In the last decade, checking and scrolling through social media has risen in popularity. Most people can use social media without any issues, but a small percentage develops an addiction and starts using the sites excessively or compulsively. As a matter of fact, a recent survey found that 10% of U.S. adults met the criteria for social media addiction. To be addicted to social media is to be preoccupied with it, to feel an irresistible need to access it, and to devote so much time and energy to it that it interferes with other important aspects of one’s life.
Like other substance use disorders, social media addiction can manifest in a number of ways. These include: altered mood (when using social media, one’s mood improves), increased interest in and use of social media (salience), increased use of social media (tolerance), and the onset of withdrawal symptoms (when using social media is cut back or stopped) (withdrawal) (i.e., addicted individuals quickly revert back to their excessive social media usage after an abstinence period).
The dopamine-inducing social environments provided by social networking sites are largely responsible for the emergence of social media addiction. To ensure maximum user engagement, social media like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram trigger the same reward pathways in the brain as gambling and recreational drugs. Research has shown that similar chemical reactions to those seen with drugs like cocaine are triggered in the brain’s reward area by the constant stream of retweets, likes, and shares from these sites. Neuroscientists have even likened the rush from engaging with others on social media to getting a shot of dopamine.
A Neuroscientist Explores The Impact Of Social Media On The Mind
Social media has a psychological and physiological addictive quality because of its effect on the brain. The same part of the brain that is activated when taking an addictive substance is also activated when someone discloses personal information about themselves on social networking sites, according to new research from Harvard University. Choices and feelings are influenced by the reward centre of the brain and the chemical messenger pathways that connect to it. Neurons in the primary dopamine-producing areas of the brain are activated and dopamine levels rise when someone has a pleasurable experience or uses an addictive substance. This “reward” causes the brain to form a favourable association with the drug or activity.
This is evident in people’s responses to social media likes and mentions, which trigger a release of dopamine in the brain and a sense of well-being via the reward system. In the form of others’ appreciation, the social media instant gratification is virtually endless. People’s brains are rewired by this reinforcement to seek out social media interactions such as likes, retweets, and emoticons.
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Because the brain’s reward centres are most active when people are discussing themselves, social media use often becomes compulsive. Social media is all about showing off one’s life and accomplishments, so it’s no surprise that people spend 80% of their time talking about themselves. This is in stark contrast to the non-virtual world, where small talk about oneself accounts for only 30% to 40% of all conversations. Positive social feedback after posting a photo can trigger the release of dopamine, which reinforces the behaviour and encourages the user to keep posting photos.
When people rely heavily on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to deal with negative emotions like stress, isolation, and depression, that’s when things get out of hand. These people are more likely to engage in social media use because it provides them with constant rewards that they aren’t getting elsewhere. Constant use can lead to a variety of social issues, including the neglect of one’s loved ones, one’s responsibilities at home, at work, and at school, and one’s own health, all of which can have a negative impact on one’s mood. As a result, people with low self-esteem are more likely to turn to social networking behaviours like these in an effort to lift their spirits. Repeatedly using social media to cope with negative emotions is a cycle that can lead to psychological dependence on the platform.
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Scientific studies have found a correlation between time spent on social media and poor psychological well-being and low self-esteem. While there are positive aspects to using social media, doing so excessively can lead to feelings of depression and isolation. Both the peer pressure to share and the encouragement to compare one’s own material possessions and way of life contribute to these negative emotional responses.
Users of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook are exposed to “curated content,” or ads and posts that have been selected because they are likely to pique the interests of those users. Users may experience feelings of joy or inspiration after reading posts about other people’s wonderful jobs, wonderful partners, or beautiful homes. However, others may view these images on social media and be left feeling envious, depressed, or even suicidal because they themselves do not live a “perfect” life.
