Yinqi’s

Blog1

The Impact of Social Media on Happiness: A Blessing or a Curse?

Introduction: A Love-Hate Relationship

Let’s face it—most of us check Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok before we even get out of bed. Social media has become a constant part of daily life, especially for students. But while it helps us stay connected, inspired, and entertained, it also raises an important question: is it actually good for our well-being?

This blog post explores how social media affects user happiness, mental health, and self-image, particularly for young adults. It looks at how platforms are designed, their business models, and the types of content they promote—all of which play a huge role in shaping how we feel.

The Design of Platforms: Endless Scrolling, Endless Comparison

Many social media apps are designed to keep users hooked. Features like infinite scrolling and push notifications encourage constant engagement. According to Alter (2018), platforms use persuasive design similar to slot machines—sometimes you see something great, sometimes you don’t, and that randomness keeps you coming back for more.

This might seem harmless, but it can lead to unhealthy habits. A study by Twenge et al. (2018) found that teenagers who spent more time on social media were more likely to report feeling depressed or lonely. It’s not just about how much time we spend, but also how we spend it.

When platforms prioritise likes, comments, and shares, they often promote content that’s flashy, idealised, or even fake. This can lead to constant self-comparison. As Chou and Edge (2012) point out, seeing others’ carefully curated lives can make users feel like they’re missing out, even when they’re not.

Image suggestion:
A side-by-side of someone scrolling happily on Instagram and another person looking anxious while doing the same.
Caption: Same scroll, different effects.

Business Models: Your Attention = Their Profit

The truth is, most social media platforms don’t make money from users—they make it from advertisers. And the more time you spend on the app, the more ads they can show you. This leads platforms to develop algorithms that prioritise content that keeps you engaged, not necessarily content that makes you feel good.

This system can be harmful. The algorithm often promotes content that is extreme, emotional, or controversial—because that’s what gets the most attention. According to Haidt and Allen (2022), this contributes to polarisation and anxiety, especially among young users.

It’s also worth mentioning that social media tends to amplify unrealistic beauty standards. Influencers often use filters or editing apps, yet their posts still get promoted. This can negatively impact users’ self-esteem and body image, especially among teenagers and young women (Fardouly et al., 2015).

Image suggestion:
An ad targeting a user based on their recent search, appearing between personal content.
Caption: When your feed knows you better than your best friend.

Content & Culture: Toxic Positivity and Cancel Culture

Beyond the design and business model, the culture of social media can also affect mental well-being. For example, the pressure to be “happy” or “perfect” all the time can be overwhelming. Posts often show only the good moments, which creates a sense of toxic positivity.

At the same time, social media can be brutal. Cancel culture and online shaming have made people afraid to speak their minds. According to Ng (2020), fear of being “called out” can lead to anxiety, especially for people who already feel marginalised.

However, it’s not all bad. Platforms can also be places for support. Communities like #MentalHealthMatters or #BlackGirlMagic offer safe spaces for users to share struggles and feel seen.

So… Is Social Media Bad for Us?

It’s complicated. Social media can absolutely harm our well-being—especially when it leads to overuse, comparison, or anxiety. But it can also help. It allows us to connect with friends, express creativity, and find communities we wouldn’t otherwise access.

What matters is how we use it. Setting screen time limits, curating your feed to follow positive accounts, and taking breaks can all help. As Orben (2020) argues, small changes in user habits and platform policies can significantly improve the overall impact.

Image suggestion:
A screenshot of a screen time notification: “You’ve spent 4 hours on TikTok today.”
Caption: Time flies when your mental health doesn’t matter.

Conclusion: Scroll Smarter

Social media isn’t going anywhere. But we can make choices about how we interact with it. By being more aware of how platforms are designed—and why—they stop being invisible forces in our lives. We regain some control.

Whether it boosts or breaks our well-being depends on how we engage, how much we consume, and what kind of content we let into our minds. It’s not about quitting altogether, but scrolling smarter.

• Alter, A. (2018). Irresistible: The rise of addictive technology and the business of keeping us hooked. Penguin.

• Chou, H. T. G., & Edge, N. (2012). “They are happier and having better lives than I am”: the impact of using Facebook on perceptions of others’ lives. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 15(2), 117-121.

• Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women’s body image concerns and mood. Body image, 13, 38-45.

• Haidt, J., & Allen, N. (2022). Social media and mental health: A review. Psychological Inquiry, 33(4), 265–282.

•Ng, E. (2020). No grand pronouncements here…: Reflections on cancel culture and digital media participation. Television & new media, 21(6), 621-627.

