Addiction and Negative Consequences of Social Networks

Social media has become a vital tool and an innovative phenomenon for all people around the globe in the last decade. Platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter are used by millions of people every day to communicate instantly and connect with one another by sharing experiences. Prensky al states that because of the widespread use of social media, adolescents in particular, adapt to new technology faster and thus provides a haven for younger generations to fulfil their needs of self-expression and develop identities without interference from outside authorities. 

Social networking lets people create profiles containing information about themselves and connect to others in order to expand their personal networks. However, social media raises an interesting yet fundamental paradox: while it may enhance the feeling of social connectedness and produce social and psychological well-being, it conversely exposes potential negative impacts such as alienation and exclusion to the minds of young adolescents. 

Most evaluations of social network usage are based on the number of platforms accessed per day and the amount of usage each day, however, only a few studies have concretely classified the behavioural standards of SNS addiction. Though many research has studied addiction among smartphone use and addictive behaviour among avid drug consumers, studies that focus on social media addiction are quite scarce. Thus, this essay will focus on the use of social media and the components that constitute a said “addiction”. 

The possible intersectionality of addictive behaviour and social networking use have yet to be discussed and will be further investigated through this essay. “Addictive behaviour” as defined by Marlatt et al as follows: “a repetitive habit pattern that increases the risk of disease and/or associated personal and social problems” or “the behaviour continues to occur despite volitional attempts to abstain or moderate use”. It is very much a common problem in our modern society concerning the addiction to social media due to the development of technologies and valuable resources on social networking sites. Boyd & Ellison define Social Network Sites as: Web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semipublic profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system the nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. Kuss et al explain that SNS addictions are not formally recognized as a diagnosis, though internet gaming, with quite a large overlap in concept, is. Behavioural addiction such as social media share the same key components and similarities with gaming disorders. To be specific, Griffith et al introduce the model of addiction that proposes the six basic processes of all addictions: tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, salience, relapse, and mood modification. Such excessive and compulsive use of social media use should thus be manifested by being preoccupied by social media, using social media in order to reduce negative feelings, gradually using social media more and more in order to get the same pleasure from it, suffering distress if prohibited from using social media, sacrificing other obligations and/ or causing harm to other important life areas because of the social media use, and desiring or attempting to control the use of social media without success. In spite of any temporary and immediate gratifying effects derived from social networking, long-term excessive and compulsive social networking are seldom beneficial and is by definition unhealthy. Regarding outcome research, identified correlates suggest that SNS addicts suffer from emotional, relational, health-related, and performance problems. Andreassen & Pallesen then defines SNS addiction as “being overly concerned about social media, driven by an uncontrollable motivation to log on to or use social media, and devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other important life areas”. 

Rothen et al emphasized the use of a particularly popular social media platform: Facebook. He states that “The success of SNSs can be viewed as being closely tied to the inherent human need to belong to communities and obtain the social acceptance and gratification”. Rothen focuses on the impacts of social media such as a sense of connectedness, direct communication, as well as a surplus impact on social capital. However, Baek et al stressed that social media can increase the feeling of loneliness and thus decrease direct face to face communication. Rothen’s research results show that specific usage preferences and impulsive personality traits are related to the problematic use of FB. 

These traits often lead to problematic behaviours that affect our inability of control. This can include maladaptive emotion regulation, reduction in inhibitory control such as poor decision making, alcohol abuse, compulsive buying, and a significant deficiency on executive controls. The effect of social media use on individuals’ abilities to exhibit self-control is concerning, given the increased time people are spending using social networks in part due to the worldwide proliferation of access to social media anywhere anytime. 

For adolescents living in developed nations, digital technology has become an integral aspect of their culture, their education, and more broadly, their life. These adolescents are more likely to experience the components of addiction, solely due to the fact that they are constantly exposed to social media. Because self-control is important for maintaining social order and personal well-being, this sensation of quick and instantaneous social connection could have widespread impact. This is particularly true for adolescents and young adults who are the heaviest users of social media and have grown up using social networks as a normal part of their daily lives. Some limitations and questions I raise in regards to this topic follows; Is there a saturation point at which social media loses impact for adolescents as they transition to adulthood, a period during which they might replace online socializing with a more intensive offline group and individual socializing? Or, are the effects of social media exponential for some individuals, with increasing dependence on online social interactions playing a more significant role than offline as they transition to adulthood? If being constantly exposed to social media influence SNS addictions, could cultural norms and societal standards shape our behaviour and/or attitudes toward social media? Example being repression of urges, activities they engage in and ability to exercise self-control when intending to do so.

Lastly, if emotions impact our perception of processing information, could each individual’s experience of social media impact the level of social connectedness that one feels? If SNS addiction becomes recognized as an official medical disorder, what would be possible cures or preventive measures that could be taken to lessen the effects? The possibility of these relationships is important to consider when interpreting future findings regarding the nature of social media and addictive behaviour. 

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