Social media is addictive but at what point does it actually become addictive?
There are many people in the world that use social media and some can’t even go a few hours without checking their feeds. Social media is a serious concern and has a huge impact on most people’s daily lives.
It is hard to tell when a fondness for an activity becomes a dependency and crosses the line into a damaging habit or addiction, but social media becomes an addiction when the person’s use of social media starts to create problems with their daily lives. Things that the person may notice becoming problematic include responsibilities, relationships or work/school. This is dangerous for the person as they are jeopardising the things that matter most to them, to spend more time on their phones. They may begin loosing contact with friends, peers or family as a result since they are becoming overly 'anti-social'.
Most of the time, people may often not be aware if they are addicted to social media but others around them can easily see how excessive their use of it is, and how quickly it is becoming an issue not just to them, but also to the people who care for them most.
Research shows that an addiction to social media can be stronger than an addiction to alcohol or cigarettes. In one study, an MRI was set up to track peoples brain activity when they talk about themselves, as they would on social media. It concluded that it stimulates the brain's pleasure centers just as sexual intercourse or food would. This goes to show just how overpowering and addictive social media can be and why it is.
There are many people in the world that use social media and some can’t even go a few hours without checking their feeds. Social media is a serious concern and has a huge impact on most people’s daily lives.
It is hard to tell when a fondness for an activity becomes a dependency and crosses the line into a damaging habit or addiction, but social media becomes an addiction when the person’s use of social media starts to create problems with their daily lives. Things that the person may notice becoming problematic include responsibilities, relationships or work/school. This is dangerous for the person as they are jeopardising the things that matter most to them, to spend more time on their phones. They may begin loosing contact with friends, peers or family as a result since they are becoming overly 'anti-social'.
Most of the time, people may often not be aware if they are addicted to social media but others around them can easily see how excessive their use of it is, and how quickly it is becoming an issue not just to them, but also to the people who care for them most.
Research shows that an addiction to social media can be stronger than an addiction to alcohol or cigarettes. In one study, an MRI was set up to track peoples brain activity when they talk about themselves, as they would on social media. It concluded that it stimulates the brain's pleasure centers just as sexual intercourse or food would. This goes to show just how overpowering and addictive social media can be and why it is.