As my chosen topic to investigate is essentially social media addiction I made some research into the cause of addiction, background information, effects, health consequences and possible solutions.
Background & Causes
Whilst it may be overlooked, social media addiction is a bigger problem than many people think. Social networks are addictive because they are mainly believed to be 'an extension of ourselves' (Keep It Usable, 2017). Our need to be connected with others is universal and unavoidable. Being in touch with others allows us to create social universes made of symbols – e.g. language, numbers, gestures, emoticons – and social rules, which are shared and understood by everybody. There are many reasons that can lead to people being obsessive over social media; however, some of the main few found online can be summarised into the following:
• Social Validation - A Facebook ‘Like’ or a Twitter ‘Favourite’ is a social signal that makes us feel good. It is rewarding and can cause addiction if someone is not getting this feeling offline.
• Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) - This is a large driver of social network use, particularly for those aged thirty and under. Dr Stephanie Rutledge highlights that 67% percent of users say that they’re afraid they’ll 'miss something'.
• Ego - Today, we live in a ‘Me’ society with an obsession of the ‘self’ that drives us to update our status and tag ourselves in photos. Social comparison and self esteem increase. People compare themselves to assess feelings, strengths, weaknesses, abilities and perspectives. Maintaining social connections makes you feel good.
• Brain Chemistry - Social networks are physically addictive as well as psychologically. A study by
Diana Tamir and Jason Mitchell at Harvard revealed that that self-disclosure online fires up a part of the brain that also lights up when taking an addictive substance, like cocaine.
The average teen and adult spends over 9 hours on-screen per day. According to the Telegraph:
The average person has five social media accounts and spends around 1 hour and 40 minutes browsing these networks every day, accounting for 28pc of the total time spent on the internet.'
The most used platforms, as of 2017, can be seen below.
The study used data from a site called 99DaysofFreedom.com, which encourages people to stop using Facebook for 99 days. The site and study revealed the difficulty people have quitting Facebook because of addiction. Participants intended to quit, wanted to quit and believed they could quit (for 99 days), but many couldn't make more than a few days. The addictive aspect of social networking is associated with FOMO - earlier mentioned. Everyone is on Facebook. They're posting things, sharing news and content and talking to each other 24/7.
The network effect itself is addicting, according to Instagram software engineer Greg Hochmuth, as quoted by The New York Times - 'A network effect is the idea that any network becomes more valuable as more people connect to that network. The phone system is the best example of this phenomenon - you have to have a phone because everybody else has a phone'. In fact, Hochmuth and artist and computer scientist Jonathan Harris created a web experience called Network Effect. The site simulates the experience of browsing through social media by giving you a feed of people engaging on various activities. Then, after a few minutes, the site won't let you watch anymore (for 24 hours) so you can experience the subtle withdrawal symptoms.
In the world of social networking, Facebook benefits most from network effect. Facebook happened to be the top social network when social networking busted out as a mainstream activity. Now, everybody's on Facebook because everybody's on Facebook. And even people who don't like the social network use it anyway, because that's where their family, friends and colleagues are - and because of addiction.
The contribution of network effect to the addictive quality of web sites is accidental. But social sites are also addictive by design.
Facebook addiction is such an important matter that researchers have created a psychological scale to measure - the Berge Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS). The scale, developed by Dr. Cecile Andraessen and colleagues at the University of Bergen in Norway, uses six criteria to measure Facebook addiction. These include statements, such as 'you spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook and planning how to use it' and 'you use Facebook to forget about personal problems'. The researchers say that scoring 'often' or 'very often' on four of the six criteria indicates Facebook addiction.
What is interesting is that the researchers found that people who are more anxious and socially insecure are more likely to use the social networking site.
Last year, Medical News Today reported on a study that provided a potential explanation for addiction to Facebook 'fame'. The research team, led by Dar Meshi of the Freie Universität in Germany, found that individuals who gained positive feedback about themselves on Facebook showed stronger activity in the nucleus accumbens of the brain - a region associated with "reward" processing. This stronger activity correlated with greater Facebook use.
