Social media is a technological phenomenon that is very popular in todays culture. A statistic provided by Oberlo (2022) shows that as of 2022, a projected 3.96 billion users use social media. The modern day spectacle often involves forming relationships or networking, likely with the intent to be social or professional.
Social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn are prime examples of what can also be referred to as networks (Buckland, 2022, Week 6a Slide 6). The book, Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler (2009), defines the concept of networking as an organized set of people consisting of two elements: humans and the connections between them. Networking technology is among the most fundamental forms of human social organization, and that makes it important to human communication and culture (Buckland, 2022, Week 6a Slide 7).
As a form of networking, social media platforms can offer these two fundamental features.
When we refer to content flowing across the ties, we are referring to the content that circulates through the network, such as a viral post or a message (Buckland, 2022, Week 6a Slide 26).
Much like video games in our previous blog post, for some people, it may be easy to get too attached to the content of networks or social media, leading to addiction. Modern day social media such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat have been found to be highly addictive to some (Sternlicht & Sternlicht, n.d.), and once again, addiction to the matter has to do with disrupting the natural release of dopamine.
When you use social media, positive engagement in the form of likes or follows releases those feel-good chemicals, and typically the more you get, the more you will want to receive (Sternlicht & Sternlicht, n.d.). Excessive reliance not only disrupts the natural release of dopamine, but also can bring in a false sense of social engagement, leaving you feeling alone (Sternlicht & Sternlicht, n.d.). Additionally, this can bring in other forms of addiction to social media, which includes but is not limited to the following:
Evidence shows that excessive social media and networking use can result in an addiction that disrupts ones habits and mental state, similar to what was detailed in two blog posts prior to this one. You can find the links to them listed below.
This blog post concludes our series on technology addiction, and evidence from research shows that technology plays a significant role in mental addiction when used in excessive amounts. Thank you for reading.
Links to the previous blog posts in our series:
Blog References:
Buckland, A. (2022). Week 6a PPT Networks and Hierarchy. Royal Roads University COMM 329 Course Content.
Christakis, N., and Fowler, J. (2009). Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Hilliard, J., & Parisi, T. (2021). Social Media Addiction. Addiction Center. https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/.
(2022). How Many People Use Social Media in 2022? [Updated Jan 2022]. Oberlo.ca. https://www.oberlo.ca/statistics/how-many-people-use-social-media#:~:text=The%20latest%20figures%20show%20that,jump%20in%20just%20six%20years.
Sternlicht, L., & Sternlicht, A. (n.d.). The 6 Most Common Types of Technology Addiction. Familyaddictionspecialist.com. https://www.familyaddictionspecialist.com/blog/the-6-most-common-types-of-technology-addiction.
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Social Media & Networking Addiction, Theory, and Wrap (3/3) - Medium