Subject research

Due to my personal involvement with the negative effects of social media, I have decided that this is what I will do my documentary around. My documentary, as explained in the given brief should be in the style of a short form documentary (10 - 15 min). Therefore I will try to split the documentary into three segments:

The Positives about social media,

The Negatives of social media,

How to reduce time on social media.

I will begin to to research into these areas of social media in order to know what would be best to include in the documentary. However, even though I have a clear idea of what I wish to make the documentary about, I need to stay open minded incase my pitch is not well received and large changes need to be made.


Positives of social media:

Social media has many benefits to people. Ranging from education to escapism. As explained in this article. Most people use social media for connecting with their friends and family. By connecting with others, moods can be boosted and you can arrange to see each other in real life. Again to that it makes people feel like they are closer to people then they actually are in real life. This can benefit people by reassuring that people are there and mean that if they want to talk to a certain they can, even if they are across the world. Also stated here, people who engage in meaningful and productive activities with others tend to live longer, improve their mood, and have a sense of purpose. So, it is important that we stay socially connected to family, friends, and neighbors during this time of physically distancing ourselves from others.

People also use social media as a way to learn and educate themselves on certain subjects. Educators are now able to provide the tools and knowhow needed in order for people to create their own things. Many famous people such as Elon Musk have said there is no need for college degrees as "you can learn anything you want for free." The main platform for learning and educating yourself at the moment is youtube and as explained on this article, Students are known to love watching videos on YouTube. This then assists them to learn complex concepts but also helps them improve listening and punctuation skills. On another hand, teachers can focus more on student's learning abilities instead of spending more time explaining complex concepts and topics. Microlearning, which is when you learn small amounts over time, are other great benefits of using YouTube for your online education. Videos that are 10 minutes or less is the best way to learn as you can watch the same video again and again or go back over pieces    you don't understand. It also helps people learn online effectively who have short attention spans. Furthermore, YouTube videos are easily accessible across different mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. No matter the screen is small or large, videos on YouTube can be watched perfectly without having an effect on the quality of the video.

Another advantage of Social Media is that you can make people aware of what you are doing or what is happening around the globe. As an example, on the 25th of may 2020 George Floyd was killed by a police officer when he leaned on his neck. After minutes of saying he couldn't breathe, Floyd was pronounced dead. The killing was taken as an act of racism and the video recordings were sent around the globe, sparking outrage among people. Because of the video footage, the group BLM became a beacon for hope and riots began in the streets. Although it happened in the USA, it had its influence in england. Statues of slave owners and racists were torn down by the public. Social Media can unify and give people hope in times that seem low. If it weren't for social media, the death would have been like any other killing in America and the backlash would have been most likely, non existent.

Negatives of Social Media:

There are many negatives about social media. Depression and feeling of unworthiness can spark from Social media. Social media is a place where people only show what they want people to see. They select best parts of their life, which normal people compare to the problems in their life. Comparing yourself to other people's lives is a prominent way to anxiety and depression and social media has made this much easier to do.

Another problem of social media is the fear of Missing Out (FOMO). It is a feeling that became more prominent with people as social media was gaining popularity. Unsurprisingly, it's one of the most problematic and widespread negative effects of social media on society.

FOMO is just what it sounds like. It is a form of anxiety that people experience when you're scared of missing out on a positive experience that someone else is having. For example, you might constantly check your messages to see if anyone has invited you out, or scroll on snapchat to see if your friends are doing things without you. You may also see pictures of something fun that your friends were able to do, feeling left out that you couldn't go because you had another responsibility. People then see these videos and images and will wonder why they weren't invited. They will start to question things about themselves. If they are good enough, if they are funny enough, if they are nice to be around. All the worry, when it could have just been that the friends made the plan last minute.

