Issues with Social Groups PDF

ISSUES WITH SOCIAL GROUP Technology & Social Media Influence Leadership Styles & Influences Signs of an Unhealthy Group What is social MEDIA? Social Networks – Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn Discussion Forums – Reddit, Quora, Digg, Facebook groups Media Sharing – Instag...

ISSUES WITH SOCIAL GROUP Technology & Social Media Influence Leadership Styles & Influences Signs of an Unhealthy Group What is social MEDIA? Social Networks – Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn Discussion Forums – Reddit, Quora, Digg, Facebook groups Media Sharing – Instagram, YouTube, TikTok  “Cyberspace”  extension of real life Real names & identities Optimistically thought to strengthen social groups 2010S 2012 – >50% smartphone, 53% on social media 2019 – 100% smartphone (50 and under), 72% on social media  2020S Immersive micro videos (TikTok, Reels, Stories) Performing for strangers on the Internet Under 35-ish really don’t know life without social media  Which social media apps do you mostly use? Which ones do your parents use? How much time do you spend a day on them? DAILY USAGE TikTok & YouTube – 45 minutes / day Twitter (X) – 35 minutes / day Facebook, Instagram, & Snapchat – 30 minutes / day  TEEN STATS 98% of have access to a smartphone 46% say their internet use is now “almost constant,” 94% at least “several times a day” 42% say they use social media “too much” Nearly 8 hours of screen time daily Why is social media so ADDICTING? Innate interest in others’ lives Comparison & insecurity Boredom & alone-ness Big data fine-tuning & dopamine feedback loop INNATE HUMAN BEHAVIOR Low-barrier socializing “You’ll never be bored again” Self-comparison is understanding of self BY DESIGN “Like” buttons Notifications Scrolling, auto play Streaks, teams  What are examples of cues with your cell phone? Places? Times of day? Actions or things?  What are some ideas for switching your routine from checking your phone to something else? Roughly 400 Americans die each year in texting while driving incidents. National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration What are some emerging CONCERNS? Decline in face-to-face social interactions Political polarization Increase in mental health issues (anxiety, loneliness, depression)  We’re missing out on very critical social skills. Communicating online isn’t creating a nonverbal learning disability, rather it puts everyone in a nonverbal disabled context. Body language, facial expression, and even the smallest kinds of vocal reactions are rendered invisible. Catherine Steiner-Adair, psychologist and author of The Big Disconnect  Part of healthy social interaction is knowing how to say what you think and feel even when you’re in disagreement with other people or it feels emotionally Catherine Steiner-Adair, psychologist and author of The Big Disconnect  Do you feel digitally connecting still counts as “hanging out”? Why or why not? In recent years, social media companies like Facebook and Twitter (X) have played an influential role in political discourse, intensifying political sectarianism. 2020 article in Science journal Although social media is unlikely to be the main driver of polarization, we posit that it is often a key facilitator. 2021 article in Trends in Cognitive Sciences journal  Do you notice political polarization in the people in your life? How so or not? Heavy social media users (+2 hours a day) are twice as likely to report feeling social isolation. 2016 University of Pittsburgh study  Which social media app do think is least healthy? For you? For teens? For everyone?  Which social media app do think is the healthiest? For you? For most?  EXPLORE MORE Now is time to dive deeper into these concepts with some activities What are different styles of LEADERSHIP? Instrumental vs. Expressive Democratic vs. Laissez- faire vs. Authoritarian INSTRUMENTAL Goal- & task-oriented Concerned with accomplishments Military leaders, boat captains, and CEOs  Steve Jobs & Bill Gates were famously instrumental leaders of tech companies Apple & Microsoft.  Who would you consider as an instrumental leader?  What’s a situation when an instrumental leader may struggle?  EXPRESSIVE Social-emotional health oriented Concerned with group support Religious leaders, group therapists, camp counselors Nelson Mandela was a famously expressive leader of ending apartheid & leading South Africa.  Who would you consider as an expressive leader?  What’s a situation when an expressive leader may struggle?  Do you consider yourself more an instrumental or expressive leader? DEMOCRATIC Encourage group participation Consensus, discussion, voting Clubs, informal groups, small businesses Book clubs or Bible studies may have one person who coordinates the group, but decision-making and tasks are shared.  What’s a situation when a democratic set-up may struggle?  LAISSEZ-FAIRE Is hands-off, “leave it alone” Let’s members self-manage Small company of many specialized skills Talent-centered business leader- artist, chef A successful artist may be less interested in the “business side” of things and hire those tasks out with little oversite.  What’s a situation when a laissez-faire set-up may struggle? AUTHORITARIAN Issues order without feedback End goal-focused, micromanages Entrepreneurs, cult or coup leader Martha Stewart and Mark Zuckerberg are the “faces” of their companies in part because of the control they continue to keep over them.  What’s a situation when an authoritarian set-up may struggle? What’s a group in your life that’s run democratic, laissez-faire, or authoritarian? How can leaders influence INTERACTION? Cooperation Conflict Conformity Coercion COOPERATION Combining efforts to reach a common goal Create rules, helps members, provides resources Little league coaches, student council advisors, jury head jurors, youth pastors  CONFLICT Working to defeat an opponent become the main goal “Us” vs “Them,” but also effective in creating change Protest movements, union strikes, wartime efforts, rival CONFORMITY Constraining behavior to match group expectations Enforces rules, pressures uniformity, discourages diverse ideas Drill sergeants, factory managers, elite coaches  COERCION Forcing members to act a certain way; threat of punishment Stops being/feeling mutually beneficial; against one’s will Legal system, parents  Groupthink when there’s so much pressure to conform that members go against their own personal judgement Bystander effect when people fail to intervene or speak up if others don’t either When does a group turn UNHEALTHY? A cult is an extreme & rare type of unhealthy group Many groups can be cultish which may create negative effects on members When the leader becomes too authoritarian The Kim family is now three generations deep into its total authoritarian regime over North Korea.  When tight- knit becomes isolating  Jonestown, built in the jungle of South American, took members thousands of miles away from home. When becoming a member involves high stakes MS-13, a Los Angeles-based gang known for its violence, famously conducts 13- second “beat-ins” to initiate its members.  When there becomes mounting financial costs  Clothing brand LuLaRoe was ordered to pay $4.75 million for operating a pyramid scheme-style business model. When diverse thinking is punished KKK famously used violence to prevent even non-KK members of the community to speak out against them. When devastating loss is threatened if you leave  Of total domestic violence homicides, about 75% of victims are killed as they try to leave the relationship or after it’s ended. Family Violence Prevention Fund  EXPLORE MORE Now is time to dive deeper into these concepts with some activities