling LinkedIn to stay connected and turning to YouTube when I need comedic laughs.

The textbook, Essentials of Social Media Marketing, focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of social media marketing relating to businesses interacting with consumers. One example of a disadvantage is focused on security breaches and hacking. It would be interesting for this point to be elaborated on; hacking can come in terms of viruses, a faulty link or impersonation. As someone who has purchased products from ads viewed on social media, there are more disadvantages that I have experienced or witnessed on the consumer end. Businesses are not always ethical and good. I have clicked on a link from a reputable-looking business that ended up taking me to a fake site. The company uses popular stories or products to lure in unknowing 'customers' and then cause them to be hacked or become untrusting of reputable businesses and websites. 

Another topic that stood out to me was how AI is revolutionizing social media marketing. I’ve seen videos where people purposely ordered products from accounts with AI-generated product advertisements to compare the product received with its advertisement. Some of the results are hilarious. This topic reminded me of videos I came across from the Instagram account BasinCreekRetirement. This account follows the lives of residents of the Basin Creek Retirement Village. I sent multiple videos from this account to a friend because I thought the videos were adorable. Unknowingly, I was a victim of AI deepfakes. All the residents whom I came to adore turned out to be fake! 

Coming back this semester, all my classes include a new AI policy section in the syllabus. It will be interesting to see if any social media platforms add some sort of AI detection element or policy. 

What would your life look like if you stopped scrolling?

                                                                           References

Charello, M. (2025). Introduction to Social Media Marketing . In Student. essay.