Artech

The effects of Social media, technology on humans

By: Julie Nakazi, faculty of fine arts in Damascus Syria.

Preface:

The idea depicts a sensitive area in society, which is how technology, the media, and social networking
sites are affecting our lives, taking over our time and the disadvantages that create when people misuse it
also, its effects on our society, relationships, people.

Social media sites were created for a reason. It was to connect people and help to bring them closer and
transport news faster, nowadays it is breaking us apart, and it is causing, even more distance.

This project was made to show how much we can be used in technology. It is somehow a satire of how
people lose themselves into technology sometimes, and social media like Facebook and Twitter.

All the artworks here are listed in chronological order.

1- Get rid of technology: (The Disco thrower-Myron)
Roman marble copy after a bronze original (completed date in 450 B.C)
Art period: Greek & Ancient Greek

If you are going to use the internet or social media site for wasting time, spending all day chatting with
complete strangers or looking at your friends photos and feel less confident and secure about yourself or
other reasons that may damage you, you might just get rid of your computer or gadget.

Technology has so much more to offer than silly pages on Facebook or tweets, it can guide you to where
you want to go (google maps) , it can teach you about anything (how stuff work ) and it can teach you
how to make anything from a lamp to changing a tyre (wiki how), you can also find the best places with
the best reviews to travel to (trip advisor) it can give you an education (courser), and it can also offer you
endless hours of entertainment, just be sure how to use it, so you will not be used by it.

Creating balance will help you to enjoy the benefits of technology without you becoming an
Internet addict.
2- lack of emotional connection: (the last supper- Leonardo da Vinci)
(completed date in 1498)
Art period: High Renaissance

The web has made the world more interesting. Too interesting. Real life, real people, real members of the
family are dull in comparison.

Layne Hartsell, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, Korea, lectures and publishes on the
topic of Internet communications and how they relate to community and interrelationships. She said:

Since people are spending more and more time on the computer or using their other electronic devices
for any number of functions, I think many people are putting less value on human relationships and
physically present interactions.

Reference: the guardian

3- Consolation: (the Pieta- Michelangelo)

(completed date in 1499)

Art period: High Renaissance

According to psychotherapist Sherrie Campbell, Social media is a very lazy way to be in a relationship
with somebody.
It is easy to understand why people who want to make confrontation would choose to use the Internet.
Precisely because electronic media transmit emotion so poorly compared to in-person interaction. Many
view it as the perfect way to send difficult messages: it blocks us from registering the negative emotional
responses such messages engender, which provides us the illusion we are not really doing harm.
Unfortunately, this also usually means we do not transmit these messages with as much empathy, and
often find ourselves sending a different message than we intended and breeding more confusion than we
realize.

Reference: psychology today

In cases of losing a friend or death, Facebook becomes a condolence hall, posting regrets and how sorry
we are for this loss and that loss and such, is taking away our ability to truly show regret and consolation,
grief is a strong feeling, some people find it hard to grief and thus they need more guidance, being around
those people will help them a lot in times like these to grief better and connect more with their feelings,
finding a shoulder they can rely on to and finally overcome it, it is fine if you are out of country or
somewhere far away from them, but if you are close to them and they mean a lot to you then sitting in
your room and sending messages to that person about how sorry you are is not going to help them they
will need your presence at that time and you know it.
4- creating a distorted image of one self for the others to see and
being judged based on your profile picture or appearance: (David-
Michelangelo)
(completed date in 1504)
Art period: High Renaissance
Note: this does not apply to everyone.

Definition of narcissism: narcissistic personality disorder involves a preoccupation with self and how one
is perceived by others. Narcissistics pursue gratification from vanity and the admiration of their own
physical and intellectual attributes.

It is through social media networking sites that people can create an alternative personality, someone
they wish they could be rather than the person they actually are, their online life becomes more important
to them. The internet personality is just a personality, it may not necessarily be your true personality, you
may be completely different.
The problem social media platforms have given us is we hide behind screens, allowing others to judge us
for the lives we want them to think we have, the lives we portray online, and this is exactly why social
media skews our perception of reality.

Reference : elite daily

5- addiction: (attachment- Michelangelo)

(completed date in 1512)

Art period: High Renaissance

Internet addiction disorder or compulsive Internet use (Other overlapping terms include Internet
overuse, problematic computer use) These other terms reflect excessive computer use which interferes
with daily life

Signs and symptoms of Internet addiction or computer addiction:

Losing track of time online And Having trouble completing tasks at work or home. .

