In today’s interconnected world, the internet has brought many benefits, but it has also given rise to a disturbing phenomenon: cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a pervasive form of harassment that occurs online through digital platforms such as social media, messaging apps, and email. It involves the use of technology to target…
Media Use
Ruthless attacks on both sides of the political aisle, in hopes of persuading voters. Nonstop alerts about the latest campaign news, like who’s projected to win the election or who has had the latest political blunder. Fights between “friends,” for all of Facebook and Twitter to see. Misinformation that begs…
No one enjoys being lied to—but chances are, you’re absorbing some form of misleading or skewed information every day. This is known as misinformation—purposefully deviant reporting that aims to trigger an emotional response, usually in favor of the creator’s own biases. It can spread like wildfire across social media platforms,…
Ask anyone headed to watch the next Marvel flick: It’s hard not to idolize the heroines and heroes within the realms of popular fiction. Whether they’re on the silver screen, in books, TV series, or even video games, many of us admire these depictions of larger-than-life characters. But, even though…
Your shoulders are hunched and your breathing is shallow, thumb propelling you through a dismal newsfeed with expert strokes. Each headline spells disaster for another city, species, or group of people, and we sink a little deeper into the tarpit known as doomscrolling. It’s a familiar scene: Whatever you name…
The other day I was watching an Instagram video of a woman’s nose job. (On Instagram, I’m always watching either cosmetic surgery before-and-afters or slow pans around dollhouse interiors.) The woman was adorable. Then she did this time-lapse thing with bandages on her nose and dark circles under her eyes….
Self-care is a topic that’s been riding a perpetual tidal wave of popularity across social media. Self-care accounts on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter grew swollen with followers, as many people sought refuge in anything seeming remotely wholesome during the dark ages of 2020. This has given rise to toxic self-care—where…