The Hidden Costs of Social Media That We Do Not Realize
We all know it’s bad — but do we understand HOW bad?
In the digital age we are currently in, we have a newly found source of information and entertainment that we are pretty dependent on — social media. It has been deeply integrated into our daily lives for uses like communication, building your network and accessing information! We are all aware of how it has changed the way humans communicate and connect, making it a lot more convenient. However, the darker reality of this platform is not well known about, and that is where the problem lies.
Let’s start off with the benefits of social media that we’re all aware of. Social media is a useful tool for making connectivity and accessing to information more efficient. It also helps with building connections with others and staying informed on important matters such as global affairs. However, despite these positive aspects, the question still lies on whether the negative side to social media outweighs the other. To explore this further, we will be discussing the dopamine cycle and echo chambers.
Firstly, the dopamine cycle has devastating negative effects on mental health. Excessive social media use as you may know is linked to mental health issues and studies have shown correlations with anxiety and depression. The constant comparison to idealized of others’ lives that takes place on social media can lead to feelings of inadequacy, and doubts in one’s self-worth.
However, this effect on mental health goes deeper than this. There is a dopamine feedback loop from the likes and comments we receive that can fuel addictive behaviors and worsen mental health problems.
Dopamine is described as a neurotransmitter that gives our mind pleasure and satisfaction. Social media platforms exploit the brain’s reward system with features specifically designed with the dopamine effect taken into consideration.
Dopamine has harmful influences on our psychological state and these start with interactions like likes, comments, and shares that trigger its releases. Notifications and validation on social media lead to dopamine surges, and our mind begins to crave these peaks again and again. This is how dopamine encourages our continued engagement with such platforms where the cycle fosters a desire for more validation through interactions.
The addictive nature of the dopamine cycle leads to us developing a compulsive urge to check for validation through the likes and comments we receive. Over time, our need and expectation of dopamine increases, leading to a higher dependency on checking social media to attain the satisfaction we crave. This continuous cycle of wanting more dopamine and receiving more puts us in a loop where our addictive tendencies are being reinforced.
The next important side of social media that we commonly neglect is echo chambers. Echo chambers are essentially defined as digital spaces fostered by algorithms where existing beliefs are reinforced within social networks. Many social media platforms use collected data on users to tailor feeds to content aligning with their preferences and values. Like-minded individuals dominate these spaces, validating and echoing the common perspective present. Dissenting or opposing voices are filtered out, creating an echo chamber effect where one’s worldview is reinforced far beyond their initial interpretation.
Echo chambers have a dangerous effect on individuals. Confirmation bias thrives within these chambers, which is essentially the human psychological tendency to seek out information that supports their viewpoint. When users of social media selectively consume content that confirms their beliefs, they ignore all dissenting views that may bring up thoughtful perspectives to the issue. This reinforces biases and fosters narrow-mindedness across the web. Where constructive dialogue is inhibited, the intellectual growth and perception of the world of many individuals is impeded.
So, many users may think they are engaging in open-minded discussions online but are actually within echo chambers. Their discussions mainly only involve bouncing ideas off other like-minded individuals which limits their exposure to differing perspectives.
The impact of echo chambers on society can be a lot worse than you may imagine. These chambers can worsen polarization by demonizing opposing viewpoints to those who have strong political beliefs. This aggravates the lack of empathy and understanding they have toward those with different beliefs. As a result, division and discord are entrenched within society and collective progress is hindered.
All in all, it is important to understand the profound influence dopamine cycles and echo chambers have on us from our social media interactions. This is important for knowing how we should navigate the digital landscape while being aware of its potentially harmful effects on our mental health, relationships, and well-being. The point of this article is not for you to completely halt all usage of social media, but to make you more aware on how these algorithms operate and have an influence on our mental well-being.
Here’s an important takeaway:
The abandonment of social media is not necessary, rather the more mindful use of it.
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