A recent survey found that 60% of people approve of modern technology, but only 25% approve of Twitter and 36% of Facebook. It is very telling that 80% feel social media is a waste of time, yet 70% of people still use it. It tells me many of them cannot help themselves—they are addicted.
I understand the positive aspects of social media. It’s like sex, and even food and water. But there is such a thing as too much of it, and using it for the wrong reasons. Like any new technology, social media will soon find a more balanced, rational niche. I was not around, but I have read that when X-ray s first came out, shoe stores got them to x-ray customers’ feet for a better fit.
References
Some psychiatrists say Internet addiction may affect up to eight percent of Americans
“Reuters (1/27, Borter) reported some “psychiatrists say internet addiction, characterized by a loss of control over internet use and disregard for the consequences of it, affects up to eight percent of Americans and is becoming more common around the world.” But “neither the World Health Organization (WHO) nor the American Psychiatric Association recognize internet addiction as a disorder.” In 2018, “however, the WHO recognized the more specific Gaming Disorder following years of research in China, South Korea, and Taiwan, where” experts “have called it a public health crisis.”
AD/HD in teens linked to higher digital media use
“The Wall Street Journal (7/17, Hernandez, Morris, Subscription Publication) reports that frequent use of digital media by adolescents may be associated with an increased risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), researchers concluded after following some 2,500 teenagers over two years. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. CNN (7/17, Howard) reports that the study’s “results ‘affirm the 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines to prioritize activities that promote adolescent executive functioning and well-being, including sleep, physical activity, distraction-free homework, and positive interactions with family and friends,’ wrote” Jenny Radesky, M.D., “who was a lead author of the academy’s guidelines for young children.”
Sudden and large drop in teen happiness with smartphone proliferation
“The Washington Post (1/22, Bahrampour) reports researchers have tied “a sudden and large drop in adolescents’ happiness with the proliferation of smartphones and finding that the more hours a day teens spend in front of screens, the less satisfied they are.” Their report, called “Decreases in Psychological Well-Being Among American Adolescents After 2012 and Links to Screen Time During the Rise of Smartphone Technology,” was published online Jan. 22 in the journal Emotion. In arriving at their conclusions, the study authors analyzed data from “a large national survey of eighth, 10th and 12th graders conducted annually by the University of Michigan.”
Heavy use of social media and feelings of social isolation
“The NPR (3/6, Hobson) “Shots” blog reports that among young adults, “heavy use of platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram was associated with feelings of social isolation,” researchers found after surveying “1,787 US adults ages 19 to 32” and asking “them about their usage of 11 social media platforms outside of work.” The findings were published online March 6 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.”
Social media increasing stress levels in Americans
“Bloomberg News (2/23, Shanker) reports that last week the American Psychological Association “released a study finding that Americans were experiencing the first statistically significant stress increase in the survey’s 10-year history.” Bloomberg explains that “in January, 57 percent of respondents of all political stripes said the U.S. political climate was a very or somewhat significant source of stress, up from 52 percent who said the same thing in August.” Meanwhile, “on Thursday, the” group “released the second part of its findings,” which indicated “43 percent of Americans say they are checking their e-mails, texts, or social media accounts constantly. And their stress levels are paying for it: On a 10-point scale, constant checkers reported an average stress level of 5.3.”
The relationship between addictive use of social media, narcissism, and self-esteem
J. Addictive Behaviors 2017;64:287
Association between social media use and depression among U.S. young adults
J. Depression and Anxiety Jan 19 2016
