Art in the city: Mindfulness through social media platforms

Here is the home page of The Mindful Minute Website! https://www.mindfulminute.world

Social media has asserted its dominance in the virtual world by connecting groups and communities, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and illustrations. Individuals vary in their usage across platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. These platforms have transformed beyond mere social media, becoming networks where individuals share personal information. Corporate industries have seized the opportunity to take their products to the virtual market, utilizing data analytics to gather and analyze information from these social platforms for business model reevaluation. Social media has played a significant role in the development of youth, impacting their self-confidence, compassion, and tendencies towards greed. Consequently, social media serves both constructive and detrimental purposes in shaping individuals from various walks of life.

This article aims to underscore the potential of social media for artistic expression, connecting with others, and accessing resources and information. After months of research, school surveys, administrator interviews, and a comprehensive understanding of the neurological benefits, particularly on platforms like Instagram, I have concluded that social media apps possess the potential to redefine their impact on teens and youth development.

Here is the YouTube page for The Mindful Minute https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA78eq_sC-eruXydqpVSGkA

My academic research, focusing on the impact of stress and negative social media use on teens’ development, led me to explore organizations addressing this issue. I found The Mindful Minute, a non-profit organization on Instagram providing free, one-minute meditations for transformative experiences. They guide students in self-discovery through self-love and mindfulness practices, aiming to empower them to trust life’s process, appreciate every moment, and let their inner light shine brighter each day. Since its launch last March, Amy Lee Flower, the Director of Meditation, has led over 7,000+ hours of mindfulness programs, workshops, assemblies, after-school programs, and self-love retreats. Kevin Froner, Principal of Hunter College High School and Co-Founder of The Mindful Minute, highlights their efforts to incorporate mindfulness into classrooms and curriculums: “The students face unique pressures, including economic uncertainty and the impact of social media and technology. To address this, we established a Mindfulness Center for students. Studies show that meditation reduces stress, resulting in healthier, happier, and more focused students. Our center also provides yoga classes.”

Here is the Instagram Page for The Mindful Minute:

https://www.instagram.com/mindfulminute/

My role with The Mindful Minute involves creating engaging motion graphics to complement their meditation recordings, aiming to capture the attention of teenagers with limited attention spans. The goal is to use social media platforms to inform them about the positive impact of meditation on their lives. This project is intended to highlight the initiative, with the aspiration that it will be implemented in more schools to benefit kids in need. Below, you can view the collaborative work I have contributed to with The Mindful Minute organization, along with my final media project, which serves as a commercial/PSA for our Instagram page. We hope to inspire you and bring peace to your life!

https://www.mindfulminute.world 

This piece was edited by Rafael De Alba as part of Professor Kelley Crawford’s Digital Civic Engagement course at Tulane University.