From these studies, it appears that many users who are addicted to Facebook use the site as a way of gaining attention and boosting their self-esteem.
Facebook Stats 2016
• Globally, Facebook remains the top network for membership (84 percent) but YouTube edges ahead for visitors (87 percent).
• 79% of Internet users use Facebook.
• Worldwide, there are over 1.79 billion monthly active Facebook users, which is a 16% increase year over year.
• 1.8 billion people log onto Facebook daily active users for September 2016, which represents a 17% increase year over year.
• The average Facebook user has 130 friends.
One intriguing fact from researching into social media target audiences is that that American adults aged from 18 to 34 are less obsessed with social media than some of their older peers. The 2016 Nielsen Social Media Report highlights that adults aged 35 to 49 were found to spend an average of 6 hours 58 minutes a week on social media networks, compared with 6 hours 19 minutes for the younger group. More predictably, adults 50 and over spent significantly less time on the networks: an average of 4 hours 9 minutes a week. The report also shows that men and women are fairly similar in terms of social media usage.
• 79% of Internet users use Facebook.
• Worldwide, there are over 1.79 billion monthly active Facebook users, which is a 16% increase year over year.
• 1.8 billion people log onto Facebook daily active users for September 2016, which represents a 17% increase year over year.
• The average Facebook user has 130 friends.
One intriguing fact from researching into social media target audiences is that that American adults aged from 18 to 34 are less obsessed with social media than some of their older peers. The 2016 Nielsen Social Media Report highlights that adults aged 35 to 49 were found to spend an average of 6 hours 58 minutes a week on social media networks, compared with 6 hours 19 minutes for the younger group. More predictably, adults 50 and over spent significantly less time on the networks: an average of 4 hours 9 minutes a week. The report also shows that men and women are fairly similar in terms of social media usage.
Whilst the American demographic above highlights that American adults from the age of 35-49 are more addicted to social media than those younger, a UK demographic highlights that 18-24 year olds are the most affected when it comes to mobile addiction.
Some of the most relative facts in this infographic are:
• We look at our phones every 6.5 minutes
• 37% use mobile internet more than any other feature
• 50% of 18-24 year olds admit they are completely lost if they are out and can't get online
• 4/5 brits would not be comfortable using road signs to get to their destination
Consequences & Effects
Whether this be social media related or not, it has been found that digital addiction can lead to shrinkage, or loss, of tissue volume in the brain.
Due to the brain behaving differently, short-term effects that can be caused as a result of excessive social media use include lack in concentration, motivation, tiredness and procrastination. More severe psychiatric disorders that can develop include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and more. Since social networks are a relatively new phenomenon, many questions regarding their potential impact on mental health remain unanswered. On the other hand, due to the popularity of these online services in the general population, any future confirmed connection between them and psychiatric diseases would pose a serious public health concern.
According to various sources, 57% of people talk to others online more than they do offline. Furthermore, 60% of people under 25 years old admit that they have to check Facebook at least once per day. This addiction to the digital world can take people’s focus away from what is important in the real-world. Awareness and physical social skills are being affected.
Dr Kimberly Young highlights some key consequences of social media addiction in her Ted Talk in 2015. Some of the consequences she raises are people losing their jobs over internet addiction, people's health being affected due to loss of nutrition and sleep and even children having reading deficits due to the linear process of digital reading. One key quote that she makes is that we need to:
'Disconnect to reconnect.'
Looking further into the matter, the biggest in-car cause of fatalities is motorists texting, tweeting and taking calls in the UK. An AA poll of 18,000 members found 38% had been distracted by other people, radios, phones and sat-navs in the past 12 months. Of the nearly 7,000 who admitted losing concentration, 548 reported a near-miss and 106 had crashed. 18% said adult passengers were most at fault, 14% blamed children, 13% took their eye off the road to twiddle with their sat-nav and 12% mobile phone.
These statistics highlight how serious internet addiction can be, and how it can lead to people being injured, and possibly killed, if it takes over people's lives.
Social media can directly impact physical health. Some of the effects related to the overuse of social media are:
• Eye problems - You can get eyestrain from staring at screens for too long.
