America’s Top 10 Predictions for the Impact Tech and Social Media Will Have in the Future, Revealed

Social media has had a significant impact on society in the relatively short time it has circulated. These platforms, which range from Facebook to TikTok, have radically transformed the way we engage, communicate, and consume information.

Social media has numerous advantages, such as the ability to connect with others across the world, but it's also necessary to recognize the new difficulties it has created. Social media has often been referred to as “a world of its own”, However, as time goes on and technology advances, the impact of social media on our real lives increases significantly.

In recent news, the United States ordered that Bytedance sell the well-known social media platform TikTok, or else face a ban in the US entirely. The White House already forbids TikTok from being installed on governmental devices, and as conversations continue, TikTok's future in America is still up in the air.

With this in mind, HigherVisibility has assessed the current attitudes toward social media in the US and its impact on lifestyle habits by surveying 2,000 consumers about the effect they feel the growth of social media has and will have, on their lives.

When it came to the predictions America has for the impact social media and technology will have in the future, it was found that over 1 in 5 people (22.12%) thought that people would consume more video content online than through traditional forms of media, and it appears that the tide has already turned. Data shows that in 2011, US citizens spent 214 minutes on digital media, as opposed to 453 minutes with traditional media, while in 2023, this has completely flipped. Citizens are now spending 500 minutes on digital media and 285 minutes with traditional media per day.

Unsurprisingly, this also raises concerns about how our perspectives are formed due to spending so much time online. Almost a quarter of people believe that people will be more susceptible to fake news, a phenomenon we’ve already seen due to how quickly ‘news’ disseminates on social media, and a further 1 in 5 believe people will be more easily radicalised due to the propaganda that they see within platforms. From health misinformation to political views, it’s clear to see how this can become problematic.

Taking a further look into social media’s impact on lifestyle and habits, over 1 in 2 respondents (57.71%) said that when they’re on social media, they often find themselves scrolling mindlessly. Despite this, over 1 in 5 people in the United States (20.82%) would rather spend time using social media than spend time with family and friends. Somewhat surprisingly, the generation that agreed with this statement the most was millennials, with over 40% claiming they would prefer to spend their time online (40.86%).

When it came to the impact of social media influencers on our mental health, the study found that 41% of men wished their lifestyle to appear in the same way as their favourite social media influencer, in comparison to 23.73% of women.

With news of the metaverse continuously in the media, the survey also found that over 2 in 5 US residents (43.78%) are concerned about the metaverse and whether this will increase social media usage in the future. Additionally, nearly 3 in 5 people (58.26%) are worried about what the future of their lives may look like due to the rise of social media and technology.

The study then found that nearly 1 in 3 (31.25%) people living in the US feel they have unrealistic expectations of themselves and their lives due to social media, with 32.80% also agreeing that after using social media, they often feel much worse than when they started.

Unrealistic expectations were most predominant in men with over 1 in 3 (36.42%) agreeing, in comparison to just under 1 in 4 women (26.27%).

Interestingly, the data found that the number of those who agreed with this statement declined as age increased, with over 1 in 2 Gen Z (50.76%) stating that they have unrealistic expectations of themselves as a result of social media, in comparison to just 8.08% of Baby Boomers, begging the question; is social media’s impact on the way we look at ourselves growing with each generation?

When it came to the impact of social media influencers on our mental health, the study found that 41% of men wished their lifestyle to appear in the same way as their favourite social media influencer, in comparison to 23.73% of women. In addition, almost 70% of people (67.05%) feel that social media's influence is more negative than positive, with nearly 1 in 3 respondents (30.90%) concerned that if people continue using social media to the same extent they are now, or more, within 50 to 100 years people will suffer from mental health issues and anxiety due to constantly comparing themselves on social media.

The exponential rise of AI has been likened to social media in many ways, with criticism around legislation and dealing with misinformation rife. There are numerous cases in which citizens feel their rights as a consumer have not been protected when it comes to social media platforms, and with legislation only being implemented 25 years later, there’s clear cause for concern when it comes to security and privacy. While the potential for these technological developments is huge and has the power to be utilized for advancement, there is also the possibility of misuse.

Interestingly, US citizens fear advancements in tech such as AI technology and AR/VR, as well as the ways in which this may impact people who spend time online. 1 in 5 people believe that we will rely on AI more and more, and a similar number fear that people will interact more on social media using AR/VR tech than they do in real life. This ultimately raises the question of whether we’re becoming more connected due to social media or disconnected. Given the issue of misinformation and fake news, it suggests that the lifestyle presented in ‘The Social Dilemma’ isn’t so dystopian, or far off, as we may have thought.

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by Web Desk via Digital Information World