Understanding Social Media Addiction

Although social media is a tool that can connect us, there are also drawbacks. Social media addiction can be a problem in a relationship if couples have conflicts because of (or are spurred by) social media or are spending less time together due to the constant usage of social media. In this lecture, students will learn tools to create a healthy balance between social media and their relationships. Social media has allowed human beings to be more entangled and engaged in the lives of strangers and loved ones. Individuals can more readily communicate and feel more connected to their loved ones when they see the daily happenings. However, it can also negatively impact mental health and relationships by making people upset with what they see or what a partner chooses to share. Social media has also allowed people to share connections with the world. These types of connections can be positive or negative. For example, sharing too much personal information about oneself on social media can lessen intimacy in a relationship. In this lecture, students will learn how to find healthy balances between sharing too much and not enough, which is essential for a healthy relationship.

When we engage in in-person communication, social information is conveyed by vocal and visual cues in the context of the situation. Non-verbal communication is integral to communication, including facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, posture, and space between individuals. Humans are social creatures, and our brains are designed to seek out and strengthen relationships with members of our tribe. We communicate through multiple means—outer appearance, voice tone, body language, and word choice. With social media, most communication happens via text and occasional still images. The social media form of communication is barren compared to the rich signals and complex messaging in face-to-face conversation. Students will learn how to gain the most benefit and impact by engaging in face-to-face communication.

Are you scrolling through social media during work or class? The average person spends two and a half hours daily on their phone. Studies show that using social media drastically reduces one’s attention span. Social media can cause sleep deprivation that, in turn, depletes workplace productivity. Scrolling through social media platforms before bed reduces the chances of a whole night’s sleep, thus placing productivity at risk the next day. Excessive social media usage amongst users has been shown to have reduced attention spans, making it increasingly challenging to switch between different tasks. Current studies show the correlation between excessive social media use and herd mentality. This thought process encourages people to conform to the most popular opinion rather than forming their ideas. This can increase the spending habits of a person as well. The overall conclusion is that social media does and can have an impact on overall productivity. In this module, students will learn key strategies to help combat negative and excessive social media habits and increase productivity.

Social media can physically and mentally negatively impact one’s life, and these negative impacts can change users’ perspectives and create a false illusion of our world. Studies show there are at least seven ways in which social media can hurt one’s life. These seven areas are depression and anxiety, cyberbullying, fear of missing out, unrealistic expectations, negative body image, general addiction patterns and habits, and unhealthy sleep patterns. Students will learn how to navigate through these seven areas of negative impact caused by excessive social media use.

In addition to the negative aspects of excessive social media use, another downfall is that spending too much time on social media platforms can lead to poor sleep. Numerous studies have shown that increased use of social media hurts one’s sleep quality. In this module, students will identify if sleep patterns have become irregular, leading to decreased productivity. Students will learn to reduce the time spent browsing social media through guided meditation and breathwork. Students will better understand social media algorithms, contributing to the decrease in users' sleep quality. Students will learn how to repossess their sleep time and quality of rest.

The primary goal of this course is not to eliminate social media from one’s life but to learn how to use social media in moderation to maintain a healthy balance within the other areas of life. With this healthy balance, students will learn actions, choices, and behaviors that can help them become more intentional about the time spent on their social media sites. Students will learn what the BPS model is and how it helps to focus on the state of mind in a way that emphasizes the urges and motivations that elicits a person to use social media excessively. Using the BPS model, students will learn how to concentrate on external rewards and punishments that might maintain and shape behaviors associated with social media addiction and disinhibit them. Students will learn how using social media can simplify life and reduce distractions.

Social media helps individuals stay in touch with friends. It helps individuals make new friends, can be a source of inspiration, and even help build a networking community. However, social media can also keep one up at night, watching countless videos and posts and wondering where the time has gone. It can cause one to question their life and compare it to others online. This module will provide students with the tools and resources that will help students minimize time spent on social media platforms. This module teaches students how to track their usage time on social media and build their sense of self-awareness of the time spent on social media.

Slipping back into old habits is nothing to fear, and it does not mean failure. Falling back into old habits can happen because individuals need more practice with the new patterns they are currently learning. Using positive psychology, students will learn how to focus on their growth and successes thus far with combatting social media addiction and use that as encouragement and hope to get back on track with decreasing social media usage. Students can use positive experiences and individual traits to reflect on the beneficial tools and resources provided throughout this course.

Once students have completed the previous modules in this course, the last module will be an overall summary as well as a post-self-assessment. Assessing the students at the beginning of this course and upon completion of this course can establish a benchmark of which areas should be considered for measuring growth. This post-assessment differs from the pre-assessment students take at the beginning of the course in module one. The purpose of this post-assessment is for students to be able to recognize their growth. This post-assessment will serve as a measurement of progress as well as for students to identify what areas still need improvement.