How to Avoid Social Media Addiction: Few Ways to Protect Yourself

While there is still no official diagnosis of social media addiction, there is a growing body of research on this emerging mental health issue. The popularity of these platforms and the growing dependence of people on their functionality has increased dramatically over time. So much so that some report signs of addiction. But what is social media addiction? How do we know if this hobby has reached the threshold of excess and what can we do about it? How to avoid social media addiction? In this essay I want find out answers to these questions. 

What is social media addiction? Social media addiction is a behavioral addiction similar to drug addiction, according to a study by researchers in the Psychology Division at Nottingham Trent University. This is characterized by excessive and compulsive use of social networks and an uncontrollable urge to connect and use these networks. This use is enough to disrupt his life, ruin his relationships and negatively affect his general well-being. A person with an addiction to these social media may be unable to perform their tasks properly at work or school due to excessive use of this type of digital tools. In particular, they may have difficulty logging out or controlling their use , even in the presence of friends or family members in real life.

Another way to understand the definition of addiction and the causes and effects it does to the young adult. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine; addiction is defined as a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry. Social media addiction is caused by the“daily exposure to high technology; since social media stimulates the brain alternation and neurotransmitter release”. When using social media it “causes the brain to release dopamine which will cause an individual to feel happy'. Constant use of social media gives the individual a satisfaction due to the release of dopamine that individual is getting. The difference between normal and problematic use of social media is the view of social media as an important mechanism to live life. According to U.S News “social media use by adolescents is common: 95% report owning or having access to a smartphone, and almost 90% report they are online at least several times a day.'Consequently, when social media users repeat this cyclical pattern of relieving undesirable moods, the level of psychological dependency on social networking increases. Given these points, it is possible for young adults to be addicted to social media.

According to the study, people will also exhibit 'classic symptoms of addiction'. They may experience significant changes in mood or see noticeable changes in emotional state. The use of these social networks also takes more time in the days of these people. The dependence on these social media then becomes more and more strong over time. As a result, they will find it difficult to limit the time they spend on these platforms. After spending time on one of these networks, people also show withdrawal symptoms. For example, they may have unpleasant emotional and behavioral issues (such as being anxious and severely agitated) when social media use is stopped. They may also experience relapses after a period of abstinence.

Due to young adults being on social media, they are likely to develop mental illnesses. The two mental illnesses connected to social media addiction are depression and anxiety. According to the Journal of Applied Behavioral Research “frequent use of social media may be associated with declines in subjective well‐being and life satisfaction, and an increase in depressive symptoms”. This will result in the teens to develop depression since “they spend much less time connecting with their peers in person and more time connecting electronically, principally through social media'. While statistics show that “20% of young adults are affected by depression'. It is still upsetting that the constant use of social media will result in those individuals to develop depression. Even though the decrease with social interaction is a way for teens to develop depression, there are also teens trying to be like the people he or she sees on social media. When the young adults aspire to be like the people they see online they will find it difficult and depressing. Sometimes teens even forget that social media networks only show a second or one day a person's life. They do not really know what goes on in that individuals day to day life. As a result, teens will try to mimic that person's “perfect” lifestyle. When they fail to do so they will think that his or her life is not “perfect” and will be depressed by the fact that it is not.

According to a study published in the Human Behavior And Emerging Technologies Journal, certain factors put a person at a higher risk of developing social media addiction. In general, young people are more likely to engage in online activities and are at increased risk of developing addictive use of social media. Digital natives, or those born in the digital age are more predisposed to become overly addicted to social media. Several studies have also shown that sex can play a role as well. Men have a higher risk of developing an addiction to online games, while women are more likely to become addicted to social media. As people become more stressed, they can become more dependent on these networks. In addition to stress, a person's level of empathy can determine their risk of developing an addiction. Researchers have suggested that those who experience empathy issues and therefore may have less social skills may rely more on social media rather than in-person contacts for their social interactions. The study also talks about the relationship between low self-esteem and the use of social media. Those with low self-esteem find that social media can boost their self-image and social capital. A person who doesn't feel loved in real life can take to social media to improve their self-perception. The person derives his satisfaction from the renewed image, so he will come back for more regularly. Depression is another factor that increases a person's chances of becoming addicted to social media. A study published in the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth found 'a positive correlation between social media addiction and depression' . This means that depression significantly predicted social media addiction.

Am I addicted to social media? So how do we know if our use of social media has become excessive? Psychologists Mark Griffiths and Daria Kuss have provided a list of questions to ask if we have any doubts about our use of social media. Below are some of those questions:

• Do you spend a lot of time thinking about social media or considering using social media? (when you are not logged in)
• Do you feel the need to use social media more and more over time?
• Do you use social networks to forget about your personal problems?
• Do you often try to reduce your use of social media, without success?
• Are you worried or upset if you are unable to use social media?
• Do you use social media so much that it has had a negative impact on your work, relationships or studies?

When we understand that something going wrong with us and social media usage we can take some steps back from being addicted to it. So here are some of the ways which will tell how anyone can break social media addition on his/her own and live a healthy lifestyle. The first step in breaking social media addiction starts with questioning yourself. Because it all starts with yourself and only you are responsible for it. Ask yourself the reason why you are addicted to this social media so much. Why you prefer to open Twitter, Facebook or Instagram as your first priority? Most of you will answer ‘just for scrolling’, there’s no reason for this. Ask yourself why is it so? Are you so much frustrated from the outside world, stressed or things aren’t working in your favor? There can be many such reasons to do this so. All you have to do is find out your objective in life and hard for it so you can be able to spend less time on social media.

The second step which can help you break social media addiction is by killing or turning off your notifications. This may sound difficult or wired but can really help you a lot from disconnecting yourself from social media. If you turn off the notifications that won’t be distracted by it during your work hours and you will not touch and open your phone repeatedly in order to check if there’s something important for you waiting there. Moreover, if you will interact less with your phone or social media during your work then you will feel much more productive than before. It will difficult for you in the start but as the time pass by you will be able to see real results in your productivity.

Another hack you can use to avoid social media is by using it on your computer. If you using apps which you use more like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or your computer instead of your mobile phone then you can also be able to avoid social media addiction. It may sound difficult in the start but it will work later. Some of the apps can’t be supported on the desktop so you can try to use them less even on your phones as well or if they still bother you then deleting them is the best option.

And last, but not the least is to set a time limitation. Limiting your time on social media is another effective way which you can use to avoid social media addiction. Choose a specific time of the day or select specific hour or two to surf on social media. By doing this you can avoid social media interaction and this may not interrupt you during your work hours. You can choose a time depending on your cravings to use social media. If you limit yourself then there are high chances for you to be active, productive and motivated the whole day.

To conclude, the first step is to find out what the problem is and then recognize that we may have it. As with most other types of addiction (alcoholism, smoking), this one is not an easy habit to break. It is best to get the support of our friends and family. There are many experts who can help us deal with this type of problem. With the growing body of research on the subject, these professionals will be well equipped to help us. Nevertheless, there are different ways that can be used to safe yourself from social media addiction.