Should we delete our social media?

Have you (recently) gone a whole day without going on social media? Personally I couldn’t last more than an hour without checking Snapchat or Instagram. The average 16-24-year-old spends a median of 3 hours a day on social media. Are we millennials becoming addicted to social media?

Although most people are capable of scrolling through their social media feeds casually, psychologists estimate that as many as 5 to 10% of Americans suffer from Problematic Social Media use – an addiction to social media.

According to the Addiction Center social media addiction is: “a behavioural addiction that is characterised as being overly concerned about social media, driven by an uncontrollable urge 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”.

So why do we become so addicted to social media? Studies have shown that the constant use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram etc. has a stimulating effect on the brain, as the stream of retweets, likes and comments triggers the same kind of chemical reaction as other drugs, such as cocaine. When a person posts a picture and gets positive social feedback, it stimulates the brain to release dopamine.

• 

• 

So should we just delete all our social media? What does becoming addicted to it do to us? Much like other substance disorders, it can not only cause unhappiness and a general dissatisfaction with life in users, but also increase the risk of developing mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Research has shown that there is an undeniable link between social media use and mental health problems. This is not surprising at all. Who doesn’t compare their feed to that stunning model whose just gone on their fifth holiday of the year? We are constantly comparing ourselves to unrealistic and impossible realities.

• 

• 

Despite all the negatives of social media, there are many positive side effects too. Take right now for example. We are in the midst of global chaos, where we rely on media to deliver us vital news about the Coronavirus. We rely on social media to keep in contact with out friends and family and to check on how they are doing. Without social media this would be an incredibly lonely time for everyone.

To summarise, I don’t think we should delete all social media. It can have negative affects if we let ourselves become addicted, but we must always remember that everyone is always showing their best lives on social media. Those that appear the happiest on social media tend to be the saddest in real life.

“We are a sad generation with happy pictures.” – Adil Hassan

What do you think, should we delete our social media? Comment below and continue the discussion! 🙂