• Fatigue - This is another symptom of overusing social media. If you’re staying up too late posting on Twitter of Facebook, you may be losing valuable sleep.
• Lack of exercise - Social media can cut into time you might otherwise be spending outdoors or exercising.
• Distraction - One of the most dangerous potential consequences of social media addiction is driving while being distracted. As recent stories have confirmed, you can even get hurt texting and walking.
Social Media Challenges
The desire to be rewarded and Fear Of Missing Out, earlier identified, has caused other health consequences due to the trend of online challenges. In 2014, there was the Neknomination challenge, where people drank an alcoholic concoction and challenged others online to do so.
Over the period that the challenge went on, 5 people died as a result of consuming ridiculous amounts of alcohol. Bradley Eames, who was merely 20 years old, was found dead after downing two pints of gin. Whilst these are severe outcomes, health issues were extremely prevalent due to people getting carried away with the challenge. Ultimately, people's egos drove them to consuming such large amounts of alcohol, which is extremely dangerous.
A more recent challenge that occurred online was the Eraser Challenge - a trend that sees school kids scrubbing skin off their arms using a rubber while reciting the alphabet. The stunt first came to peoples’ attention in February last year, with children sharing snaps of their bloodied arms on social media sites like Instagram. It later evolved, with kids reciting a variety of different things as they gouged, and was even combined with other trends such as the salt and ice challenge. This involved school-age children putting salt and ice on their skin which causes a chemical reaction, lowering the temperature of the ice to the extreme of -17 degrees Celsius. The challenge was how long the person could put up with the pain of the freezing process, which leaves a burn similar to frostbite on the skin. Kids then posted snaps of their war wounds online.
Whilst this may not be classed as social media addiction, the fact that people have driven themselves to physically harm - purely to try and impress others - is an aspect of social validation that needs to be addressed.
The main issue with such challenges is that, once they are trending, they are very difficult to stop. Despite this, social media platforms should try to prevent the spreading of such trends and aware users of how dangerous such challenges can be.
A Facebook spokesperson said: 'We do not tolerate content which is directly harmful, for example bullying, but controversial or offensive behaviour is not necessarily against our rules. We encourage people to report things to us which they feel breaks our rules so we can review and take action on a case by case basis. We also give people the ability to remove themselves from an uncomfortable conversation through tools such as untagging and blocking.'
Social media sites are therefore not putting in any measures to put a stop to such challenges; which is hugely worrying for the health of millions of young people that use social media sites.
Existing/Possible Solutions
Whilst the most obvious solution for preventing social media addiction is to completely stop using digital platforms, it is important to remember that using social media in regulation is healthy and okay. The main problem that many people face is the self-determination to moderate their time on such platforms. An effective solution should investigate ways in which people can physically be deterred and prevented from over-using social media. Some of the preventions that I found during the research stage can be read below.
Limiting Desktop Apps
Desktop apps, such as Self-control and Focus, allow users to block certain websites and social media platforms for certain periods of time. I have used an app similar to this myself, as it is great for switching off that desire to check sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. The best apps, in my view, are those that can not be altered or quitted once the time period has been set. Those that can be quit are useless, as people who are addicted can easily go back to roaming the sites they want with ease.
The best app that I have come across is SelfControl, which taps into your desktop's terminal to block certain chosen websites. Once you have started the program, you cannot quit it. Even if you unistall the software, the websites will not be able to be visited until the input time is up. This is a very effective way of stopping people from using social media; however, it is not a method of regulating the use.
Another alternative found online is StayFocusd - a productivity extension for Google Chrome that helps you stay focused on work by restricting the amount of time you can spend on time-wasting websites. Once your allotted time has been used up, the sites you have blocked will be inaccessible for the rest of the day. This is similar to the apps previously mentioned; although, it rather allows users to input a maximum time limit for how much they can use certain social media sites.
Limiting Mobile Apps
As the bigger social media problem regards mobile devices, some further research was made into whether there are apps that regulate your app usage.