Recent research has shown that regular social media users tend to assume that their peers are happier and more successful than they are, especially if they don’t know them in real life. The perfect, filtered, and edited online versions of others that are so prevalent on social media can cause users to compare themselves unfavourably to their own more authentic offline selves, which can have negative effects on their mental health and their sense of identity. Excessive use of social media is associated with an increased risk of developing mental health issues like anxiety and depression, in addition to causing user unhappiness and general dissatisfaction with life. Social anxiety disorder is often the result of a person’s constant need to evaluate themselves in relation to others, which can lead to feelings of self-consciousness or a need for perfectionism and order.
As with other forms of social anxiety, online media use can amplify the fear of missing out (FOMO), the intense worry that one will be left out of social activities or events that their peers are participating in. Users may worry that no one misses them after seeing pictures of parties to which they were not invited or glimpses of fun outings they were unable to attend due to work or school obligations, and may even worry that they will be forgotten because they were not present. An individual’s sense of self-worth can take a hit due to FOMO, leading to compulsive checking of social media to make sure they aren’t missing out on anything. This can be disruptive in the workplace or the classroom. A Harvard University study found that heavy social media use negatively impacts users’ mental health, leading to problems with their personal relationships and academic performance in the real world.
Young People Who Are In Danger
Children who spend three or more hours per day on social media are more likely to show signs of poor mental health, according to a recent study. Because their brains and social skills are still developing, young people’s excessive use of social networking sites presents a particularly serious risk. Adolescents who start using social media regularly at a young age have severely diminished people skills, according to studies. Although users are interacting with one another on these platforms, not all of these interactions are useful in the real world. Social anxiety in groups is exacerbated, depressive symptoms are more common, they have a poor perception of themselves physically, and they show less empathy and compassion toward others, according to studies.
A study conducted by researchers at California State University found that compared to those who used social media less frequently (less than 9 times per week), those who visited at least one social media site 58 times per week were more than three times as likely to report feelings of social isolation and depression.
In addition to lowering self-esteem and leading to eating disorders, the constant barrage of perfectly filtered photos that appear on social networking sites is to blame. The pressure to compare oneself to one’s peers is strong, even though many teenagers are aware that their peers only post their best photos and moments on social media. Adolescents’ perceptions of their bodies can be influenced by their prolonged exposure to unrealistic beauty standards presented on social networking sites. The University of Pittsburgh conducted a study that linked negative comments about one’s appearance with time spent on social media apps. People who used social media more often than their peers were 2.2 times more likely to report worrying about their eating and body image. Users analyse every aspect of their lives, from their physical appearance to their personal circumstances to their level of perceived success. Teens may engage in risky online behaviour such as accepting dangerous challenges or changing their appearance in an effort to increase their popularity on social media.
Online bullying is a real problem that can emerge from the competition for attention and likes. Adolescents have always been prone to name-calling, rumor-spreading, and harassment, but the prevalence of social media has given young users more opportunities to engage in these behaviours than ever before. However, both teenage boys and girls are vulnerable to cyberbullying in today’s online world. The dissemination and posting of non-consensual explicit images is a form of cyberbullying that has grown in popularity in recent years, complementing the techniques used in traditional forms of bullying. Twenty-five percent of teenagers report receiving sexually explicit images they did not request, and seven percent say that someone has shared sexually explicit images of them without their permission. Rising suicide rates among young adults have been linked to this and other forms of cyberbullying. Anxiety disorders have become increasingly common among young people as a result of the aforementioned causes.
Try to Figure Something Out
A social media addict has an overwhelming desire to use and interact on social networking sites, even though many people can use them on a daily basis without any problems. As luck would have it, the illness is highly curable, and many people have made full recoveries. Cutting back on screen time is helpful for combating problematic social media use, but if the addiction is severe, medical intervention may be necessary.
If you find it difficult to limit your use of social media and worry that you may be addicted, it can be helpful to reflect on the reasons you use these sites and the benefits and drawbacks you’ve experienced from using them. It’s illogical, to put it mildly, to keep on doing the same things over and over again and expect a different outcome. The good news is that it is possible to limit your negative use of social media, and you are not alone. We can and should be able to have a good time with our social selves and our online neighbours because we’re all in this together. If you’re ready to break up with social media for good, now is the time to seek help from a therapist.