Social Media Addiction Essay Example

It starts as a way of comfort and slowly leads to issues we can’t control. Human behaviour can change dramatically when social media is used for comfort rather than as a source of entertainment. Although many find joy while scrolling through social media, it adapts the way we behave subconsciously; particularly when it is used as an escape. The reason we are comforted by going online is because of the sense of belonging we feel and the distractions from reality we experience. Both are secretly altering our behaviour and manipulating our minds into becoming addicted to this so-called “comfort” when in reality is a place for awful consequences to arise. While I agree social media can at times feel fulfilling, over time it takes a turn for the worse. It appears to me that social media and the comfort it provides can negatively affect human behaviour through the aspects of cyberbullying, feelings of dissatisfaction, and poor decision-making; the dreadful outcomes of this obsessive, addicting form of interaction.

Messaging through social media is one of the many reasons we feel comforted while online — to feel we have others to talk to. However, with countless people online, going to social media excessively for comfort is where cyberbullying is prone to happen. Yehuda Peled, an author at Science Direct writes “cyberbullying literature suggests that victims generally manifest phycological problems such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem, social exclusion, school phobias, and poor academic performance”. Our behaviours in all settings of life degrade. In this same article “delinquent behaviour brings them to experience suicidal thoughts as a means of escaping the torture”. Going to social media for comfort will only make your online life grimmer as anonymous or even known users can lead you to develop these insufferable feelings. Essentially, using social media excessively for alleviation is where cyberbullying is susceptible to show up.

As we stare into our screens, we are hit with unrealistic standards shown in others’ lives and compare ourselves to them in a harmful, judgemental way. The Department of Psychology at McDaniel College validates that the decrease in life satisfaction correlates to the amount of time spent on social media. Their article “Social Media Use:” discusses how comparing ourselves to individuals online regarding body image, materialistic lifestyles, and status in society can lead to anxiety, feelings of no entitlement, and jealousy. Speaking from experience, it is trembling to look to social media for a way to feel better about myself and come across things that only make my thoughts worse. Comfort from social media should make us feel safe and unharmed, not undeserving and worthless.

Social media addiction is as awful as any other. It has even been related to drug addiction which may start as a way to relax but eventually escalates to affecting our involuntary behaviours. A study conducted by the Addiction Centre selected 71 participants who completed 100 trials of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). This phycological test uses virtual playing cards to determine possible outcome patterns and challenges individuals to find the most beneficial decks. They found a direct association between how poorly participants did on the task and the amount of time they spent on social media on a daily basis. Over 90% of participants who scored below 60% admitted to being addicted to social media because of the comfort it provided them. Not to mention the similar results between cocaine and meth addicts to immoderate social media users. Diminishing decision-making is one of the devastating results found when the comfort of social media takes over our behaviour.

I believe that social media and the comfort it provides can have a harmful impact on human behaviour through the effects of cyberbullying, feelings of dissatisfaction, and worsened decision-making. All of these are the sorrowful consequences of this compulsive and comforting device which changes our behaviours involuntarily. Whether good or bad, we need to see a clear picture of what is happening to our actions and how they can affect ourselves in society and in our personal lives. Is the comfort we feel really worth the risk? Sometimes we need to turn down our screens to see the beauty and authenticity the real world has to offer.