The Science of Social Media Addiction

In droves, we engage on social media with selfies, Likes, follows, and shares. These are actions that positively re-enforce the idea that social media tools provide us with good feelings. Like any pleasure-seeking activity, social media tools are addictive. With our society’s dramatic shift toward interacting over the internet and social media tools, it is easier than ever to develop an addiction to social media.

The Connection between Social Media and Addiction

If you’ve ever trained a dog, you’re familiar with negative and positive re-enforcement. Such as:

• Negative re-enforcement uses punishment to stop a habit.

• Positive re-enforcement encourages a behavior through something enjoyable…like a treat!

Social media tools use positive re-enforcement to drive traffic on their applications.

For instance, imagine you open an app and post a picture. If you’re one of the rare individuals who do not wait anxiously for comments, Likes, or shares – more power to you. You are not an addict. Individuals dealing with social media addiction obsessively check the app, waiting for the influx of “Likes” to create dopamine in their brain. This little bit of dopamine actually creates cravings for the behavior which caused it.