Table of contents:
- 5 causes of addiction to social networks
- Consequences of addiction to social networks
- Solutions to treat social media addiction
- What are behavioral addictions
- How to prevent addiction to social networks
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Social networks constitute a new form of interaction, a new door that generates different possibilities in the field of personal and professional relationships. The causes of the popularity of social networks are due to many factors, what is undeniable is that today it represents one of the pillars of communication.
However, sometimes, the use of social networks carries a significant risk. This is the case when people reduce their universe to the constant filter of social networks, displacing face-to-face links to the background. Addiction to social networks is part of a new type of pathology: behavioral addictions, it is a real fact that causes a lot of suffering to those who suffer from it. A new reality that requires comprehensive treatment and new professional training such as master's and postgraduate degrees in behavioral addictions. For this reason, in Psychology-Online, we address the causes, consequences and solutions of addiction to social networks.
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- Consequences of addiction to social networks
- Solutions to treat social media addiction
- What are behavioral addictions
- How to prevent addiction to social networks
5 causes of addiction to social networks
We begin this article on the causes, consequences and solutions of addiction to social networks talking about the most common reasons that condition this situation. The main causes of addiction to social networks are the following:
- Normalization of the use of social networks. One of the factors that influences the development of dependence on Instagram, for example, is the naturalness with which so many people share photos, write comments and interact with others. A positive and creative experience that ceases to be so at the moment in which the person no longer enjoys it, but feels that their will is subdued by the constant need for interaction.
- Soledad. Internet is a window of social relationship for everyone. However, those who live a period of loneliness are more vulnerable to the risk of dependency because they observe in this communication vehicle a substitute for these emotional voids and deficiencies.
- Ego food. Some Instagram image galleries project a universe in which vanity seems a constant based on images starring the one who shows infinite smiles and a dream lifestyle. But, in addition, this desire to show an image of perfection also receives feedback in the form of a “like”. A type of language that offers an immediate and different interaction to that of face-to-face relationships. It is a risk to confuse the number of followers with the value of self-esteem.
- Lack of limits. Adolescence is one of the periods in which young people are most vulnerable to the lack of discernment of the possible risks of social networks. Lack of training on positive use of social media can increase confusion. This is one of the reasons why parents also have the responsibility of training to know the potential of social networks and technology in order to make good use of it, since, in addition, the parents' own example it also influences the children.
- Personal difficulties. Different factors, for example, barriers in the level of social skills can make a person apparently feel more comfortable when interacting through the Internet. The risk of this is that the patient develops stress and anxiety when he has to face face-to-face situations that go out of his comfort zone.
Consequences of addiction to social networks
- Difficulty staying focused. Although a person is physically present in one place, his mind may be in another entirely. Those who suffer from addiction to social networks compulsively consult any detail, leaving the direct reality of day to day in the background.
- Alteration of sleep and rest habits. The tendency to live glued to a screen alters the rhythm of life in factors as essential as these. For example, the habit of consulting the telephone at night delays the time of sleep or interrupts the night's rest.
- Distortion of reality. The person behaves as if the mobile phone were an extension of his being as important as a part of his own body. For example, there is a loss of privacy. The person comes to the conclusion that a moment is happier if it is shared with others.
- Lack of privacy care. As a result of this loss of the sphere of privacy, those who suffer from Internet addiction lose control of the information they share about themselves, that is, they do not realize the amount of data about their own life that they provide to others. People that, in many cases, you don't even know in person.
- Inner void. Social networks are marked by constant interaction but also by the ephemeral nature of this form of expression. A photograph shared on Facebook a few weeks ago is totally expired today. For this reason, this excess of activity that remains on the plane of superficiality, leaves behind an immense feeling of emptiness in the face of the high emotional demand for recognition from others.
Solutions to treat social media addiction
The first step is to become aware of the problem. Be honest with yourself to observe this limitation by understanding how this addiction is affecting the patient not only in his personal life but also on an academic or professional level.
In addition, it is advisable to seek psychological help from an expert specialized in the field to do therapy. The expert will carry out a diagnosis of the initial situation to, from that moment, specify an individualized treatment that increases the resilience of the affected person in the face of those stimuli that generate some type of discomfort.
What are behavioral addictions
The Internet addiction is very common among young people and adults who have grown accustomed to using the online medium, but they do it obsessively. However, it is not the only addiction without substance that exists, recently, they have begun to study various attitudes related to addiction but that do not involve the consumption of any external toxin, these behaviors are known as behavioral addictions.
Today, they are considered one of the most abundant mental disorders in Western society, we can divide these addictions according to the stimulus that the dependence produces:
- Gambling addiction or compulsive gambling
- Work addiction
- Sex addiction
- Compulsive shopping
- Food addiction
- Social media and internet addiction
In order to address these behaviors, it is necessary to be able to study their origin, maintenance and the various ways of treating it. From this purpose, specific training for psychology professionals, courses and postgraduate degrees in behavioral addictions were born, the objective of which is to shed a little more light on this phenomenon of recent appearance.
How to prevent addiction to social networks
Beyond the specific treatment that can be considered as a solution, it is convenient to take preventive measures. How to do it?
- Always prioritize your relationships and face-to-face conversations. This is a reference premise for not making a medium such as social networks an end in itself.
- Enjoy the expansion of intimacy from freedom. That is, when you enjoy a plan, forget about photographing that moment to upload it to your networks. It is better that you observe the details of that day to save them and feel them in the memory of your retinas. Does that mean you can never take a photograph? It means that you have to find the balance of living taking pictures when they really make sense.
- Turn off your mobile phone for three hours each day or leave it in a different room when you are at home. It is recommended that you train practical and concrete ideas to enjoy social networks with measure. To do this, you can also set a time of use and specify a time of day when you look at them for the last time.
- Remember how your life was before the arrival of social networks. Essentially, it was exactly the same as now. If you need to remember that time, then enjoy old movies that show you a pre-tech lifestyle.
- Educational training. It is recommended that academic centers schedule talks on this topic for teachers, parents and students. Talks dealing with addiction to social networks: causes, consequences and solutions.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Addiction to social networks: causes, consequences and solutions, we recommend that you enter our Addictions category.