The Science of Social Media With Jill Walsh

Rivers’ tech and wellness group, made up of the school counselors, Director of Technology and Innovation John Adams, and the deans of student life in the Middle School and Upper School, has been discussing the intersection of technology and wellness for the past three years. Walsh’s visit, which included a daytime presentation at all-school assembly and an evening presentation for parents and caregivers, is part of ongoing programming on technology and wellness at Rivers.  Beyond her presentations on February 2, Walsh will work with the tech and wellness group to advise on policy, including returning to campus on February 6 to engage with students in focus groups. 

In her assembly presentation,  Walsh focused on how tech companies and social media platforms are designed with a deep understanding of the psychological processes used to manipulate their users. Walsh began with some context: “I want to start off by telling you that I don’t do this research because I think that social media is the worst thing in the world,” she said. She shared a few examples of the positive things she sees about social media: First of all, for many people, it is a source of fun, quirky content that brings them joy. Secondly, she said, it provides people with a way to be more aware of global movements and be involved in issues that matter to them. She also noted that social media can be a way for individuals to broaden their sense of community to connect with others who have similar interests or identities. 

Having acknowledged the positives, Walsh then provided some insight—for students and adults alike—about how social media platforms are designed using neurological and psychological research to keep users’ attention for increasingly longer periods of time. “If we are going to use social media every day, potentially for some of us, hours a day, I think we should understand how it’s made,” Walsh said.

“Our brains are the same as our Paleolithic ancestors. We’re really intelligent, but our brains are fundamentally the same as they’ve been for millennia,” said Walsh, explaining that the human brain has not evolved as quickly as the technology we have, and technology companies use this to their advantage. 

Walsh went on to explain how companies such as TikTok and Meta spend vast amounts of effort perfecting their algorithms (their “secret sauce”), employing brain scientists to study the habits of users on their platforms to maximize their screen time and serve them content they are interested in. 

That’s all very well, said Walsh, but why should we care about this, especially if the algorithm ends up succeeding in giving us individualized content we are interested in? According to Walsh, one key reason social media users should be aware of how the algorithm works is that, by studying user behavior, it also collects and sells users’ data. The more time you spend on social media, the more data about you is collected. Small amounts of data are not worth much money, so social media companies are motivated to keep you online longer to gather more data about you and maximize their profit when they sell that data.  

One of the ways tech companies do this is by “hijacking human psychology,” as entrepreneur Sean Parker once put it. Algorithms are designed to offer variable rewards, much like slot machines. In Paleolithic times, it was imperative for humans to be alert to any new signals. “The version of it now is that every time we see something new on our screens, we get a little hit of dopamine,” said Walsh.  “Dopamine is a motivator. It keeps you going,” she said. “But on the other hand, the flip side of paying attention to new things is that we get bored really fast.” Social media companies take advantage of this by testing and measuring users’ attention spans and serving them new content via “nudges” in different directions to keep users engaged, thereby maximizing users’ time on social media. Social media companies also developed the “infinite scroll” feature—no matter how much content an individual consumes in one sitting, there is always more to see. Even in the wake of research showing these design features negatively impact mental health, social media companies lack the financial motivation to change course. 

Walsh shared recommendations for healthier relationships with social media. She recommended limiting late-night use to improve sleep and restricting it to shorter periods. Going on social media for 20 minutes three times a day is better than a single one-hour session, she said. She also encouraged people to think critically about how different content makes them feel and to conduct a self-assessment of their media use to determine what works best for them.

At the end of the assembly, Walsh answered questions written by Middle School students based on the discussion in advisories last week. One question was what easily accessible alternatives there are to social media that provide a similar dopamine boost. Walsh emphasized that dopamine is natural—you can get it from exercising, laughing with friends, and having fun with a pet. The dopamine from these in-person triggers lasts longer than the dopamine boost from using social media, said Walsh, much like a healthy meal sustains you longer than junk food does.

In her evening presentation, Walsh went deeper into how parents and caregivers can provide structure and guidelines around technology in the home, offering very tangible takeaways parents could work on with their children. She emphasized the importance of simple shifts, such as taking phones out of the bedroom at night, so that adolescents can get adequate sleep to support their development. Parents were eager to ask questions about how to start some of these tricky conversations with their children at home. Walsh recommended that parents lead with curiosity about their children’s experiences with social media, rather than anchoring the conversation with rules and expectations.

Megan McCarthy, director of wellness programming at Rivers, was instrumental in bringing Walsh to campus and reiterated the importance of her work. “From the first time I heard Jill Walsh speak at a conference, I knew I had to have her speak to the Rivers community,” McCarthy said. “Walsh is able to explain complex studies and data in a truly digestible fashion for both parents and students. If we want kids to have better relationships with tech, we have to first teach them why it is important and how it is attainable, which is exactly what she does best.”