• Orben, A. (2020). Teenagers, screens and social media: a narrative review of reviews and key studies. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 55(4), 407-414.

• Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–17.

BLOG2

How Ads Know Everything About You(and Why It Matters）

Introduction

Have you ever searched for “cheap headphones” and then suddenly seen headphone ads all over Instagram,You Tube and even while reading the news? That’s not a coincidence—it’s data-driven advertising. These ads follow you around online because platforms collect your data, analyse it, and use it to sell you stuff. In this post, I’ll look at how this kind of advertising works, how it affects us, and why we should care.

So, How Do They Know What I Like?

Let’s start with how data-driven ads actually work. Platforms like Facebook, Google, and TikTok are constantly collecting little pieces of information about what you do online—what you search, what you watch, what you like, and even how long you pause on a video. Creepy, right?

All of this data builds a digital version of “you,” which helps advertisers figure out what to show you. Facebook can track over a thousand data points about a person (Turow, 2017). That’s how it knows you’ve been looking at holiday flights and suddenly hits you with Ryanair deals.

It’s Not All Bad: Ads Can Be Helpful

Let’s be honest—sometimes these ads are actually useful. If you’re looking for a laptop and you get shown one that’s cheaper or has better specs, that’s helpful. Or maybe you’re into sustainable products, and a new eco-friendly brand pops up on your feed. Nice!

Data-driven ads also help small businesses find the exact people who might love their stuff. Instead of throwing money at random billboards, they can speak directly to people who care. Even mental health campaigns have started using this to reach people who might need support (Edelman, 2022). So yes, it can be a win-win sometimes.

But Then It Gets a Bit… Shady

Now for the darker side. To make these personalised ads happen, platforms have to track you all the time. Most of us don’t even realise how much data we’re giving away—or who it’s being sold to . It’s like being watched, 24/7.

Worse, some ads are designed to take advantage of your emotions. Say you’re a teen girl watching content about dieting—suddenly, weight loss supplements show up everywhere. That’s not just annoying. It’s manipulative. These platforms know exactly what to say to make you click.

The Scariest Example: Cambridge Analytica

If you’ve heard of Cambridge Analytica, you’ll know things can get really serious. Back in 2018, this company used Facebook data—taken without people’s permission—to target voters in the Brexit vote and the US election.

They didn’t just guess what people wanted to hear—they used personality data to send ads that would emotionally push people in a certain direction (Cadwalladr, 2017). This wasn’t selling shoes. It was shaping democracy using targeted fear and manipulation.

Data Can Be Biased, Too

Here’s another problem: these advertising systems learn from the past. That means if past behaviour is biased, future ads will be biased too.

For example, research found that job ads for high-paying roles were shown more to men, while lower-paid or cleaning jobs were shown more to women (Ali et al., 2019). That’s messed up. It means even online, people can be shut out of opportunities because of who they are.

Some users in poorer areas also see fewer financial or housing ads—just because of their postcode. This is called “digital redlining,” and it’s a quiet but serious form of discrimination.

Are People Doing Anything About This?

The good news is, governments and tech companies are finally doing something. In Europe, the GDPR law gives people more rights over their data. The UK’s Online Safety Bill is also trying to limit harmful targeting, especially for young people.

Platforms like Instagram let you check why you’re seeing certain ads, and you can turn off tracking (though it’s often hidden deep in the settings). Some experts say we need algorithm audits—basically, checks to make sure these systems aren’t being unfair or sketchy (Pasquale, 2015).

What Can You Do

You don’t have to be a tech genius to protect yourself. Here are a few simple things:
• Turn off personalised ads in your settings
• Clear your browser cookies often
• Use ad blockers or browsers like DuckDuckGo
• Always check “Why am I seeing this ad?”

And most importantly—be curious. If something feels targeted or manipulative, it probably is. Ask questions. Understand the system. Because if we don’t, we’ll just keep getting pulled along by it.

Conclusion

So, is data-driven advertising all bad? Not really. It can help us find useful stuff, support small businesses, and even promote mental health. But it also collects a scary amount of data, invades our privacy, and sometimes crosses the line into manipulation.

What we need is more transparency, better rules, and smarter users. The future of advertising doesn’t just affect what we buy—it shapes how we think and live. So let’s start paying attention.

