Over the last 2 weeks, I've conducted research on the impact of social media on today's youth. As a heavily debated topic, I expected to find a lot of relevant academic journals. My research taught me a new perspective on the matter, that social media is not always detrimental to the development of youths. There are aspects of their lives where they are benefitted by the presence of social media.  For example, in a study conducted amongst approximately 12,500 Canadian Elementary school students, it was revealed that active and intense users of social media were more likely to reach the recommended daily physical activity level. But the downsides of excessive use of social media included the possibility of developing anxiety, stress from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and forming shallow relationships with friends and families.

After my research was completed, I began to ideate on how I could "gamify" these findings. One finding that I thought was interesting from my research was that there are a few methods of spreading false information on social media platform. This included highlighting the bad (ex. harmful side effects of a medicine rather than its clinical use), or including personal testimonies which are not scientifically backed, but sound convincing as the voice of the average population or audience. "Identifying false information" could be an interesting game mechanic, where the player is tasked with choosing the right answer in a series of elusive and misleading questions. Another possible game mechanic could be "forming genuine friendship". This approach is a bit harder to ideate upon, simply because the scope could get out of hand when deciding how to measure a "genuine friendship". 

Definitely interesting to study the positive effects of social media as all I ever hear about are the negatives. The statistic of the most active social media users being more likely to reach the daily recommended physical activity level is also very surprising. Although, I guess it makes sense since body image seems to be a big problem these days with social media. The idea of spreading false information through social media could make for a great co-op experience. 

Your research on the impact of social media on today's youth is insightful, as it highlights the nuanced nature of this topic. It's crucial to recognize that social media isn't solely detrimental; it can have both positive and negative effects on young people's lives, as your findings have shown. The idea of gamifying these findings is intriguing, particularly the concept of "Identifying false information." This mechanic could effectively teach players critical thinking and media literacy skills, which are increasingly important in the digital age. However, as you mentioned, measuring "genuine friendship" within a game could be challenging, and it might require careful consideration to avoid oversimplification. Overall, your exploration of gamifying these insights has the potential to make your research findings accessible and engaging for a wider audience, fostering a better understanding of the complexities of social media's impact on youth.

It's really interesting to get to see how social media affects people, especially youth, since the majority of the news about it is the negative side effects of such things. I think there's something really cool in the idea of identifying false information if it can be done in a compelling way, and finding a way of actually researching things for yourself when you're confronted with something that rubs you the wrong way. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Your research sprouted some really cool ideas. Identifying false information could be a very compelling game mechanic if you choose to move forward with it. I picture something along the lines of a phoenix wright where you have to scour for the correct answers and catch people on their lies. Good work, excited to see where you take this topic!