The first app found is called Offtime, which helps users unplug by blocking distracting apps like Facebook, and games, and filtering communications. It includes information on how much you actually use your smartphone. You can choose tailored modes like Work, Family, or Me Time to ensure that you have access to the things you need, but aren't distracted by what you don't. Analytics of your phone and app usage can be an important wake-up call, and can help you curb your habits.
What is great about this app is that, for a chosen period, you can block calls, texts and notifications that might disturb you. Select the people who can still get through, and we’ll make sure you don’t miss a thing. Users can also set hurdles, reminders or restrict access to any apps that you find distracting. Unfortunately, these key features are only available to Android users.
In terms of iPhone applications, the only effective one that I could find is Moment. This tracks your device usage and allows you to set daily limits; the app notifies you if you exceed them. You can even use a setting that 'forces' you off your phone by flooding your screen with annoying alerts when you try to extend your screen time. Moment can also be used for families, with the option to track your family's device use from your own phone. Annoyingly, users made pay for the premium version of the app (£3.99) to actually restrict the amount of time they can spend on certain apps. This seems counter-intuitive, as people who are addicted to using their phones are unlikely to want to pay for a service that restricts them from using it.
Whilst there are desktop and mobile apps that exist, many people that are addicted to social media are more than likely to ignore them. It would be much more effective is devices came with a built-in program/app that users can use, without having to research and search app stores to find.
OTOMOS Phone Case
According to the Telegraph, a Japanese venture firm based in Kobe city called Momo Ltd has created a smartphone case which allows users to set time restrictions on their phones via an accompanying app.
‘Most children will look at screens and will not become addicted, like most people who have a drink won’t become alcoholic,’ Dr Sigman said. ‘But for those who are genetically predisposed, early and high exposure over a number of years can set them up for dependency.’
The smartphone case, called 'OTOMOS,' allows parents to set time restrictions and prevent children from using the device while walking. Children's smartphones can be fixed inside the case with a screw and the case cannot be detached without a special driver.
After downloading an app, parents using their own smartphones can control their children's daily device use. If children try to exceed the limit, the screen automatically turns to sleep mode.
This is one effective way that allows parents to control their children's internet use; however, it does not resolve the issue of adult internet addiction.
Chinese Boot Camps
More serious resolutions to limiting the use of social media have been coming from China. Many teens in China are allegedly suffering from Internet addiction, and the government is turning to boot camps to try and fix the problem. A typical Internet boot camp in China involves intense physical training and psychological counselling, as well as the prescription of drugs if doctors consider it necessary. One official said that the camps and medication help break the addiction and prepare the kids to live a normal life. There are about 250 boot camps in the country right now.
At the Addiction Treatment Center in eastern China, more than 6,000 internet addicts — most of them teenagers — not only had their web access taken away, they were also treated with electroshock therapy. Whilst the boot camps are reported to have a 75% success rate, there have been concerns over the methods taken to treat patients.
Chinese Boot Camps
More serious resolutions to limiting the use of social media have been coming from China. Many teens in China are allegedly suffering from Internet addiction, and the government is turning to boot camps to try and fix the problem. A typical Internet boot camp in China involves intense physical training and psychological counselling, as well as the prescription of drugs if doctors consider it necessary. One official said that the camps and medication help break the addiction and prepare the kids to live a normal life. There are about 250 boot camps in the country right now.
Deng Senshan, 15, died less than a day after his parents sent him to the camp in southern Guangxi province. The case has led medical experts to call for laws regulating centers that treat obsessive web surfing. Concern over such behavior is so widespread in China, and demand for rehabilitation is so great, that some camps now advertise on television, the report said. Deng was found vomiting and was taken to a clinic where he died. Fellow students said a teacher beat him.
The government has drafted a law that would crack down on the camps’ worst excesses, including electroshock and other “physical punishments.” Medical specialists welcomed the law, announced this week in China’s state-controlled news media, as an initial step toward curbing scandals in the industry.
Whilst this solution is evidently quite extreme, the fact that such camps even exist highlight how social media addiction is a real issue. With a success rate of 75%, it is clear that the camps are effective; however, they are not targeting the entire problem of addicted users - only a selected percentage. With my initial ideas, I am going to try and consider how I could target the entire online audience, to make a greater, positive impact on user health.
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