Technology
Game engines are “fantastic tools for displaying coastal flooding scenarios in an easily interpretable visual format for viewers without specialized knowledge. ... In our work, we have an opportunity to deploy the very latest, greatest visualization tools coming out of Silicon Valley.”
To understand the unexpected social media phenomenon that the drop-in, audio-only app Clubhouse has become, all you have to do is look at its growth—up from 10,000 users to 10 million in five months time. This, despite the fact that it’s still in beta, and can only be joined by invitation, on iPhone.
Recalling the early-aughts days of Gmail, at least some of Clubhouse’s allure stems from this perceived exclusivity. No invitation? Join a waitlist, just like at an exclusive restaurant or nightclub. The purpose is to allow smaller groups of users to test it out and iron out kinks, sure, but it’s also a classic psychological paradigm: If not everyone can have it, more will desire it.
Science has proven that our gray matter is highly hackable—for better and for worse. In 1962, MIT scientist Joseph Altman discovered that our brains generate new nerve cells well into adulthood. But the idea of brain-hacking is not new—humans have been doing it for centuries. The mnemonic memory palace, advertising, sports, Ritalin, journaling and even empathy are all types of mental hacks.
A more worrisome aspect of modern-day brain-hacking is how tech giants are able to invade our hardwiring....
Is doomscrolling better than sex? For some parts of your brain, it can be. Multiple studies have demonstrated how social media has similar effects on the brain as food, money and yes, intimacy—aka, things we humans cannot (or can barely) live without.
Case in point: Several times while working on these very words you’re reading (about the addictive properties of social media), I found myself reaching for my own drug of choice (Instagram) to see how many hearts I had garnered for my 3-year-old’s birthday party picture (not enough), to binge on (too many) surf videos, and check on a former friend’s picture-perfect life (cue envy.)
Do you ever find yourself absent-mindedly scrolling through your social media app of choice only to zone-out before bedtime, find yourself restless, wide awake and unable to fall asleep instead? Social media has documented consequences when it comes to our mental and physical health, which are, of course, inextricably linked.
Here are three ways social media use impacts our physical well-being and how to curb its harmful effects.
“Our privacy is receding and we are being exposed.”
That’s what researchers who study the future of technology, social media and AI believe.
It’s not just another episode of “Black Mirror.” It's a reality we must all be prepared to live in now. With increased visibility online comes greater potential of your personal privacy being violated.