The Dopamine Rush and Addiction on Social Media
There is an old PSA campaign from many years ago of an egg frying in a pan, and the caption below said, “this is your brain on drugs.” I wonder what the image would be if we borrowed this old PSA campaign strategy for social media use effect on the brain. Maybe a picture of the Borg from Star Trek? Maybe Cyborgs hived into a central platform? I hope my nerdy 1990s Star Trek TNG hasn’t lost you.
Did you know dscout, the “people nerds,” found that the average person spends 2–4 hours per day tapping, typing, and swiping on their devices — averaging 2,600 daily touches? So, let’s discuss the effects social media has on our brains and behaviour.
The Addiction Center reports, “The phenomena of social media addiction can be largely attributed to the dopamine-inducing social environments that social networking sites provide. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram produce the same neural circuitry that is caused by gambling and recreational drugs to keep consumers using their products as much as possible. Studies have shown that the constant stream of retweets, likes, and shares from these sites cause the brain’s reward area to trigger the same kind of chemical reaction seen with drugs like Cocaine. In fact, neuroscientists have compared social media interaction to a syringe of dopamine being injected straight into the system.”
Our social media-addled brains are bathed in dopamine, a chemical that triggers reward-seeking behaviour. Dopamine gets released when eating delicious food, while having sex, after we exercise, and when we get positive social stimuli. Dopamine is released in many different areas across the brain, the areas largely responsible for behaviours associated with learning, habit formation, and addiction. Although not as intense as a hit of cocaine, positive social stimuli will similarly result in a release of dopamine, reinforcing whatever behaviour preceded it.
There is nothing inherently addictive about smartphones. Our attachments to our devices are due to the hyper-social environments and connections they provide. Facebook, Instagram, and other social media apps on our smartphones allow us to carry immense social environments in our pockets. The features, notifications, direct messaging, and random rewards of these connection-rich online platforms keeps us using. They provide us with a rush.
Our discussion of social media would be incomplete without covering the Internet Paradox. The promise was that the internet would make the world smaller and make it easier to connect to other people. But has it?
In “Deconstructing the Internet Paradox” Joseph M. Newcomer writes: “Any new, self-absorbing activity decreases social interaction. There appears to be an unstated assumption here: decreasing social interaction is identical to increasing loneliness… data reported suggest that people who use the Internet more showed increased loneliness. It had already reported that teens use the Internet more than adults. Over the course of a year or two, many teens find that they have increased loneliness as gaps form between themselves and their peers or their parents.”
We are alone and yet never alone online, hence the paradox. There is always the ability to connect with other users, and these connections can provide us with positive social stimuli. Online likes, emojis, and comments act as positive social stimuli in a similar way to face-to-face interactions. Our brain registers these likes, comments, and emojis as successful or positive social stimulus, triggering a dopamine rush.
For example, if I post a selfie on Facebook and Instagram and get hundreds of likes, hearts, wows, and so on, it makes me feel good. In fact, it feels so good that I decide to post more selfies. And before you know it, I’m on a loop of posting selfies and dopamine rushes.
We like the reward, and the way we feel when we have been showered with positive attention. In real life we might have a handful of interactions on any given day that register as positive social stimuli, but on social media we might get thousands of positive social stimuli a day in the form of likes, comments, messages in chat, emojis, gifs and so on. In fact, the magnitude of online social stimulus sets us up for a never-ending dopamine rush.
Social media environments keep us using, keep us checking our devices. They provide us with the same random dopamine rush reward of slot machines. Like one-armed bandits, social media provides all the levers to trigger a dopamine rush. The dopamine rush caused by social media is a serious issue for many, from school-aged children to seniors.
I have a suggestion for you load screen time tracker. Note your time online and where you are spending your time. If you object to loading a screen time tracking app, then keep track with a pen and calendar to track your time. Just bring your attention to how much time you spend online. If you’re amazed or shocked, don’t be. All those swipes add up. If you are spending more time than you’d like on social media you have two choices: go cold turkey and leave or become aware of your social media use and make choices in what you consume, when, and how much.
Other Resources
Here’s how many times we touch our phones every day
The Unplug Series: Psychological Tactics Social Media Uses To Hijack Your Attention
