Social Media Addiction

addictive like drugs

8 min readNov 6, 2021

Introduction

Hello guys. In this article, we’ll talk about Social media addiction, overuse of social media, psychological and mental impact, side effects of developing social media addiction, and the final solution to this problem. So read the article till the end to find out how you can avoid or reduce the addiction.

Let’s begin with the article.

Studies show that social media play a vital -and, to a large degree, unavoidable- role in our lives.

What is social media addiction?

When we hear the word addiction, we think of drug or alcohol addiction but have we ever thought of social media overuse? No. It never crosses our minds.

To begin, let us all agree that a tendency to waste time on social media is in no way similar to the problems caused by drug addiction. It isn’t the same at all. It’s a long way off. But just because there isn’t a comparable issue doesn’t rule out the possibility of one.

When we spend the majority of our days scrolling on social media, we miss out on truly experiencing our lives. We try to stay away from merging into this environment.

Previously, excessive usage of social media was not considered an addiction. Nevertheless, in just the last decade, the use and effects of social media have become extremely comparable to addictive substances.

Overuse of Social media

let me ask you a few questions…

When was the last time you went a day or at least an hour without checking Facebook or Instagram?

When was the last time you had a great time to the extent that you forgot to post it on social media?

When was the last time you talked to someone as confidently as you do on chatting?

You don't even remember.

The truth is that...

We tried to lose our loneliness, but we lose our creativity, our humanity and so much more and we don’t even realize it.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/

Statista reports that the average person spends 145 minutes per day on social media.

Mental and psychological impacts

Indeed, there is something similar between social media and other addictive substances. But what is it? Its impacts on human health, whether psychological or mental.

Posting on social media networks such as Twitter Facebook is a quick and easy way to update our followers on what we are up to or what we have done. But it questions our assumed self-identification with our digital identity (who we identify as online).

Furthermore, communication becomes unavoidably complex and twisted when we use social media; by using emoji we try to express our reactions which can be untrue or fake.

Individual posts on social media may appear enjoyable and attractive, yet they continue to have a negative impact on people's mental health all across the world.

The psychology of social media addiction proves that the Internet has become the backbone of society in most countries. People prefer searching on google or asking from a friend online rather than reading from a book and finding it themselves.

Furthermore, they don't spend hours continuously on social media, instead, they dip in and out of these sites throughout the day checking for updates from friends and family, the latest news, and information.

However, in recent years, the behaviors linked with excessive usage of these channels have become the topic of much public and societal debate.

Having a social media addiction does not necessarily mean that you use it all of the time; rather, it means that you can’t function without it. The overuse of social media may be both distracting and time-wasting.

People prefer to look at others’ photographs and take their time to polish their remarks and participate in a more calculated way because social media eliminates the need to notice body language or read facial expressions.

Social media users are concerned with self-presentation; for example, on Instagram, they position themselves in a way that will boost their self-esteem and confidence.

There is a tendency for users to compare their lifestyles, which generates psychological pain and insecurity. People share images of their vacations, update their relationship statuses and try to show off which has a major impact on human morale and confidence.

Negative impact on human lives

“famemass” studies show that American teenagers hold the record, spending an average of 9 hours per day on various social media platforms.

Teens who spend more than 5 hours a day on their cellphones are twice as likely to develop depressive symptoms. A study was undertaken by “mediakix”.

Humans are social beings who have a desire for social interaction. but It is reasonable to believe that social networking sites can destroy mental health and peace.

Social media frequently makes us feel more anxious, for a variety of reasons that are unique to each individual.

Sometimes we are dissatisfied with our own life in comparison to those we see on social media. Other times, we are dissatisfied with how we appear in photographs or think that why our skin is not so clear like others and hence feel self-conscious about our appearance.

With the development of image alteration and editing on photo-sharing sites, social media has been connected to low self-esteem and self-image.

You are unaware of the impact that these social networking sites have on your mental health and, more importantly, your identity because they are easily masked.

The majority of the posts you make on social media are highlights of the positive aspects of our lives. When things are tough, when you get terrible marks in exams, or when you lose a job, you don’t post.

Instead, when you are joyful, you post it on social media letting others know that you are happy and trying to convey the image that you have a perfect lifestyle. These misconceptions are truly deceiving, not only to others but you are lying to yourselves too.

As a result, social media resembles a perfect version of how you imagine your lives to be. When reality sets in and you realize that the world outside of the social media bubble does not always live up to the happy moments that you see everyone else have, you can often feel a constant sense of disappointment, a lack of pleasure, and anxiety about how others perceive you, all of which can have a negative impact on your mental health.

You might start acting weird, ignore your obligations, skip your hobbies may be because you no longer enjoy them. And convince yourself that you are living your digital life.

Nevertheless, you cannot hide from reality at the end of the day.
To some extent, practically everyone who uses social media suffers from the vulnerability of imperfection and self-identity challenges posed by social media.

Only by removing yourself from social media’s illusions, you can achieve true happiness.

Side effects of developing social media addiction

What happens when you develop a social media addiction?
1. Lack of self-esteem.
2. Depression.
3. Anxiety.
4. Lack of pleasure
5. Unproductive
6. Destroy mental peace

Other negative impacts include:
• Being a target of harassment.
• Making friends is difficult.
• Checking the phone every few minutes.
• Using the phone while participating in social events.

Above mentioned are side effects which make you feel terrible about yourself. You lose your original self while trying to portray someone you aren’t on social media.

Now the main question is, how can we avoid social media addiction? Or if we are already addicted to social media, how can we limit our usage or reduce our addiction?

Steps to reduce your addiction

1. Set aside at least three hours each day when you don’t use any social media networks. It may be challenging at first, but I promise you’ll enjoy it.

2. Put your phone away from you or switch it off when it’s time to sleep or work so that you can’t be distracted. If you’re having trouble looking away from your phone screen, there are a few apps and websites that can help. FOR EXAMPLE; Forest.

3. Have a “Social Media-Free” day at least once or twice a week. It may be a weekend when you have the freest time or a Monday when you have the most work.

4. On your social media platforms, turn off all alerts and notifications. It’s surprisingly simple. You know all social networking sites strive to maintain your interest for as long as possible, don't give them a chance to distract you.

5. if you are suffering from depression, Stuck in a trap of envy and comparison, or can’t get done with your most important work? Quit social media. Quit. You may be amazed at how little you are missing.
And trust me you won’t regret it.

Conclusion

Perhaps limiting social media use or even removing the applications for a period of time is in order. Alternatively, you may try to be more conscious of when you feel shame, uncertainty, or disappointment as a result of social media and try to think more positively.

Take a step back. Realize that you just know a portion of the narrative, the digital version, and don’t take these posts at face value or assume that others have better lives. The first step toward gaining a better understanding of social media usage on campus is to treat it as a serious addiction.

This addiction is costing you. It is costing your progress toward your goals as well as connecting with the people in your life. It is robbing you of your happiness and well-being. Is that a fair price to pay for approval, attention, and fake love you get?

It also implies that you must accept that we are all flawed, regardless of how we or others appear on the internet. It requires transforming ourselves into a compassionate community that accepts and cherishes each other’s flaws.