The unconscious mind filters out what we do not need in the present moment, allowing that which we do need to come into our consciousness.
SOCIAL MEDIA & THE UNCONSCIOUS
In the last article, we considered how to manage feeling overwhelmed with the amount of content that comes through our social media.
This article considers the impact of social media on our unconscious mind and what steps we can take to safeguard our unconscious.
What is the unconscious mind?
Theories of the mind, consciousness and the unconscious are complex and the subject of ongoing research and discovery. However, for the sake of simplicity, the unconscious is that part of the mind outside our conscious awareness.
Our conscious mind allows us to experience the world around us through our thoughts, experiences, sensations, emotions, and actions. The unconscious mind is the reservoir of thoughts, feelings, and experiences that we considered to be unacceptable or unpleasant and so pushed out of our conscious mind.
For example, growing up, we may have felt different from our peers. We may have been uncoordinated on the sports field or struggled academically. We may not have been part of the “in-group”. The feelings of shame, being different, and being excluded get pushed into our unconscious.
It is important to understand that although our conscious mind may not remember these memories, they are still present and influence us. Continuing the previous example, we are at a work function and feel excluded from the in-group. We overreact. Our conscious mind knows we are overreacting, but for some reason, we can’t help ourselves. Why? The feeling of exclusion and being isolated has likely reactivated the memories of what occurred to us growing up and the feelings of exclusion and being judged that are in the unconscious.
Another example of the interplay between the conscious and unconscious mind is in the area of emotional intelligence. A large part of emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of our current feeling state and then name that feeling state correctly. Many of the feeling states we experience arise from our unconscious. People who lack emotional intelligence react to these feeling states by blaming others or situations for their feelings. In reality, people or situations have triggered memories and feelings the person had in their unconscious, which they are now projecting outwards to others.
What does this have to do with social media?
Social media and the unconscious
In the last article, reference was made to the fact it has been estimated that the mind can process 11 trillion bits of information per second. While this is a lot of information, it is not all the information that is coming at us. Most of the information we receive is processed by the unconscious mind.
The unconscious mind filters out what we do not need in the present moment, allowing that which we do need to come into our consciousness. The unconscious mind is essential in assisting us to experience the world in ways that make sense to us.
HOW SOCIAL MEDIA SHORT-CIRCUITS THE PROCESS BETWEEN THE CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS
Social media hijacks the way the unconscious works in several ways.
Social media and the reward centre of the brain
The more likes a person receives for a selfie, the more the brain's reward centre is activated. Even though a person may say they are not bothered by whether their photo is liked, the unconscious, emotional response will override the conscious thought process. The person will post more selfies to get the high that comes from the reward centre being activated.
The reward centre activated when a selfie we have posted is like is the same one that gets activated in the addiction process. In adolescence and early adulthood, when the brain is still developing, the constant activation of the reward centre can set up addictive-like patterns of behaviour where the young adult is constantly seeking external validation and assurance rather than learning to develop a sense of internal validation and self-assurance.
Even as adults, one of the reasons we can struggle with not being on social media is that our reward centre craves the ‘hit’ social media has been providing. Just as part of the withdrawal process from addiction is allowing the reward centre to ‘recover’ from the constant craving for reward, so when we stop or reduce the amount of time we spend on social media.
Social media and bias
In the last article, we discussed unconscious biases and confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is when we look for and interpret information consistent with our beliefs. We have other biases, such as Anchoring bias, when we give undue weight to the first bit of information we hear or see. Another bias is conformity bias, where we agree with the opinions or judgements of others in our group even though they are against our beliefs and views.
When we are zoning out and scrolling through our social media, the conscious mind, which may question our biases, is bypassed. Because social media bypasses our conscious mind, it reinforces the biases we have in our unconscious mind. Politicians will often use people’s unconscious biases to discriminate against groups of people or to get approval for policies that disadvantage sections of the community.
It is not just political; it is also how we react and respond to people and situations when our biases are reinforced by what we see and listen to on social media.
Social media, conformity, and peer pressure
Another aspect of how social media impacts our unconscious is through peer pressure and conformity,.
