Effects of Social Media
User Research, System Thinking, Problem Solving, Prototyping
Tools: Figma, Illustrator, Miro
Team: Brandt Li, Reagan Ka, Silvia Shin
Problem Space: Our objective was to create potential intervention methods to address aspects of our wicked problem, the negative effects of social media.
Scope: We aimed for the main demographic of social media users which include adolescents and young adults. Working to understand how social media can impact various facets of mental health we considered input from field experts in order to suggest viable intervention methods to address this issue.
Context
Social media has ubiquitous carry, translating to an incredibly massive user base. This massive user base is likely to engage with heavy daily use, as screen times are up to several hours at a time. Engaging in this have use can have a detrimental impact on users, which is why it is critical to address this issue. Due to how commonplace social media is, it is necessary to address this addiction that affects this demographic, especially the younger generations.
Our team focused on the effects specific to Western Pennsylvania, mental health, addiction, connection, and privacy.
Proposed Interventions
Some of the categories we have derived from our research include a detriment to mental health and connection. This excessive use can contribute to other issues, including a lack of privacy, and addiction. The contributors to these four main issues all interconnect with one another, and our group has clarified these connections within our map.
Based on some of the issues we identified, we proposed three potential interventions. The interventions include improving the education system, reimagining UI/UX design in applications, and regulation of privacy policies.
