Wolf vs. Sheep: The Social Media Dilemma

The Wolf: A fearsome predator that hunts in packs under the cover of darkness.

The Sheep: Oblivious prey that is typically unaware of its surroundings, and often doesn't see the wolf until it's too late.

Ever since sheep were domesticated and made easy prey for wolves, they have always been hunted. And yet, sheep have not changed their ways. They continue to have their heads down, grazing on a pasture, completely unaware of the fact they are being hunted. This is exactly how we, as humans, are being manipulated by companies to use their social media platforms. Facebook, Google, and Twitter are the wolves, and you are simply an unaware sheep.

For Your Pleasure

Remember that time you posted a picture on Instagram? Remember how amazing it felt to see the notifications filled with likes? It made you feel important, right? Seeing all of those "likes" gave you a sense of validation and importance, and it made you feel like people cared about the picture you posted. As author and speaker, Simon Sinek says, "The idea where all of our validation now comes from the number of likes and the number of followers we have has to have an impact on the way we conduct ourselves and the way we make friends." Here's the problem: most people don't actually care about the photo you posted. The only people that half-cared about your post were the people that commented. Everyone else just double-tapped their finger on your photo and kept scrolling. Hearing that probably hurt a little. It may have even rubbed you the wrong way. However, that's expected.

Why Does It Feel Good?

The programmers and engineers behind these social media tools that seemingly make you feel good have created these on purpose. You may wonder why exactly you feel the way you do when you receive notifications from likes and comments, and it all comes down to one thing: dopamine. Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter (in other words, it's a chemical hormone). Your body creates it and it is used by your nervous system to send messages to nerve cells. It is released when your brain is expecting or receives a reward. It is also released if you were to smoke, drink, or gamble. It's a highly addictive chemical and it is very easy to become addicted to it. The problem is, however, that smoking, drinking, and gambling all have age restrictions on them while social media does not. There is also a cost to those activities, there is no cost to social media. This allows for anyone at any age to be exposed to such an addictive piece of technology. As a result, the technology companies can have free rein over you, and have access to the information you provide them on these applications. Which, in turn, allows them to change things so you become more addicted to their product.

The Solution

So, how do you combat this? How do you prevent yourself from becoming an unaware sheep? There are many things you can do. A strategy used by many is called "Dopamine Fasting." It's essentially depriving yourself of things that give you that rush of pleasure. In this case, it's social media. So, you may be wondering how you would go about such a thing. Well, the best thing is to only use these social media platforms periodically. Social media isn't inherently a bad thing, too much of it is a bad thing. If you use it periodically, you will find you will rely on it less to give you pleasure. A strategy of doing this is deleting the apps you use such as Instagram, and redownloading it twice a week so you can check anything you may have missed or need to post for a reason. This way, you are using as necessary, and not as an escape from reality, or a crutch for stress and procrastination. An alternative to this strategy is to use settings in your device to limit the time you spend on certain apps. Once you reach the limit you have set for yourself (I would recommend 1 hour), the app will shut off and you will be restricted from using until the next day when the timer resets. These simple strategies can help significantly. I have used both and they have worked incredibly well.

What Will You Do?

Will you allow yourself to be manipulated by the psychological tricks programmed by the wolves of the tech industry? Will you stay oblivious and allow yourself to become just like everyone else? Or will you pick your head up from your phone, look around, and be present? Remember, the sheep will always be hunted as long as it keeps its head down, grazing on the pasture. The choice is yours: be aware of your surroundings, or be hunted.

Works Cited

"Addiction to Technology Is Ruining Lives - Simon Sinek on Inside Quest." YouTube, 12 Dec. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL8AsaEJDdo&t=179s. Accessed 2 Jan. 2021.

"The Real Effects of Social Media & Cell Phones | Simon Sinek at LinkedIn Speaker Series 2019." YouTube, 22 Nov. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMqkItnUTVg. Accessed 1 Jan. 2004.