Most social media sites lack the rule of online authenticity. People use Snapchat, instagram and facebook to share their experiences, travels, love life, body and money. But in truth, there is no of knowing whether it is all real or true. While it looks great on the surface, that person could be in massive debt, have severe depression or wish that they could get validation off anyone. One simple way out of this mess is for everyone to quit lying on social media and to stop editing their body images. But in the era of Instagram influencers and YouTubers who earn millions from being fake, that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Social media can be more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. It has a powerful draw for many people that leads to them checking it all the time without even thinking about it. I am again, going to use my own experiences in the world of social media to talk about the negative effects. This segment of research has helped back my ideas and gave a stronger understanding.

How to reduce time on social media:

It can be hard to quit social media. The apps are designed to keep people intrigued and wanting you to come back. However it is important to learn to stop. As said on this website, Keep apps out of sight so they’re out of mind. For example, taking apps off the homescreen would make them seem visually not there. This could be a start for reducing time online. Using apps to help you limit your time on social media can also be a good idea. Some apps can be installed onto the phone that can lock your phone for a certain amount of the day so you are forced to put the phone down. Spending an hour a week on at least one screen-free hobby can be a very small step that can grow into something big. For example, i started skating in order to help with social media addiction and now I spend most of my spare time skating instead of scrolling online. Leaving your phone outside the bedroom can also help with cutting down and allowing the brain to calm down before sleeping. 


Prajapati, V. (2020). Top 20+ Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media. [online] TechPrevue. Available at: https://www.techprevue.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-social-media/.

‌NDSU Agriculture and Extension. (2021). The Importance of Staying Connected. [online] Available at: https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/extension-topics/home-and-family/aging-well/health-and-well-being/importance-staying#:~:text=People%20who%20engage%20in%20meaningful [Accessed 11 May 2022].

‌Aratani, L. (2020). Elon Musk says college is ‘basically for fun and not for learning’. The Guardian. [online] 10 Mar. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/mar/10/elon-musk-college-for-fun-not-learning.

web.asu.edu. (n.d.). Benefits of Using YouTube For Your Online Education. [online] Available at: https://web.asu.edu/newblog/benefits-using-youtube-your-online-education#:~:text=Students%20love%20to%20watch%20videos.

‌Stegner, B. (2020). 7 Negative Effects of Social Media on People and Users. [online] MakeUseOf. Available at: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/negative-effects-social-media/.

‌Stegner, B. (2020). 7 Negative Effects of Social Media on People and Users. [online] MakeUseOf. Available at: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/negative-effects-social-media/.

‌au.reachout.com. (n.d.). 5 ways to tame your social media use. [online] Available at: https://au.reachout.com/articles/5-ways-to-tame-your-social-media-use.

‌

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Existing products

The defiant ones is a documentary based upon music and more importantly, rap music. It is an expository/ reflexive documentary as the audience are not personally left to make their own decisions and it is about how the artists lives changed. The documentary is aimed towards people who like rap and especially old school rap. As stated on rotten tomatoes : "The Defiant Ones" tells the meeting, bond and trust of the friendship between music legends Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. The men from two very different upcomings, whose music together defied traditional wisdom and transformed contemporary culture in the process. Filmed over a three-year period, the four-part documentary shows the rise of two kids. Jimmy Iovine the son of a Brooklyn longshoreman, Dr. Dre straight out of the streets of Compton, California. The documentary goes through their different business paths/ encounters until their fateful collide. Which in return, lead to the unlikely duo staging and executing one of the...
Read more

Target audience research

Image
As shown in the given brief, my Target is BBC Three. The audience of BBC Three is young people. In order to understand if my basic idea will work, I need to ask young people if they would like to see a documentary about the problems of social media and to see what they already understand. For example, there is no point in talking about certain subjects, if people already fully understand them. As  BBC explained  the aim (remit) of BBC Three is to bring younger audiences to high quality public service broadcasting through a mixed-genre schedule of innovative UK content featuring new UK talent. The channel should use the full range of digital platforms to deliver its content and to build an interactive relationship with its audience. The channel’s target audience is 16-34 year old's.  BBC Three programs should exhibit some or all of the following characteristics: high quality, original, challenging, innovative and engaging, and it should nurture UK talent. BBC Three should ...
Read more