Month: June 2026

Using Video to Reflect on Social Media Habits

When searching for a video that is related to my team’s learning resource on Psychology of Social Media and Developing Healthier Digital Habits, I came across this: “5 Crazy Ways Social Media Is Changing Your Brain Right Now” by AsapSCIENCE. It stood out to me because it is short, visually engaging, and slightly unsettling in a useful way. It doesn’t just say social media is bad, but rather introduces ideas about attention, reward, multitasking, and habit formation in a way that could make learners pause and think about their own behaviour.

The video itself does not require much inherent interaction. A learner could technically press play, zone out, and move on. However, Bates (2022) explains that interaction can be reflective as well as observable, meaning that a video can still support learning if it is paired with a purposeful activity. In this case, I would not want learners to watch the video as a warning lecture. I would want them to use it as a mirror.

I’d suggest that students would compare the examples in the video to their own habits: checking notifications without thinking, opening an app when bored, or losing track of time while scrolling. To make that response more intentional, I would ask learners to complete a short Digital Habit Audit after watching. They would choose one social media habit, identify the trigger behind it, describe how it affects their mood or attention, and then choose one small change to try for a week.

This activity would help learners develop self-regulation and critical digital literacy. Instead of only learning about the psychology of social media, they would practise noticing how platform design connects to their own behaviour. This is important because problematic social media use has been linked with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress among adolescents and young adults (Shannon et al., 2022).

Students could complete the audit in a blog post, Google Doc, or discussion forum. Feedback could come from peers through short comments focused on whether the habit change seems realistic and specific. As an instructor, I could respond to a few key patterns rather than marking every post in detail, which would make the activity manageable in a larger class.

To make the video more interactive, I would add pause points with questions such as “When do you usually reach for your phone without meaning to?” I would also include captions, a transcript, and an optional text-based alternative so learners are not excluded if video is difficult for them to access or process.

References

AsapSCIENCE. (2014, September 7). 5 crazy ways social media is changing your brain right now [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HffWFd_6bJ0

Bates, A. W. (Tony). (2022). Teaching in a digital age: Third edition. Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.pub/teachinginadigitalagev3m/chapter/pedagogical-roles-for-text-audio-and-video/

Shannon, H., Bush, K., Villeneuve, P. J., Hellemans, K. G. C., & Guimond, S. (2022). Problematic social media use in adolescents and young adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. JMIR Mental Health, 9(4), e33450. https://doi.org/10.2196/33450

Reducing Barriers in a Digital Well-Being Learning Activity

For our group’s Learning Design Blueprint, one of the activities we have proposed is the “Notifications Challenge” in Subtopic 1: Platform Design and Persuasive Technology. In this activity, learners disable non-essential social media notifications for 24 hours, track how often they reach for their phone, and reflect on whether the habit is triggered internally or externally.

Chart of notification habit loop

I like this activity because it makes persuasive design visible in a personal and practical way. However, after thinking about barriers to student success, I realized that the original plan assumes all learners can comfortably disconnect from notifications for a full day. That is not true for everyone.

Potential barriers

Some students rely on social media notifications for legitimate reasons: work shifts, family communication, campus group chats, accessibility supports, or mental health check-ins. Others may experience anxiety when disconnecting from apps, especially if they are used to constant communication (Montag et al. 2019). Students with ADHD or executive functioning challenges may also find it difficult to remember to track their phone-checking behaviour consistently throughout the day.

Image of phone pickups and notifications summary on Apple devices

There is also a practical barrier: the activity depends on learners owning a smartphone with customizable notification settings and screen-time tracking tools. While many students do, not all devices or operating systems work the same way, which can create frustration before the learning even begins.

How I would adjust the activity

To reduce these barriers, I would redesign the activity around choice, flexibility, and scaffolding, which aligns with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.

