The Problem
Social media platforms are designed to capture as much of our time and attention as possible.
Social media can have negative effects for our mental health.
Research has linked excessive social media use to:
Increased rates of anxiety and depression.
Reduced self-esteem.
Reduced attention spans.
Social media can have negative effects for our communities.
Engagement-driven social media algorithms have been found to promote:
The spread of misinformation and disinformation.
Toxic worldviews, including the “manosphere” and others.
Mission
Empower communities to build healthier relationships with social media.
Understanding
Social media is addictive because it’s designed to be addictive. The more time we spend online, the more money the social media companies make.
Over the years, these companies have poured billions of dollars into developing powerful design features that keep us online for as long as possible.
Viral Wise workshops help communities to recognise and understand these how these design features work. When we understand what they’re designed to do, we’re less likely to get caught out by them!
Agency
Most people want to change their scrolling habits, but it can feel impossible to know where to start.
Viral Wise workshops give communities practical tools and strategies for building healthier social media habits.
However, there’s no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” solution. What might works for a group of primary school teachers won’t necessarily work for a group of college students. Viral Wise encourages communities think critically about what would and wouldn’t work for them.
Cooperation
Research shows that people tend to successfully overcome addiction and other unhealthy habits — whether that's drugs, alcohol, gambling or social media — with the help of two things:
Communities can tackle social media’s harms more effectively than individuals can on their own because they have something that individuals don’t — each other!