While we often use technology because it connects, informs and entertains, there’s clear evidence that it also has serious, negative side effects. These include:
While we often use technology because it connects, informs and entertains, there’s clear evidence that it also has serious, negative side effects. These include:
One might think that these effects only occur when someone is overusing technology, social media in particular. But even regular use is detrimental to our mental health. Social media reinforces certain negative patterns by triggering the release of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that makes you feel good. The constant novelty and endless scrolling content create an addictive cycle of refreshing, much like someone in Las Vegas playing a slot machine.1 The unpredictability, coupled with social validation features, keeps you coming back.
The content you consistently see also gets reinforced in your brain, causing a host of mental health issues, including:
Platforms and apps, like YouTube, often provide a feeling of community. When used for genuine connection, it can be a valuable tool. However, these platforms take advantage of our instinct to belong. Throughout human history, belonging to a group was necessary for our survival; our brains are wired to care what people think of us.
When we receive social validation, the reward centers in our brain light up, triggering a release of more dopamine. Even the expectation of a positive reward releases more of that feel-good chemical which keeps us coming back during times of anxiety and stress.
We become conditioned to seek regular and constant feedback with likes, comments, and shares. This creates a cycle of increased social media use and a decrease in mental health.
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Anxiety and low self-esteem increase the desire for more social validation and connection. Social media provides an addicting platform to compete for social validation. Increased social media usage can worsen anxiety and self-esteem. Then the cycle continues.
These apps have been strategically designed to compel us to engage, based on our human instincts. These platforms, now even more powerful with artificial intelligence (AI), are created with the intention of maximizing our engagement and increasing their profit.
They use several clever, but harmful, hacks:
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Regular social media use also has a negative impact on our attention span. Rapidly changing content and constant interruptions reduce our capacity to pay attention; we become used to quick sound bites and short videos. A recent survey found that the ideal TikTok video was between 21 to 34 seconds, with many avid users reporting that they find longer videos “stressful.” 8
Gloria Mark, a professor at UC Irvine, found that we’ve become so accustomed to interruptions that we begin to create them ourselves. Even when we’re at work, we can’t escape these notifications, with the average person checking their email 74 times a day.
The downward spiral of shorter attention spans: Constant distractions break our focus; It takes us 23 minutes to fully refocus; Notifications and alerts continue to disrupt our days; We begin to crave distractions, and even create them; Our focus continues to decline, and the process repeats itself.
Constant social media use also takes a toll on our personal relationships. A 2021 study found that increased Instagram use led to lower relationship satisfaction and higher feelings of jealousy and more conflict.9 It has become too easy to focus on social media over our friends, family, and partners.
It also leads us to compare ourselves to others. Viewing others’ “highlight reels” or “Facetuned” posts can provoke feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.
Like it or not, you are part of the Like Economy. Social media has hacked our human psychology and changed our social fabric; with generative AI it will only become more immersive, addictive, and problematic. The effects of social media and constant interruptions are so pervasive that everyone is affected, regardless of whether they have a social media presence or not. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Each of us has the ability to collectively shift the extractive tech ecosystem, even at an individual level. There are solutions.
Advocating for humane technology and preserving our mental health through mindful use can have an enormous impact. We deserve to thrive in tandem with technology, and the health of our society depends on it.
Try a Digital Detox. Even a few hours away from your screens each day can help you reset.
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