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Why is Social Media so Addictive?

social-media-addiction

Did you know a recent research revealed that people found it easier to refrain from tobacco and alcohol when compared to completely avoiding social media from their lives? It may sound absurd at first but coincidentally social media happens to trigger similar centers in your brain as a drug would.

So what makes social media so addictive (and potentially dangerous) in the first place? Let’s find out.

Social Validation

An essential part of being human, the feeling of being accepted in society supersedes a lot of our emotions. A Facebook ‘Like’ or a Twitter ‘Favorite’ is a social signal that makes us feel good. When someone likes an Instagram post, the brain triggers certain neurotransmitters like dopamine which induces happiness, and as mentioned before, the feeling is much similar to the effect of an addictive drug like Heroin. Hence this concept creates a High of sorts and can be very difficult to control the compulsion of posting potentially ‘likeable’ posts.

The Need to Stay Connected

Our need to be connected is universal and unavoidable; Social platforms have the power to amplify this human nature. They have broken the barriers of distance and time, of presence and visibility and have expanded the possibilities of sharing and playing identities. Being in touch with others, allows us to create social universes made of symbols like language, numbers, gestures, emoticons  and social rules, which are shared and understood by everybody. Therefore staying away from social media creates FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), and when we notice others are doing something that excludes us, we may start to feel negative about ourselves

Ego

Social Media gives you the opportunity to showcase yourself and it’s that obsession that leads us to constantly update our status and tag ourselves in pictures. This creates your own personal bubble, which makes you compare yourself to others by assessing feelings, strengths, weaknesses, abilities and perspectives. Our emotional attraction appears to be tied to having an audience more than to connect socially, as having your social connections praise you makes you feel good.

Social Media Rehab?

Here are the steps you can take to beat your social media addiction:

  • Limit your usage
  • Un-follow your guilty pleasures
  • Do something productive instead
  • Take a social media detox

In Conclusion

Although social media may target at our insecurities and suck as in, at its core, it’s about the good the good in the world and seeing it on ourselves as well as recognizing it in others and passing that message on.

Good and bad compromises most of the things we deal with and social media falls into that category as well. At the end of the day it’s about what you choose to focus on!

Guest Credits: Dr Shayan Imran

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