Addiction: The Dark Side of Social Media

Social media addiction is a phrase sometimes used to refer to someone spending too much time using Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media - so much so that it interferes with other aspects of daily life. There is no official medical recognition of social media addiction as a disease or disorder. Still, it seems cluster of behaviors associated with heavy or excessive use of social media has become the subject of much discussion and research.
           A new report indicates that the prevalence has resulted in a high rate of psychosis or psychopathologies such as addiction and delusions. The study was published in Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences. Psychosis derived from ‘psyche’, refers to an abnormal condition of the mind. It is a psychiatric term generally used to describe a mental state that involves loss of contact with reality. 

The researchers, who are also psychologists, say they found striking evidence that some users have developed a compulsive Internet habit, whereby they replace real-life social interaction with online chat rooms and social networking sites. The findings suggest that this type of addictive surfing can have a serious impact on mental health.

In another study, Lead author, Dr. Catriona Morrison says, “Social Media now plays a huge part in modern life, but its benefits are accompanied by a darker side. She states that why many of people use the social media to get news and information and keep up with friends and family, there is a small subset of the population who find it hard to control how much time they spend online, to the point where it interferes with their daily activities.

 The study stipulates that Social Media addicts spent proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying contents, online dating sites and online communities. They also had a higher incidence of moderate to severe depression than non-addicted users. The research also seems to suggest that young people are more likely to be Social Media addicted than middle-aged users, with the average age of the addicted group standing at 21 years.

The study reinforces other research that over-engaging in Social Media sites that serve to replace normal social function might be linked to psychological disorders like depression and addiction.

Assistant Professor, Wilhelm Hofmann of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and colleagues in a research presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology noted that the desires for social media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and because it feels like it does not 'cost much' to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist. He notes that giving in to media desires is certainly less consequential, the frequent use may still 'steal' a lot of people's time and endanger their mental wellbeing.

They concluded that social media addiction can be stronger than addiction to cigarettes and booze following an experiment in which they recorded the cravings of several hundred people for several weeks. Social Media cravings ranked ahead of cravings for cigarettes and alcohol. The addiction may not be as destructive as alcohol or drugs, but it can be destructive to one’s personal relationships and in professional life if it interferes with the person’s job," noted Kelli Burns, a mass communications professor and social media researcher at university of Southern Florida.

Diana Bocco in one of her online articles argued that Social Media addiction can take many forms and one of the problems when defining Social Media addition is deciding how much time spent on Facebook is normal and when someone has crossed the line into dangerous territory.

 According to Addiction Treatment Magazine, people who are more isolated in the real world are more likely to become addicted to social networking sites. They rely on online friends as substitutes for the relationships they don't have in real life. In all, while social media has been used by some smart chaps to generate income, others have had to pay dearly for their indulgence.