Isolation from family and friends.

Feeling guilty or defensive about your Internet use.

Feeling a sense of euphoria while involved in Internet activities

Physical symptoms of Internet addiction

Internet or computer addiction can also cause physical discomfort such as:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (pain and numbness in hands and wrists)

Dry eyes or strained vision

Back aches and neck aches; severe headaches

Sleep disturbances.

Pronounced weight gains or weight loss

We need to learn how to control ourselves, not because the internet is so bad, but precisely because it is
very very nice in ways that turn out to be deeply detrimental to our ability to flourish and to function .and
take a break from technology because sometimes you can miss so many great opportunities when you're
too busy scrolling through social media

Reference: Huffington post

6- the frame: (Mona Lisa- Leonardo da Vinci)

(completed date in 1517)

Art period: High Renaissance
7- cyber bullying: (the crucifixion Peter Paul Rubens)

(completed date in 1611)

Art period: Baroque

Cell phones and computers themselves are not to blame for cyberbullying. Social media sites can be
used for positive activities, like connecting kids with friends and family, helping students with school but
these tools can also be used to hurt other individuals.

According to U.S. Legal Definitions, "cyber-bullying could be limited to posting rumors or gossips about a
person on the internet. Examples of what constitutes cyberbullying include communications that seek to
intimidate, control, manipulate, put down, falsely discredit, or humiliate the recipient. The actions are
deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior intended to harm another.

Common tactics used by cyberstalkers are performed in public forums, social media or online information
sites and are intended to threaten a victim's earnings, employment, reputation, or safety. Behaviors may
include encouraging others to harass the victim.

How do you know if your kid is being cyberbullied?

Kids who are cyberbullied are more likely to:

Use alcohol and drugs

Be unwilling to attend school

Receive poor grades

Have lower self-esteem

GENERAL CYBER BULLYING STATISTICS

Taken from The Cyber Bullying Survey, Ditch the Label (2013)

7 out of 10 young people have been victims of cyberbullying.

20% of young people have experienced extreme cyberbullying on a daily basis

Young people are found to be twice as likely to be bullied on Facebook than on any other social
network.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year,
according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts.

Reference: ditch the label : anti-bulling charity registered in England

http://www.ditchthelabel.org
Reference: www.dosomething.org
8- a distraction (from doing what you are supposed to be doing):
(Nightwatch- Rembrandt)

(completed date in 1642)

Art period: Baroque/ Dutch Golden Age.

People are distracted by their phone even if they are not using it.

In December 2014, researchers at the University of Southern Maine found that when people are asked to
do a complicated task they are less successful if their mobile is visible - even if they are not using it.

Those who put it in their pocket or their bag did better and scored an average of 26 compared to 21 if
they could see their mobile because they were more focused.

The findings suggest that when we need to do some work the best thing to do is not just turn your phone
off - but put it away as well.

"Even when you are not using it, it is a reminder of what is out there," says study co-author Bill Thornton.
"And you are not out there and you are not on it, so it becomes distracting in that sense.

Reference: the daily mail

9- faking feelings: )the death of Cleopatra- Guido Cagnacci)

(completed date in 1660)

Art period: Academism

"Most people will lie more online than they would face-to-face," said Jeff Hancock, an associate professor
of communications at Cornell University who specializes in information technology and deception.

"Deception online and face to face is motivated by the same human needs," said Catalina Toma, an
assistant professor of communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has studied online
deception. "Technology simply interferes in some ways that might decrease or facilitate the opportunity to
lie.

Reference: ABC news

10- excessiveness in transferring news :(the nightmare Henry Fuseli)
(completed date in 1781)
Art period: Romanticism

You cannot be 100% sure of what is happening in any place or time unless you are there.

