How Can Social Media Affect Your Brain?
By Kiara Gonzalez
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook - these are all examples of social media. Yes, I know, social media can sometimes be good. But not always. We have to get to the bad stuff. So the question we want to ask ourselves is what are the negative things that social media can do to your brain?
You will also get worse at multitasking. Say that you are going through Snapchat, then you open up Instagram, then you go to your Facebook page. Lets say that you are on Instagram, then you go to Facebook and you have your homework out while the T.V is on. You think that this makes you better at multitasking, but in reality, you are getting worse. “Results showed that heavy media multitaskers are more susceptible to interference from irrelevant environmental stimuli and from irrelevant representations in memory,” according to Rd, “Because you think everything you’re doing on social media is important, you don’t end up doing very well in filtering out what’s not.” This means that social media will make you worse at multitasking.
Hopefully now you can understand all of the dangers you run into because of social media. You should think about what social media might do to your brain before you decide to use it. You never know what could happen…
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook - these are all examples of social media. Yes, I know, social media can sometimes be good. But not always. We have to get to the bad stuff. So the question we want to ask ourselves is what are the negative things that social media can do to your brain?
When you are on social media, for example, your brain starts to get used to it, to want more. You will then start to have trouble falling asleep. Why? Because your brain is going to want to stay on social media.
According to Bustle, “your phone, computer, and tablet might be to blame” for not being able to get enough sleep. According to the Nationwide Children’s Research Institute, an average teenager needs 9 ½ hours of sleep but in the US teens only get around 7 ¼ of sleep. If you add social media to the equation, teens are losing even more sleep.
In addition, social media impacts your independence. You stop thinking for yourself. When you have social media, you will see images telling you what you should wear, how you should live your life, where you should shop and how you should act. And your brain will naturally want the things that are the most popular. In other words, you will not be able to make decisions for yourself.
Moreover, according to a research study, “subjects were more likely to change their minds about “liking” certain things (one cute baby over another, for instance) if enough time had passed and they could see that the other side was even moderately popular.” Your brain will go with what others say.
Social media also impacts your brain’s chemistry. It triggers your reward center which stimulates the production of dopamine - a chemical that makes you feel good and accomplished. Let's say that you get a like in a picture that you posted on Instagram. According to Collegiate Times, the brain’s reward center, the nucleus accumbens, lights up when people receive “likes” on social media. "People strive for this acceptance, and this addiction of social media is now more prevalent." This basically means that the more your reward center enlightens, an addiction can form.
According to Bustle, “your phone, computer, and tablet might be to blame” for not being able to get enough sleep. According to the Nationwide Children’s Research Institute, an average teenager needs 9 ½ hours of sleep but in the US teens only get around 7 ¼ of sleep. If you add social media to the equation, teens are losing even more sleep.
In addition, social media impacts your independence. You stop thinking for yourself. When you have social media, you will see images telling you what you should wear, how you should live your life, where you should shop and how you should act. And your brain will naturally want the things that are the most popular. In other words, you will not be able to make decisions for yourself.
Moreover, according to a research study, “subjects were more likely to change their minds about “liking” certain things (one cute baby over another, for instance) if enough time had passed and they could see that the other side was even moderately popular.” Your brain will go with what others say.
Social media also impacts your brain’s chemistry. It triggers your reward center which stimulates the production of dopamine - a chemical that makes you feel good and accomplished. Let's say that you get a like in a picture that you posted on Instagram. According to Collegiate Times, the brain’s reward center, the nucleus accumbens, lights up when people receive “likes” on social media. "People strive for this acceptance, and this addiction of social media is now more prevalent." This basically means that the more your reward center enlightens, an addiction can form.
You will also get worse at multitasking. Say that you are going through Snapchat, then you open up Instagram, then you go to your Facebook page. Lets say that you are on Instagram, then you go to Facebook and you have your homework out while the T.V is on. You think that this makes you better at multitasking, but in reality, you are getting worse. “Results showed that heavy media multitaskers are more susceptible to interference from irrelevant environmental stimuli and from irrelevant representations in memory,” according to Rd, “Because you think everything you’re doing on social media is important, you don’t end up doing very well in filtering out what’s not.” This means that social media will make you worse at multitasking.
Hopefully now you can understand all of the dangers you run into because of social media. You should think about what social media might do to your brain before you decide to use it. You never know what could happen…
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