1. Offer multiple participation options. Instead of requiring a full 24-hour notification shutdown, learners could choose one of three options:
   • Disable notifications for 24 hours.Disable notifications for a 4-hour focused block.Silence only one high-use app (e.g., TikTok or Instagram) for a day.
   This maintains the learning goal—observing behavioural cues—while accommodating different responsibilities and comfort levels (CAST, 2018).
2. Provide a simple tracking template. Rather than expecting students to remember their behaviour, I would include a quick note-taking template or downloadable checklist. Learners could mark a tally each time they instinctively check their phone. This reduces cognitive load for students with ADHD or busy schedules.
3. Include an alternative reflection pathway. For students unable to change notification settings, I would allow them to complete a “digital observation” version of the activity. They could observe and document persuasive design features on their usual apps without altering their device settings.
4. Normalize different experiences. In the instructions, I would explicitly state that discomfort, anxiety, or increased awareness during the activity is normal and that the goal is observation, not “perfect” digital discipline. This helps reduce shame-based responses and supports a more reflective learning environment.

Why these changes matter

These adjustments keep the core learning outcome intact: helping learners recognize how platform design shapes behaviour and attention. At the same time, they make the activity more accessible and realistic for a diverse group of university students with different schedules, responsibilities, and neurodivergent needs.

As someone who is also a busy student balancing coursework and work, I know that “simple” assignments can become stressful when they assume everyone has the same time, technology, or capacity. Designing with flexibility from the start makes learning more equitable and effective (CAST, 2018).

References

Montag C, Lachmann B, Herrlich M, Zweig K. Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Jul 23;16(14):2612. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16142612. PMID: 31340426; PMCID: PMC6679162.

CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

Harris, T. (2017, April). How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/tristan_harris_how_a_handful_of_tech_companies_control_billions_of_minds_every_day

Taylor, J. (2022, August 30). What are pickups in Screen Time on iPhone? iMobie. https://www.imobie.com/support/what-are-pickups-in-screen-time.htm

Experiential Learning in the Psychology of Social Media

Experiential learning is an instructional approach based on the idea that people learn most effectively through direct experience, reflection, and application. Rather than simply receiving information from an instructor, learners actively engage with a task or situation and then analyse what they learned from that experience. According to Kolb’s experiential learning theory, learning occurs through a cycle of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation.

For my group’s Learning Blueprint topic, the psychology of social media, experiential learning aligns particularly well because social media is already embedded in many learners’ daily lives. Instead of teaching concepts such as social comparison, attention economics, algorithmic influence, or online identity solely through readings and lectures, learners can investigate these phenomena through their own interactions with social media platforms. This allows abstract psychological concepts to become personally meaningful and observable.

In a technology-mediated learning environment, I would design activities that encourage learners to critically examine their own social media use. For example, learners could track their screen time, document emotional responses to different types of content, or analyze how recommendation algorithms shape what appears in their feeds. They could then reflect on their observations through discussion posts, journals, or collaborative activities. Beyond reflection, learners could actively experiment with healthier digital habits, such as disabling notifications, setting time limits, or intentionally following more positive and educational content. By observing the effects of these changes on their attention, mood, and online behaviour, learners would not only understand psychological concepts but also apply that knowledge to improve their own digital well-being.

One of the strengths of experiential learning for this topic is that it encourages self-awareness and critical thinking rather than memorisation. However, it also requires careful design. Learners may have very different experiences with social media, and some may be uncomfortable sharing personal information. To address this, activities should emphasise voluntary participation, privacy, and reflection rather than requiring disclosure of sensitive experiences.

Overall, experiential learning provides a meaningful way to connect psychological theory to everyday digital experiences, helping learners move beyond understanding social media concepts in theory to recognising how those concepts operate in their own lives.

Kolb, David. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience As The Source Of Learning And Development.

Quay, John. (2019). John Dewey’s conceptualisation of experience. 10.4324/9780429298806-7.

Toronto Metropolitan University. (n.d.). Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. Retrieved June 1, 2026, from https://www.torontomu.ca/experiential-learning/faculty-staff/kolbs-el-cycle/