• Cadwalladr, C., & Graham-Harrison, E. (2018). Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach. The guardian, 17(1), 22.
• Cadwalladr, C. (2017). The great British Brexit robbery: how our democracy was hijacked. The Guardian, 7.
• Edelman, B. (2022). How Targeted Ads Can Support Mental Health (If Done Right). Harvard Business Review.
• Pasquale, F. (2015). The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money and Information. Harvard University Press.
• Turow, J. (2017). The aisles have eyes: How retailers track your shopping, strip your privacy, and define your power. Yale University Press.
  

Blog3

How Digital Media Empowers Social Movements

☝️Prompt

👉magine you are an activist for a social movement. Describe how you would use digital media to promote your cause, backing up your choices with information from the required readings, the suggested readings, and high-quality sources you find on your own.

Introduction

In today’s hyper-connected world, social movements are no longer confined to the streets or flyers pinned on noticeboards. As an activist advocating for climate justice, I believe digital media is one of the most powerful tools to drive meaningful change. Through social platforms, videos, blogs, and hashtag challenges, one voice can quickly grow into a global outcry. This blog explores how I would use digital media to raise awareness, mobilise support, and push for policy reform.

Using Social Media to Mobilise

Social media platforms—especially Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)—have played a key role in recent social movements. As Treré and Mattoni (2020) argue, digital platforms are not just tools for spreading messages; they also generate emotional engagement and digital participation.

Take TikTok, for example. Short videos showing how extreme weather is affecting local communities can go viral when paired with music and captions that evoke empathy. I would create a set of unified templates for volunteers to share “before and after” climate impact stories, using hashtags like #ClimateActionNow. Hashtags help organise content, build momentum, and create online visibility (Papacharissi, 2015).

Telling Stories Through Visuals

People respond more deeply to personal stories than to statistics. As Castells (2015) explains in Networks of Outrage and Hope, visual storytelling helps trigger identification and solidarity. I would feature individuals from climate-affected areas telling their stories through Instagram posts and short videos. These posts would be emotionally resonant, honest, and geographically grounded to make the issues feel real and close to home.

During COP26, for example, many activists posted 30-second “Why I’m Marching” clips that helped bridge the online-offline divide and drive turnout.

Creating Digital Campaigns and Petitions

To turn attention into action, I’d use online petitions and digital challenges. Platforms like Change.org are effective for targeting specific policy goals. For example, I might launch a petition demanding that local councils commit to net-zero emissions by 2030. Links could be shared via Instagram bios, X profiles, or pinned comments under TikTok videos.

I’d also launch a “Green Check-In Challenge,” encouraging people to share everyday eco-friendly habits—like riding a bike, using a reusable bottle, or eating vegetarian meals—tagging posts with #GreenEveryDay. These kinds of user-generated content campaigns increase visibility and engagement, particularly when boosted by algorithms (Highfield, 2017).

Navigating Challenges: Algorithms and Burnout

Using digital media isn’t without its difficulties. On the one hand, social media algorithms favour emotionally intense content, which can lead to polarisation. On the other hand, constant posting and engagement can cause digital burnout for activists.

As Poell and van Dijck (2018) point out, the “logic of engagement” on social platforms encourages simplification and performance, which may undermine the depth of a movement’s message. As an organiser, I’d need to find a balance between reach and accuracy, and build a volunteer network to rotate social media duties and prevent fatigue.

Measuring Impact and Building Community

It’s important to measure what’s working. Metrics like engagement rates, petition signatures, and offline event attendance can help refine the strategy. For example, if personal stories get more interaction than infographics, I’d prioritise those in future campaigns.

Digital platforms are also spaces to build community. I would create a private Facebook group or Discord server for volunteers to plan, chat, and coordinate actions. These digital “backstages” allow activists to foster solidarity and stay motivated beyond the performative aspects of public-facing content.

Conclusion

In summary, digital media is more than a megaphone—it’s a bridge that links people, emotions, and action. In the case of climate justice, tools like short videos, visual storytelling, online petitions, and algorithm-aware content strategies allow activists to educate, inspire, and mobilise. As a digital-age activist, I am not just a poster—I am a storyteller, a connector, and a movement builder.

•Castells, M. (2015). Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the Internet age. John Wiley & Sons.

• Highfield, T. (2017). Social media and everyday politics. John Wiley & Sons.

• Papacharissi, Z. (2015). Affective publics: Sentiment, technology, and politics. Oxford University Press.

• Poell, T., & Van Dijck, J. (2018). Social media and new protest movements. The SAGE handbook of social media, 546-561.

• Treré, E., & Mattoni, A. (2016). Media ecologies and protest movements: main perspectives and key lessons. Information, Communication & Society, 19(3), 290-306.1–1635.