... As of 2021, there are over 3.78 billion social media users worldwide, with each person averaging 145 minutes of social media use per day. And in those hours spent online, we're beginning to see the harmful impact on mental health: loneliness, anxiety, fear of missing out, social comparison, and depression.
Social media has undoubtedly integrated itself into society, but the question remains on how to properly negotiate our relationship with it. Nina Vasan, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Stanford and founder and executive director at Brainstorm: The Stanford Lab for Mental Health Innovation, and Sara Johansen, resident psychiatrist at Stanford and director of clinical innovation at Stanford Brainstorm, explored possible answers to that question during a Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI seminar by outlining the impact of social media on mental health and psychological underpinnings of social media addiction, as well as possible opportunities to mitigate risk and promote wellbeing. Dr. Vasan and Dr. Johansen have worked with platforms such as Pinterest and TikTok to design and implement more empathic user experiences.
What makes social media so addictive?
Variably rewarding users with stimuli (likes, notifications, comments, etc.) keeps them engaged with content. When a user's photo receives a "like," the same dopamine pathways involved in motivation, reward, and addiction are activated. What keeps us hooked on social media isn't just the "pleasure rush of the like," says Johansen, "it's the intermittent absence of the like that keeps us engaged."
When does it become harmful?
One result of trapping users into endless scrolling loops is that it can lead to social comparison. When presented with the curated feeds of other people, we are vulnerable to "frequent and extreme upward social comparison," which can lead to a number of negative side-effects such as erosion of self-esteem, depressed mood, and decreased life satisfaction. Some people try to cope with an eroded self-esteem by attacking other people's sense of self, which can lead to cyber-bullying. ...
Good article, if you're interested in the subject.
