Match Maker

Constantly divided, social media has turned us into catalysts for outrage. Humans will always disagree with each other on some level in any given case, but this instantaneous connection is the gasoline to our matches. Before social media became so ingrained in our daily lives, we argued interpersonally on a calmer scale. As social media allows us to comment with strangers, the mental filters that remind us to consider other people's opinions and feelings during conflict have rapidly faded away. In her article "Sorry, Not Sorry," Megan Garber describes today's lack of empathy as apoplectic versus apologetic. Most public figures offer a non-apology as an act of rebellion against political correctness.

"There was a time in American public life when atonement was seen as a form of strength—a way not only to own up to one’s missteps but also to do that classic work of crisis management: control the narrative."

Megan Garber

In "The Dark Psychology of Social Networks," the authors explain how social media turned more politically inclined individuals into "arsonists who compete to create the most inflammatory posts." For example, they referenced studies that proved spreading outrage on media boosts your social status, especially when prodding "indignant disagreement" to encourage social engagement. With social media growing, content creation is often less traceable which makes online disinformation skyrocket. The instantaneous connection also promotes extremist partisan worldviews and allows violent ideologies to gain anonymous recruits. 

With reverse chronological feeds, social media encourages us to stay active in the present moment. A structural bias of media distraction is that media keeps society focused on the present, thus the only news that matters anymore is the news happening right now. The problem with getting stuck in the moment, as Clive Thompson argues in "Social Media is getting us stuck in the present,"  is that cultures struggle to solve bigger problems without detaching themselves from the here and now. 

"They're constantly refreshing the feed, pushing the newest, latest updates to you. History recedes in a flash."

Clive Thompson

Social media is an inevitable distraction, one we tend to think we can put away and ignore. Worse still, media addiction wants us to believe we can multitask by simultaneously scrolling social media and maintaining productivity rates. Clifford Nass, a Stanford communications professor, researched the effects of multitasking, even before social media became as connected as it is today. What Nass discovered is that multitaskers have more difficulty discerning relevancy and must utilize large, irrelevant portions of the brain to complete one task. His subjects also reported that they have the ability to concentrate and focus intensely on a single task. He noted that many of the subjects already developed multitasking habits that prevented them from filtering out the irrelevancy of distractions, making focus nearly impossible. 

As athletes train themselves to compete in their chosen sport, we can practice concentration to strengthen our mental muscles. To maximize our capacity for deep work, we must train our brains in such a way that excels our concentration and impedes our need for distraction. In his book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Cal Newport refers to the term for such brain training as "concentration calisthenics." Although the Internet Sabbath (also known as a digital detox) is increasingly popular via social media, Newport argues this practice may not necessarily be effective. He concludes that alternating between a dull but high-quality stimulus (such as deep work) to an exciting but low-quality stimulus (such as social media) decreases our tolerance for boredom. He recommends limiting your options for distraction, rather than limiting your periods of non-distraction, as you would in a digital detox. By doing so, you take a break from intense focus rather than take a break from continuous distractions. Provide yourself with several opportunities to deny distractions so you can rewire your brain to resist these temptations. As you coordinate your training, schedule flexibility into your practices and remain firm with your intentions, much as you would for an Olympic sport.

Newport also recommends "productive meditation" to aid in your efforts towards deep work. This practice keeps your body physically busy and active while freeing your mind to consider a particularly difficult challenge. Such examples include jogging, walking, bicycling, showering, or other forms of monotonous activity. Once you identify the problem at hand, you can clarify the important questions you specifically need to answer in your practices. Finally, you can conclude these questions with an acceptable answer or start from the beginning by rephrasing the questions or the problem you would like to solve.