Is social media addictive?
In present time social-media has become the primary means of communication in the world. Social media enables us to share our thoughts, ideas, news, information, and documents etc. There is always a question mark over social media – whether it boon for us or a curse. But we can’t deny the fact that social media has made us more advanced and it has brought a revolutionary change in the field of communication.
In this modern world, social media has occupied a separate place in our life. It has become a part and parcel of our life. Generally, social media is a group of websites or applications where we can share our thoughts, ideas, moments and different information in no time. The use of social media plays a vital role in globalization and it has brought a remarkable change in the field of communication.
But there are both advantages and disadvantages of social media. Lots of people think that social media is a blessing for us, but some others consider it as a curse on human civilization in the name of advancement of technology. No doubt due to the popularity of social media now we can get united in a very short time, can take opinion from different people on an issue in just a click, but we have also witnessed different anti-social activities those are fueled by social media. So, the discussion on whether social media is a boon or curse for us will go on always.
Social media plays a vital role in our society and lives today. With the popularity of social media now different information have become accessible to us. In ancient time we need to go through a number of books to find out a piece of information. Now we can get in social networking sites by asking it from our friends.
We have both the positive and negative effects of social media on the society. We can get connected easily through social media, can share or access information, thoughts, ideas, news etc. Now a day it has also been seen that social media has become a useful tool to spread awareness. On the other hand, social media marketing has brought the business to another level.
But we can’t deny the fact that there are some disadvantages of social media too. Some physician opines that excessive use of social media is one of the main causes of anxiety and depression for most of the people. It can also cause a sleep disorder.
In conclusion, we can say that there are lots of advantages of social media. It can be used for the benefit of the human being if we use it properly.
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A clear picture of how the world revolves around social media!
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Social media has some kind of big influence on everyone in a way that we all probably use social media in our day to day lives.Been it personal or business, social media is very essential in our lives. We have apps or sites for communication, entertainment, business platforms and many more. You can use social media for literary everything you can think of!
This is a short video to talk about what social media is all about..
We are all in a way addicted to social media. If I should ask many people have a particular site or app they mostly use everyday.
Checking and scrolling through social media has become an increasingly popular activity over the last decade. Although the majority of peoples’ use of social media is non-problematic, there is a small percentage of users that become addicted to social networking sites and engage in excessive or compulsive use. In fact, psychologists estimate that as many as 5 to 10% of Americans meet the criteria for social media addiction today. Social media addiction is a behavioral addiction that is characterized as being overly concerned about social media, driven by an uncontrollable urge to log on to or use social media, and devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other important life areas.Addictive social media use will look much like any other substance use disorder and may include mood modification (i.e., engagement in social media leads to a favorable change in emotional states), salience (i.e., behavioral, cognitive, and emotional preoccupation with social media), tolerance (i.e., ever-increasing use of social media over time), withdrawal symptoms (i.e., experiencing unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms when social media use is restricted or stopped), conflict (i.e., interpersonal problems ensue because of social media usage), and relapse (i.e., addicted individuals quickly revert back to their excessive social media usage after an abstinence period).
The phenomena of social media addiction can be largely attributed to the dopamine-inducing social environments that social networking sites provide. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram produce the same neural circuitry that is caused by gambling and recreational drugs to keep consumers using their products as much as possible. Studies have shown that the constant stream of retweets, likes, and shares from these sites cause the brain’s reward area to trigger the same kind of chemical reaction seen with drugs like Cocaine. In fact, neuroscientists have compared social media interaction to a syringe of dopamine being injected straight into the system.
Due to the effect that it has on the brain, social media is addictive both physically and psychologically. According to a new study by Harvard University, self-disclosure on social networking sites lights up the same part of the brain that also ignites when taking an addictive substance. The reward area in the brain and its chemical messenger pathways affect decisions and sensations. When someone experiences something rewarding or uses an addictive substance, neurons in the principal dopamine-producing areas in the brain are activated and dopamine levels rise. Therefore, the brain receives a “reward” and associates the drug or activity with positive reinforcement.
This is observable in social media usage; when an individual gets a notification, such as a like or mention, the brain receives a rush of dopamine and sends it along reward pathways, causing the individual to feel pleasure. Social media provides an endless amount of immediate rewards in the form of attention from others for relatively minimal effort. The brain rewires itself through this positive reinforcement, making people desire likes, retweets, and emoticon reactions.
Another perpetuating factor of social media addiction is the fact that the reward centers of the brain are most active when people are talking about themselves. In the non-virtual world, it’s estimated that people talk about themselves around 30 to 40% of the time; however, social media is all about showing off one’s life and accomplishments — so people talk about themselves a staggering 80% of the time. When a person posts a picture they may receive positive social feedback, which stimulates the brain to release dopamine, rewarding that behavior and perpetuating the social media habit.
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| A clear picture of people addicted to social media! |
In conclusion, social media has a negative and positive impact on everyone depending on how you use it.
Josephine Ashitey.