The possibility to transform news at this age of time is greater and stronger than ever now thanks to the
presence of social media networking sites and the technology but sometimes the media transforms news
that supports a certain party or to highlight one side of the truth to incite others.
11-Filming or helping? (The Execution of Lady Jane Grey- Paul
Delaroche)

(completed date in 1833)

Art period: Romanticism/ Academicism

Lack of Empathy
The constant stream of violent scenes on video games, TV, movies and Youtube causes people to
become desensitized to death, criminality and/or damage or destruction of any kind. The normalizing of
very bad things happening and the culture of narcissism created by social media is definitely creating a
society of people who lack empathy and sympathy.
12- effects on young girls: (The Nut Gatherers- William-Adolphe
Bouguereau)

(completed date in 1882)

Art period: Academism

According to Susan Albers, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic, exposure to thin models could also
play a role in affecting the young girls look at their body and image.
"Although thin models are not the cause of eating disorders, they can be a trigger or a factor in
maintaining an eating disorder," she said. "In other words, if a woman has a predisposition for an eating
disorder and spends a lot of time looking at fashion magazines, this can be one of the factors that trigger
feeling bad about her body, which she then turns into eating disorder behavior, like excessive dieting.
A report by the Guardian says: "Advertising, in particular, may influence young people's perception of
fashion and beauty and attitudes towards food. Young women may compare themselves to extremely thin
models, working in the fashion industry or advertising products, and perceive themselves as fat in
comparison, rather than healthy and attractive."
Reference: the guardian
13- itchy eyes: Elegy (William-Adolphe Bouguereau)

(completed date in 1899)

Art period: Neoclassicism

Children growing weaker as computers replace outdoor activity.

Children are becoming weaker, less muscular and unable to do physical tasks that previous generations
found simple, research has revealed.
Instead of playing with friends, they all seem to prefer sitting in their bedrooms using their computers. Not
only are they missing out on real-life friendships but they are missing out on fresh air and exercise too.
A 10-year-olds can do fewer sit-ups and are less able to hang from wall bars in a gym. Arm strength has
declined in that age group, as has their ability to grip an object firmly.

Reference: the guardian

14- media's consuming you: (Dante and Virgil in hell (William Adolphe
Bouguereau)
(completed date in 1850)
Art period: Neoclassicism

There are many positive effects of media consumption. For example, many video games can also
have positive effects. Games like Wii Tennis improve hand-eye coordination as well as general
mental and physical health.

The internet itself is a huge positive for people of all ages, as it now is a personal library for anyone
who has access. The number of educational websites and services offered are so immense that
research has become a task much easier than it was in the past. Social media has also provided
many benefits for people over time, as it has been evaluated as a prosocial way of interacting with
people all over the world.

Negative effects:
There many instances of violence in movies, television, video games and websites which can affect
ones level of aggression. These violent depictions can desensitize viewers to acts of violence and
can also provoke mimicking of the acts.
Another problem that has developed due to increased media consumption is that people are
becoming less independent. With text messaging and social media, people want instant gratification
from their friends and often feel hurt if they do not receive an immediate response. Instead of having
self-validation, people often need validation from others.
15- encouragement until the end: (Liberty leading the people- Eugene
Delacroix)
(completed date in 1830)
Art period: Romanticism

Is Social Media Sabotaging Real Communication?

As human beings, our only real method of connection is through authentic communication. Studies show
that only 7% of communication is based on the written or verbal word. A whopping 93% is based on
nonverbal body language. Indeed, it is only when we can hear a tone of voice or look into someones
eyes we know that theyre not fine and This is where social media gets dicey.

You can be highly misunderstood on social media, there is no real interaction, no face-to-face talk,
nobody language when youre talking to someone on the screen, so be sure when you are mad or angry
at something : think about it , do not make reckless decisions because you may regret it, when you have
a fight, go and meet that person and work it out face-to-face, do not just settle for the online talk because
you will be missing their body language which expresses 93% of their real emotions.
Reference: Forbes
 16- Barrier between people: (song of the angles- William Adolphe
Bouguereau)
(completed date in 1881)
Art period: Neoclassicism

Heres how much time people around the world spend looking at their TVs, computers, and smartphones,
every day :

United States: 444 minutes (7 hours, 24 minutes of screen time every day)
United Kingdom: 411 minutes (6 hours, 51 minutes)
Canada: 376 minutes (6 hours, 16 minutes)

If you live in the U.S, assuming you sleep for 6.8 hours a night (the national average), you spend 43% of
your waking hours in front of screens.
The effects of staring at screens for too long are:
Looking at screens for too long with- out taking breaks can also lead to difficulty focusing, headaches, eye
discomfort, blurred vision, dry eyes, and itchy eyes. This happens because looking at a screen for an
extended period of time causes you to blink less, which deprives your eyes of moisture.
Too much screen time makes you less creative and productive :
Your mind has a built-in aversion to boredom. When you are bored, your mind wanders and looks around
for exciting and interesting ideas. When you are bored, you unconsciously organize your life, connect
dots, step back and come up with creative solutions to problems, and ultimately become more productive.
Your smartphone, computer, and TV can all highjack your attention and prevent that.

