The Unnoticed Dark Side of Social Media

What makes social media addictive to users and how does it continue to take time out of your day?

Nowadays, the rapid increase in technology advancement has led to people gaining access to and using social media more often with over three billion people using some sort of social media. Although it is able to bring various benefits ranging from communicating with people around the world to sharing your life with others, it may very possibly have some deeper, darker underlying intentions.

On average, we go on social media for at least an hour daily. The need to be a part of an online society or to fit in with everyone causes a crave of validation and the need of attention from others. Using social media can have a neurological effect on users. One like, one comment or one share on a post can cause a short surge of happiness that is caused by the hormones oxytocin and dopamine. These hormones are also triggered through social interactions such as someone greeting or complimenting you. However, social media can replace social interactions by producing the same feeling, making you come back for more.

Social media companies design apps and find ways to make you stay interested without you even knowing. This is done by offering you intriguing and captivating toys in exchange for you time and attention. For example, the invention of infinite scrolling. This feature seems harmless and helps to provide more content to users but since there is no end, users do not feel a need to stop. This could also shorten your attention span with information not being properly processed in such a short amount of time. They collect your personal data by tracking your interest and online behaviour to provide personalised content and information. This is what makes social media the drug that you carry in your pocket.

After this personalised information is sold to advertising companies, they are able to personalise advertisements that are shown to you. This is called personalised marketing, leading you to unconsciously spend more money or time online. According a study conducted by Deloitte, a professional services network, an average of 36% of users displayed an interest in personalised products. Generally speaking, companies profit from your time and attention. They have accomplished their goal in creating a brilliant marketing strategy by convincing everyone that social media is a necessity in our lives.

Social media is just a product that has been developed, funded and marketed intelligently with an ulterior motive of taking your time, attention and information for other uses. Some people might think that there is no harm and it is just another tool to entertain yourself but looking at the bigger picture, it is just another unnecessary distraction in your life.

Next time you glance up your phone, try to notice how many times a day you wait for a notification to pop up and how much time you spend just scrolling without an aim. Try to go a day or a week without it. It may be a challenge for some or it may not be. You will never know how much your rely on it without giving it a try.

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Written by Victoria Yu

Edited by Nandini Nalam