It is 7 am. I am reaching for it. Where is it? I fell asleep with it in my hand. I know it is around here somewhere. Ah, there it is. Just as my eyes open to the morning light I focus on the radiant device I am holding, I swipe up, and my virtual mind is activated. Good morning cyber addiction. How is everyone in our extended world doing today? Tap icon, open facebook, Oh look! Cutten Kittens! Aweee...that gets a heart ❤️. I love catching up with all the latest while I drink my morning coffee. Speaking of which is in my new coffee mug. Time to take a pic. Click! Oh, look at me in my cute jammies with bed head and my sparkly new mug. Mwah, a Good Morning selfie for all my fellow cyber addicts to enjoy. How did I do? Oh look a 😆, I didn't think it was that funny. Great, three more likes and comment. "Good Morning Cutie. Enjoy your ☕. " So sweet I will ❤️ that. It feels so good to have a shot of dopamine with my caffeine in the morning. Time to jump in the shower. Don't worry cyberworld I will be back in just a few minutes. Then I will be able to see all the rest of your love and validation.
Is Social Media Addictive?
Clinically known as ICD, Internet Communication Disorder, social media addiction has become a real thing, especially among our youngsters. A group of students in England decided to conduct a social experiment at Haggerston High School. The challenge was to go one entire week, cold turkey, without any social media updates or messages. Out of the test group, only 1/3 were able to make it through. All of the students said it was much more difficult than they anticipated. A few of the comments made when asked about their relationship with social media;
"You have to know what everyone is doing all the time, If you don't know you have to find out."
"I use social media instead of actually going out to see people."
" I consider myself a bit of a social media addict and I would say the same thing about my friends."
Individuals that are asked to give up social media often experience symptoms common to those that are going through substance withdrawal. These include an immediate increase in heart rate just at the thought of being without social media and aggressive withdrawal symptoms during separation. One student described it as feeling as though he had lost a limb.
"As we shut off our devices, I already felt as if I had lost a limb."
A girl said she had no idea what to do with all the extra time on her hands. She said she read a few books that had been lying around for over a year. The most common feeling among the teenagers was they felt a sense of FoMO. FoMO, Fear of Missing Out is a feeling of apprehension that others are partaking in rewarding experiences while you are absent. These feelings are real and justified. A boy said when he gathered with a group of friends it felt like they had started in the middle of a conversation that he was left out of. He was having a hard time connecting and keeping up with what was going on. FoMO triggers insecurity, fear of being left behind and not fitting in. Young single females are the most likely demographic to suffer from narcissism and low self-esteem and also the highest risk for social media addiction.
A third of the world's population is on social media, that is over 1.3 Billion people. Social Media has infiltrated our lives, and for those that have grown up with it, it has become an extension of reality. Less than a decade ago people began moving away from their desktop computers and onto their smartphones. We now have the opportunity to be in touch with our social network throughout our entire day. We are given the ability to react or respond immediately. We can post anytime during the day about events that will show us in the best light. FoMO has become more apparent in today's society and is one of the leading triggers for ICD.
Common Symptoms of ICD and Substance Abuse
- anxiety
- withdrawal
- preoccupation
- neglect of interests
- negative consequences in social, academic, and personal life
Social Media Interaction Triggers Dopamine Receptors in Brain
Social media can be a tool to distract us away from negative feelings, but studies are now showing it is more than just the distraction that is making us feel better when we turn to our screens for comfort. Scientifically proven, interaction with social media triggers dopamine receptors in the brain. Dopamine is a neurochemical known as the "reward molecule". It gets released when a set goal has been achieved, for example completing a daily run or scoring well on a test. When we post online, we are also setting up goals. We are setting up goals for likes, shares, and comments. Every time we meet these goals, we receive our reward molecule, dopamine.
The Social Media Companies Know We Are Addicted
Social media companies as Whatsapp, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are not only aware that their platforms are addictive, but they have designed their systems to be as addicting as they possibly can be. They may not come right out and say this, but former social media employees are starting to speak out.
“The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works.” - Chamath Palihapitiya, Former Vice President of Human Growth at Facebook.
So What Do We Do?
We can have control over our decisions and our social media habits. For most of us, it will take a little bit of soul searching. What are we willing to give up to maintain a balance of the real world around us and the cyber world that is taking control of our brains? Having a constant connection to the internet is not all bad. It enables us to keep up to date on current events and make us more active and aware citizens of our world and our community. It gives us access to instant facts when we are in need of enlightenment. It aids us when we get lost and helps us find the nearest coffeeshops along with helpful reviews. At what point are we too connected? At what point do we become slaves to our devices? Is it when we are more involved in cyber connections than we are in our physical surroundings? Do we spend more time talking through our screens than we do face to face? Where does the line get crossed? A CNN report reveals that some teenagers are spending up to 9 hours a day engaged with social media. When we fall asleep with a phone in our hand and wake up first thing in the morning searching for it, perhaps this is when we need to reassess.
References:
Fmr. Facebook Exec: Social Media Ripping Apart Society, “You are programmed." [Chamath Palihapitiya]
BBC: FOMO: How the Fear of Missing Out drives social media 'addiction.'
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39129228
University of Mary Washington, United States: Extraversion, neuroticism, attachment style and fear of missing out as predictors of social media use and addiction
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.039
Elisa Wegmann, Ursula Oberst, Benjamin Stodta, Matthias Brand: Online-specific fear of missing out and Internet-use expectancies contribute to symptoms of Internet-communication disorder
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2017.04.001