Expert: Watching memes is a quick reward for our brain (interview)

Watching so-called reels or memes acts on our brains as a quick reward – hormones are released that make us feel pleasure, Dr. Radosław Aksamit from the Institute of Journalism and Media Communication at the University of Silesia and the University of Silesia's director of communications told PAP.

PAP: It's increasingly common to hear that Facebook has become a medium for older people. Have younger users actually moved to other platforms?

Radosław Aksamit: Yes, we're seeing a clear change. Just a few years ago, Facebook was a trendsetter; today, young people prefer Instagram and TikTok. These are platforms based on short, visual communication, fast-paced browsing—exactly what the younger generation is looking for and what they base their preferences for the speed of access to content on.

PAP: What does this mean for institutions that want to reach young audiences?

RA: Representatives of institutions are increasingly realizing that if they want to maintain relationships and connect with younger audiences, they must engage with these channels and learn to speak their language. The role of universities and scientific institutions, beyond conducting research, is also to stay connected with their surroundings. In the current environment, this means, among other things, creating engaging yet substantive content. This is the only way for valuable content to stand out among the multitude of unsubstantive memes and reels. This is one of the most important tasks we, as universities, accomplish through our scientific communication, including the popularization of science.

Moreover, the "embracing" of the social media formula presented by Instagram or TikTok by communication specialists is also a way to eliminate pathological content that may simply be dangerous for young users.

An example of this is any challenge that—as has been the case in the past—can lead to health problems or even death for those participating. This was the case, for example, with the boy who participated in the so-called Blackout Challenge, a challenge that involved choking.

PAP: Recently, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported on a trend where young people hang themselves from tall objects in the pose of the crucified Jesus – of course, this isn't without dangerous accidents. However, parents are unaware of this; they explore different internets than their children. They watch funny cats while their offspring are going overboard.

There's a saying that bad money often drives out good. Unfortunately, the same holds true for social media content. Another issue is that algorithms target specific content to specific target groups, and we often don't understand how these mechanisms work.

Parents and guardians should be even more sensitive to this and take responsibility for what their children watch. Parents should be the first to be responsible for their children's media education.

We must remember that media trends change rapidly. Not so long ago, we were tearing our hair out over reality shows. People predicted that Big Brother would be the end of high culture in the media and that nothing worse could happen. Now we know that these were innocent games compared to what's acceptable in today's media.

Media education is all the more important, ensuring that young viewers know the alternative – something can be attractive, "cool," and yet valuable at the same time. We should make every effort to ensure that young audiences learn to seek out such content and critically evaluate what they encounter, including on social media. It's also crucial to support slightly older generations, who aren't so-called digital natives, in their engagement with social media – these individuals also require numerous explanations, for example, regarding deepfake content. I imagine that in an ideal world, science communication is as attractive as some less valuable trends.

PAP: Most of these short content are superficial, but at the same time addictive.

Of course. Research shows that watching reels or memes has a quick, rewarding effect on our brains—it releases hormones that make us feel pleasure, which in turn leads to a desire to keep scrolling. And this isn't just for young people. Adults fall into this trap, too.

PAP: You mentioned the role of media education. What should it look like?

Above all, media education isn't about prohibiting children and young people from accessing online content in favor of other content. It's about teaching them to consciously choose content. We need to present alternatives: the ability to seek out valuable content that supports gaining knowledge about the world, and building awareness that alongside pathological trends, there are also valuable channels that develop skills. Science popularizers like Tomasz Rożek, Karol Wójcicki, and Katarzyna Siudziak are excellent examples of this.

PAP: How do you assess the risk of disinformation in social media?

This is significant. Social media can be an arena for disinformation activities, both by corporations and states. This is evident in the case of TikTok, whose ownership structure raises questions. However, similar problems also affect Facebook and X. Therefore, building user awareness and institutional accountability are crucial. The recent shift by social media platforms away from the fact-checking mechanisms implemented in the past seems significant in this regard. This makes the role of scientific communication and the related creation of valuable content based on scientific methods of data and knowledge acquisition even more important.

PAP: So it's impossible to cut yourself off from social media?

No, they are part of the modern world. Our role is to use them wisely and teach them to all generations.

Interviewed by: Mira Suchodolska (PAP)

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