Written By: Libbie Fang
Introduction:
The digital age has introduced an abundance of innovations to the human race, one of them being social media. Social media allows individuals to participate in social networking digitally. Although social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok provide a platform for individuals to access and share information efficiently, many individuals often become obsessed with social media sites, either with how their profile can be perceived or with comparing themselves to other accounts. Social media has now become a prevalent issue that severely impacts a vast number of the population.
What is social media addiction?
Essentially, social media addiction can be defined as having an unhealthy level of dependence on social networking sites and addicts may find it difficult to control or restrict their use of social media.
Identifying a Social Media Addiction:
Individuals can assess whether their social media usage is healthy by examining various behaviors associated with social media addiction.
Such behaviors include:
Prioritizing social media over work or school
Using social media excessively throughout daily activities
Constant thoughts about social media
Negative feelings when social media usage decreases
How does social media become so addicting?
To understand why social media addiction occurs, it is crucial to understand the role that dopamine plays in addiction. Dopamine, also known as the “feel-good hormone”, is a neurotransmitter involved with one’s feelings of pleasure. Through social media usage, the brain’s reward system is triggered, allowing dopamine to be released. Elements in social media, such as likes, comments, retweets, and more, tend to trigger the brain’s reward center because it helps users feel validated.
This immediate reward, which comes without much effort, can be negative because the brain would then associate social media usage with being a “rewarding” activity. Therefore, the action of social media use would be viewed as positive and an action that the body desires to repeat continuously, causing an addiction.
In addition, many social networking sites contain algorithms that keep consumers hooked and engaged in their products. An example of this can be notifications, which strategically notify users during specific times to remind users of the app and allows for the brain’s reward area to- again-release dopamine, creating a cycle of repeated social media usage.
Furthermore, the chemical reaction that occurs in the brain when one uses social media is extremely similar to the reaction that happens when one uses addictive substances such as cocaine, which is why it is so harmful. Ultimately, if one has a psychological dependency on social media and relies on it to cope with negative feelings of sadness, isolation, or stress, they may be at a greater risk of developing an addiction to social media as a result of receiving feelings of reward that they do not receive in real life.
How does having a social media addiction affect individuals?
Although addiction to social media may manifest in different ways for each individual, the most common symptoms include low self-esteem (as a result of comparing one’s life to what one sees on social media platforms), FOMO (fear of missing out), feelings of loneliness, anxiety, depression, and even sleep pattern disruptions.
What you can do/how to help yourself
After being aware that social media addiction may be a potential issue, it can be helpful to find ways to decrease the use of social media and detach from it. For instance, it could be worthwhile to try limiting your daily screen time by deleting social media sites on your phone and accessing them through other devices like a laptop. It is also recommended to keep devices out of the bedroom and direct your focus on your hobbies.
Conclusion
Although social media has its benefits, they are certainly on the surface level. Beneath the surface lies the risk of a toxic cycle that affects a large portion of society. All in all, it is important to understand social media’s effect on the human brain and its impact on our daily lives. Therefore, finding a balance with social media usage can help users better utilize this tool and steer away from addiction.
Sources
Cherney, K. (2020, August 6). What Is Social Media Addiction? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/social-media-addiction#overview
Cleveland Clinic Medical Professional. (2022, March 23). Dopamine. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22581-dopamine
Hilliard, J. (2023, April 3). Social Media Addiction. Addiction Center. https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/
Wigmore, I. (2019). Social Media Addiction. WhatIs.com. https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/social-media-addiction#:~:text=Social%20media%20addiction%20is%20an,the%20problem%20is%20social%20isolation
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