Reference: alifeofproductivity.com/

the latest National Sleep Foundation poll found that 95 percent of Americans use some kind of electronic
device within an hour before going to bed. technology can interfere with getting good sleep in a couple of
ways: The light from screens from electronics like phones could prevent your body from producing
melatonin, the hormone that is produced naturally in darkness and helps regulate sleep.
Ordinarily, the pineal gland, an organ in the brain, begins to release melatonin a couple of hours before
your regular bedtime. The hormone reduces alertness and make sleep more inviting. However, light
particularly of the blue variety (also known as short-wavelength enriched light) can keep the pineal gland
from releasing melatonin, thus warding off sleepiness. You do not have to be staring directly at a television
or computer screen: If enough blue light hits the eye, the gland can stop releasing melatonin. So easing
into bed with a tablet or a laptop makes it harder to take a long snooze, especially for sleep-deprived
teenagers who are more vulnerable to the effects of light than adults.
Reference: Washington post /the Huffington post
17- showing people only what you want to show: (Van Gogh's Room
at Arles- Van Gogh)
completed date in 1888)
Art period: Post-impressionism

Instagram has given us 20 different filters to choose from, so you can portray whole different images from
the reality on any social networking site because of the gift of anonymity and you can be sure that you
wont be caught for a long time.
18- stalking: (the scream- Edvard Munch)
(completed date in 1893)
Art period: Expressionism

Definition: Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an
individual, a group, or an organization. It may include false accusations, defamation, slander and libel. It
may also include monitoring, identity theft, threats, vandalism, or gathering information that may be used
to threaten or harass.}

Cyberstalking is often accompanied by real-time or offline stalking. Both are criminal offenses. Both are
motivated by a desire to control, intimidate or influence a victim. A stalker may be an online stranger or a
person whom the target knows. He may be anonymous and solicit involvement of other people online
who do not even know the target.
It may include false accusations, monitoring, making threats, identity theft, damage to data or equipment.
19- I dont care: (the thinker- Auguste Rodin)
(completed date in 1902)
Art period: Realism

1 billion people are active on Facebook each day

Constantly looking down at devices can and does cause neck pain and further repetitive stress/strain
injuries which will be long lasting and over time will actually cause the neck to lose its natural curve.
Eyestrain can and does also cause headaches, blurred vision, and migraines.

Reference: Huffington post

20- comparison game: (the girls of Avignon Pablo Picasso)
(completed date in 1907)

Art period: Cubism

Social media may do more harm than good when it comes to personal well-being,

According to psychotherapist Sherrie Campbell who a small study from the University of Salford in the
UK, social media can give us a false sense of belonging and connecting that is not built on real-life
exchanges. This makes it increasingly easy to lose oneself to cyberspace connections and give them
more weight than they deserve.
When we look to social media, we end up comparing ourselves to what we see which can lower our self-
esteem. On social media, everyones life looks perfect but you are only seeing a snapshot of reality.

Reference: The Huffington post.

Science Direct conducted an experiment using women and Facebook.

Female participants spent 10 minutes browsing their Facebook accounts, a magazine website and an
appearance-neutral control website before they reported the measures of their moods, body
dissatisfaction and appearance discrepancies.
The scientists found Facebook usage can put women in a more negative mood where they make more
appearance comparisons, giving them a greater desire to change the way they look.

We can escape this maze by remembering the age-old saying :They are not you. No one is you, and no
one will ever be you. So the more you compare yourself to others, especially via social media, the more
negative headspace you create for yourself.
Psychotherapist Daniela Tempesta states, The art of what makes life awesome and interesting is
learning from the talents of others. If it is impossible for us to avoid the social comparison theory, it is time
we focus on being the best versions of ourselves rather than the best version of someone else.

Reference: elite daily

21- no privacy: (the kiss- Gustav Klimt)
(completed date in 1908)
Art period: art nouveau

Pew Research Centre found most people more than willing to hand over their details. An overwhelming
majority of 91% post a photo of themselves, 71% post the city or town where they live, up from 61%,
more than half give email addresses .

In 2014, 56% of internet users aged 65 and older have a Facebook account. And 39% are connected to
people they have never met in person.