Rather than allowing the unconscious to operate naturally and to allow information to come into the conscious mind when required, social media hijacks the processes of the unconscious mind.
The desire for constant affirmation through the activation of the brain's reward centre, plus the continual reinforcing of unconscious biases, encourages conformity. We like those who have liked our posts. We like those who say things we agree with. As mentioned above, we all have an unconscious conformity bias. The algorithms of social media reinforce this conformity bias.
Given the impact of social media on our unconscious mind, how do we safeguard our minds and mental well-being?
Rather than allowing the unconscious to operate naturally and to allow information to come into the conscious mind when required, social media hijacks the processes of the unconscious mind.
SOCIAL MEDIA, CONFORMITY, AND PEER PRESSURE
Another aspect of how social media impacts our unconscious is through peer pressure and conformity,.
Rather than allowing the unconscious to operate naturally and to allow information to come into the conscious mind when required, social media hijacks the processes of the unconscious mind.
The desire for constant affirmation through the activation of the brain's reward centre, plus the continual reinforcing of unconscious biases, encourages conformity. We like those who have liked our posts. We like those who say things we agree with. As mentioned above, we all have an unconscious conformity bias. The algorithms of social media reinforce this conformity bias.
Given the impact of social media on our unconscious mind, how do we safeguard our minds and mental well-being?
Safeguarding our minds and mental well-being
Given the impact of social media and the fact it so frequently bypasses our consciousness, how do we protect our unconscious mind against its negative influence?
1. Learn and become knowledgeable about the algorithms of social media
Social media algorithms are designed with retention in mind. We need to understand that social media algorithms are not benign. They are designed to keep us online, so it makes good sense to understand its impact as much as possible. This is not to imply we need to become technical experts. Information is available for laypeople about the impact of algorithms and how they are designed to keep us scrolling.
Social media is big business, with the goal of making a profit either from you purchasing products online or from advertisers buying advertising space. When scrolling through funny memes and cute cats, we forget this business aspect of social media.
In other areas of our life, we are wary of the impact of big business. We are careful about how much information we provide. We expect big businesses to be transparent and honest about how they conduct their work. Yet, with social media, because we are using it in a social context and often in the security of our homes, our guard is often down. So, we are vulnerable to some of the practices these businesses use to keep us online and feed information to our unconscious.
Learning about the algorithms and how social media companies conduct their businesses enables us to be more conscious when using social media. The more mindful we are about social media, the more we can protect our unconscious mind against any negative impact.
2. Schedule detox period
It is essential to schedule periods where you either don’t use social media or restrict its use in some ways.
When planning periods of detox, it is essential to do so in ways that give you the best chance of success.
● Start small. For example, if you are in the habit of using social media late into the evening and particularly just before you go to bed, a detox could be to stop using social media fifteen minutes before going to sleep. As you get used to the different routines, you can consider extending the periods of detox.
● Replace rewards. As mentioned, much social media operates by activating the brain's reward centre. When planning periods of detox, it is important to plan activities or things that are enjoyable but which you don’t usually get to do.
Replacing one reward with another helps manage the anxiety and stress that can arise when you reduce or stop using social media.
3. Pay attention to and name how you are feeling
When we change any behaviour we have performed over time, we can feel restless and on edge and sometimes have higher stress levels. These are all normal emotional responses as the body adapts to us stopping or changing the behaviour.
The same will occur when we change how we use social media. It is helpful to notice what we are feeling and to name it. For example, I feel restless now because I am not using social media. Or I am afraid I am missing out because I am not checking my social media.
When we are conscious about what we feel and name it, we can choose how to respond. When we respond unconsciously, we often catastrophise what we are feeling and end up using social media because it helps soothe uncomfortable emotions we haven’t named.
When we use social media to self-soothe, the negative emotions we have been feeling are often exacerbated because we unconsciously compare ourselves and our lives with the “perfect” photos others have posted. Or we start online shopping and feel guilty on top of the initial negative emotions.
Much of social media is designed to get past our conscious mind and influence the unconscious. We safeguard our unconscious when we make social media usage as mindful as possible.
When we use social media consciously, we can enjoy it without negatively impacting our mental well-being.
