Each project created for this research aimed to explore the stacked pressures loop. The objective was to inform individuals about the potential harm social media causes through its algorithm and advocate for how mental health is affected through continued use.
To address this situation, it was obvious to communicate the concern using the platforms in which the algorithm mechanism is built: social media and social platforms.
Artifacts
Research Poster
A broader perspective on the synthesized study can be found below. This research poster communicates a technical layer about the stacked pressures and how multiple factors within social media interactions contribute to their compounding effect.
Alongside the study is a small-scale test done using a survey to validate the synthesis done for this research. Included within the survey validation section are key results that participants experience when they spend time using Instagram, and what they would like to have implemented as support for mental well-being.
Stacked Pressures Loop
This loop is the main framework of my project. The key idea is that pressure does not come from a single source. It accumulates. Small demands build on each other until they feel heavy, and users start to lose energy, control, and authenticity.
Once users start to feel a decline in self-agency while using the platform, their choices begin to feel less like choices and more like reactions.
They might open Instagram, or any social media platform, with a clear intention, but quickly get pulled into whatever their personalized feed serves next.
This is where the stacked pressures become harder to manage, because control is no longer coming from the user. It is coming from the system and the social cues around it.