"People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds but more
openly and with more people," Mark Zuckerberg said. "That social norm is just something that has
evolved over time."

Reference: the guardian

Though technology has changed the tools we have to reach out to others, it has not changed our deep
psychological need to truly connect with others. Social media can help us satisfy a portion of this need.
However, this doesn't fulfill our deepest and most basic need to establish an emotional connection with
another person.

Why do I need likes to feel like I exist?

Do we really need video and photographic evidence that we were there ?

Arent our own memories good enough? How can you say you saw something amazing if you only ever
saw it through your phone camera?

People are so busy collecting proof of experiences that they forget to actually have experienced. They
would rather prove they were with a certain person or at a certain place or event than connecting with that
person, explore the place, take in the event.
22- Glorifying or twitter as the only resource : (the dance- Henri
Matisse)
(completed date in 1910)
Art period: Fauvism

Facebook posts never show the full story and yet most of the time we fall into that trap and we believe
almost everything we read (just because for example a picture of Albert Einstein with a quote inserted
underneath it doesnt mean that he really said that)

Most people don not deeply dig when doing a search on a certain topic, and then they end up sharing it
and being defensive and intolerant.
23- such importance: (back-bone - Egon Schiele)
(completed date in 1917)
Art period: Expressionism

1 billion people are active on Facebook each day

Constantly looking down at devices can and does cause neck pain and further repetitive stress/strain
injuries which will be long lasting and over time will actually cause the neck to lose its natural curve.
Eyestrain can and does also cause headaches, blurred vision, and migraines.

Reference: Huffington post

24- Get rid of technology: (fountain-Marcel Duchamp)
(completed date in 1917)
Art period: Dada

If you are going to use the internet or social media site for wasting time, spending all day chatting with
complete strangers or looking at your friends photos and feel less confident and secure about yourself or
other reasons that may damage you, you might just get rid of your computer or gadget.

Technology has so much more to offer than silly pages on Facebook or tweets, it can guide you to where
you want to go (google maps) , it can teach you about anything (how stuff work ) and it can teach you
how to make anything from a lamp to changing a tyre (wiki how), you can also find the best places with
the best reviews to travel to (trip advisor) it can give you an education (courser), and it can also offer you
endless hours of entertainment, just be sure how to use it , so that it wont use you

Creating balance will help you to enjoy the benefits of technology without you becoming an
Internet addict
25- wasting time uncontrollably: (the persistence of memory-
Salvador Dali)
(completed in 1931)
Art period: surrealism

We spend at least eight hours a day staring at a screen. That is more time than we spend doing anything else,
including sleeping.

Reference: CNN

Facebook may have 1.1 billion users across the globe.

the amount of information on our fingertips is incredibly large, every minute of the day, Facebook users shared 2.5
million pieces of content , tweeter users tweet 300.000 times, Youtube users upload 72 hours of video (per minute) ,
200 million e-mails are sent and apple users download 50.000 applications

Reference: Huffington post

26- Texture of life: ( flying fish -M. C. Escher)
(completed in 1949)
Art period: opt art
27- caring too much about what people think: (Dawn- Odd Nerdrum)
(completed in 1990)
Art period: contemporary art.

"Compared to more secure people, those higher in attachment anxiety are more feedback
sensitive," Joshua Hart, associate professor of psychology and the lead author of a study on social
networking sites , said in a statement. "They report feeling much better about themselves when they get a
lot of comments, likes and other feedback on their posts and worse about themselves when their
Facebook activity generates little attention.
We need to stop caring about likes.
The second you feel less important or less confident because of a lack of "likes," that is a problem. When
it comes down to it, the more you live with positive intentions and the less you care about "likes," the freer
you feel.

Reference: Huffington post

Solutions in how to unplug yourself from media:
Cook Yourself Up A Luxurious meal.

Write A Note Of Gratitude To Your Best Friend.

Get Moving.

Take A Nap and relax.

Call your old friends and get together.

Take a course about a subject that you love.

Read A Book.

Dig Through Some Childhood Memorabilia.

Volunteer.

Play A Board Game.

Hang out with your friends.

Keep your phone away from you and enjoy life.

Stop taking pictures of everything.

Know more about yourself and the world around you.

Travel and see the world.

Do some yoga, or sport.

Learn to do something new.

Learn a new language.

Go on an unexpected trip.

LOG OUT !