Social media addiction is depicted by acts of compulsive behaviors which have negative effects on health, work, and school. Spending too much time online wastes away your day and you become less productive. Also, the stagnation in one place could open you up to illnesses due to prolonged inactivity. Addiction to social media also, makes you less social with others outside your comfort zone. Recent researchers have shown that social media addiction could be worse than cigarettes addiction.
What causes social media addiction?
Brain Chemistry
A study from Harvard University suggests that social media platforms are physically and psychologically addictive. It states that self-disclosure online fires a part of the brain that lights up similarly to when taking an addictive substance. This implies that the more time we spend online or across different platforms the more likely we are to get addicted to them.
Herein are some of the reasons
Social Media Era
We are living in the era of smartphones, computers, and social media. An average person spends about an hour of their day on social media. With over two billion worldwide social network users, you will find people trying to interact with people from other places or admiring their models and celebrities. Uncontrolled time online could lead to social media addiction. Being on more than three social media platforms could bring about addiction where you want to spend time on all of them.
Social Validation
When you get recognition from people online, you tend to feel excited and important. For this reason, most people upload their pictures or videos to get likes and comments from other users. As with current trends, dressing to impress and outgoing doesn’t get you compliments anymore, but upload a nice photo online and you will get a horde of suitors and admirers. This constant wanting social feedback could bring about social media addiction. Social media like Facebook is an extension of our offline world. This means that people will want others to see them in personalized environments, social relationships, and interests.
Fear of Missing Out
Most people especially those belonging to a particular peer-age bracket like to be similar all ways possible. Those who deviate from the norm are seen as losers or boring and are highly stereotyped. For this reason, people will want to conform to their peers by joining the many online platforms. They want to fit in as part of the whole. They will constantly check on what their counterparts have posted and also do so to remain up to speed. This prolonged behavior could result in social media addiction.
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