By Valentina Foglia

Addiction can come in many forms, with the more serious forms being drugs and alcohol. Still, after many generations and studies, a new manifestation of addiction has risen: social media. 

The materialization of life events, influences, and environment largely determines behavioral development in human beings, even if that very growth centers around digital livelihood and social networking. And with each passing day, social media consumes people.

Frankly, social network users are a lot more vulnerable to cynicism and pessimistic attitudes than those who don’t.

J. Clement, a research expert covering internet and e-commerce conducted a 2019 analysis on social media usage. Her observations revealed that about 79% of the United States population use social media. Yet, the negative impact it holds goes beyond the teenage demographic; it is also a major element in the lives of nearly four out of five percent of the American population.

Not only do people become influenced by what they see on the general communicative media but it can cause insecurities, lousy manners, and poor behavior.  

“Over the time that the world has been under quarantine, everyone, including myself, has spent an increased amount of time on social media. Social media is not real life. All the posts are highlights of people’s lives. People’s bodies are posed and angled and edited. When one compares themselves to the unrealistic and unfair beauty standard, it is easy to develop insecurities. These insecurities can cause self-esteem issues, mental health disorders, and a negative body image. I always say ‘you can’t compare where you don’t compete.’ In other words, natural bodies do not have that perfect glow nor will they ever match the edited images,” said Melanie Fernadez a Sophomore in MLEC.

Fernandez followed this with “In November, I co-founded “The Reclaim Movement” which is a non-profit that provides access to affordable resources that help those with eating disorders reclaim their lives. A lot of what we stand for is to embrace the body that one has and to love it unconditionally regardless of its changes.”

A majority of people around the world only show their best selves on social media, giving off the illusion that glamour and goodness are the only things that their lives consist of. Many trick others into thinking that the person they see on their feed is who they actually are — which isn’t entirely true. 

People find elation in hiding behind a screen.

More so, humanity has adapted its sleeping schedule around the basic screen time of their phone. Which then adds a serotonin boost — serotonin is one of many hormones that control and stabilizes a person’s mood, feelings, digestion, and sleep. This occurs with the active communication between the brain cells and the person’s nervous system, thus leaving a person wanting to use their phone at night, in search of that feel-good wonder. 

Though social media isn’t completely terrible. Sometimes it can have a positive impact, like in the form of community activism. Communication around the world has flared movements like #BlackLivesMatter, Hong Kong’s revolutionary step for democracy, and #BlueGirl. While this technological innovation has paved the way for expression and advocacy, too much exposure can take over one’s life.

Generation Z is especially prone to spending an excessive amount of time on social platforms. The need to share something on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or Tik-Tok has integrated into the lives of the youth. 

“With 13% of 12 to 17-year-olds reporting depression and 32% reporting anxiety, mental illness is a concern for adolescent health. It is a concern for young adults as well since 25% of 18 to 25-year-olds report having some form of mental illness. Depression is particularly increasing among girls. Some researchers have suggested that this increase in mental illness is, at least in part, connected to the rise of social media use among adolescents and young adults,” said the National Center for Health Research, in there “Social Media and Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Mental Health” article. 

We wake up looking at our phone, we go to sleep looking at our phone. No matter where we are, our phones are with us day and night, and our lives begin to revolve around this device more than ever before. 

Notifications are a constant bell in our brains to check our phones, when in reality people should have notifications that remind them to check in on their family, on their loved ones, and more importantly — their surroundings.