The Hard Truth About Social Media: Part Five- The Modern Day Addiction

What if I told you there was a drug you could take that would make you feel good immediately, but you might feel bad later? That it could lead to selfishness, unnecessary desires, excessive spending, inability to focus and stay present, depression and anxiety. You would probably tell me most drug use leads to this. But what if I told you we are walking around everyday with a socially accepted form of this drug in our pocket? Some of us even have 3 and 4 different kinds of ways to “hit” this drug in the same pocket. A little dramatic I know, but is it too far from the truth? Don’t we have a compulsion to lift our phone out of our pockets several times a day to “hit” Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest etc. Don’t we experience a positive response when we get to share ourselves with the world? Don’t we feel satisfied when we get “likes” or new “follow” requests? But don’t we also feel let down when we don’t experience the reaction we desired from the drug we initially decided to “hit”, thinking it would make us feel less alone, amuse us, or fill a space in time when our present disinterested us?

In order to dissect this theory more, let’s start with what addiction is. What qualifies it or quantifies it? Other less intense words for addiction are dependency, habit, problem or compulsion. To be forthright from the very beginning, there is not a diagnosis related to social media addiction, but I intend to make the case that it can be just as addicting as the next substance, thing or activity. The likelihood that you would sell your body or kill someone over social media is highly unlikely. At this point social media addiction is tied more to the time spent and the responses experienced while using social media than anything else.

The long term affects of social media on new and old generations remains to be seen. Part of the reason why is because social media addiction is difficult to qualify/quantify. Experts have discussed addiction in relation to social media, but they have not been linked in a concrete way that might warrant a DSM diagnosis code. The best way to begin this discussion is to talk about what does qualify/quantify addiction. Per the American Psychiatric Association the DSM IV qualifies addiction as “a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress”. It quantifies addiction as three (or more) of the following impairments, occurring any time in the same 12-month period: Remember, you only need 3 of these 7 impairments for it to be considered an addiction. So let’s unpack this.

1.Tolerance to social media is developed over time and through several avenues, such as acquiring new social media programs, constantly sharing posts, or vying for “likes”. The bottom line is we need “more” to feel socially connected and satisfied.

2. Withdrawal has been addressed by some experts, mostly related to teens when their phones are taken away. However, this topic has not been investigated in adults because we control our own use of social media, and why would we take social media away from ourselves if we feel there is no issue?

3. The substance is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended. This impairment is directly related to social media. Have you ever picked up your phone meaning to check one quick thing, or amuse yourself for only a minute, but then you get sucked in… for 30 minutes?  I find this element most relatable to all social media users. If you take one “hit” on Facebook, you are likely to “hit” every other form of social media you have.

4. There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use. This could apply to social media, but prior to knowing if it’s an issue we must have the desire to cut down; and for the desire to motivate us to cut down, we have to acknowledge there’s a problem.

5. A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance, use the substance, or recover from its effects. This is not so much related to social media because social media is accessible to all who desire to use it. Which means even if it may contribute to impairments in our lives, it is ultimately our choice to decide, and it should be. We have to be self-aware about social media and how it contributes and takes away from the lives we want to live. Parts 1 through 4 of this series make an argument for how it can take away from fulfilled lives.

6. Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of substance use. This could apply to us if we take a “hit” of social media while at a meal, in meetings, working, reading, watching tv, in bed, playing with our kids, having a conversation, waiting, etc. This goes back to part 4 in this series which discussed the inability to be present. Could you imagine if you took a “hit” of an actual drug this many times a day while you were trying to be productive or present for those you love? I know the parallel is not perfect and I am not claiming that a hit of cocaine is the same as social media, but the amount that we miss in a day while engaging in social media does line up with this impairment cited in the DSMIV.

7. The substance use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance. Whether this applies to us is solely up to us. We have to ask ourselves if social media leads to a less engaged and happy version of ourselves. Ultimately, we have to decide if social media makes us feel elements of comparison and jealousy, self-focus and selfishness, unnecessary desires and excessive spending, the inability to be present and addiction. Once we ask ourselves honest questions, we can act. We can start treating social media as a relationship that can and does affect us on a daily basis. There is hope for healthy social media use, but in order to figure out what that looks like for each of us, we must first be honest with ourselves about how it affects us in our day to day lives. Then, and only then, can we turn our relationship with social media into a healthy one.

Thanks for stopping by! Jen