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What is social media addiction?

The increasing use of social networks (RRSS) is something that has become problematic in
recent years. More and more people are using these devices and the age at which they start
using them is getting younger and younger. This related to the fact that young people tend to
perceive a greater sense of engagement than adults (Atela et al. 2014) is a problem that needs
to be studied.

Moreover, as can be read in various research studies, such as the one carried out by Jiménez
and Pantoja in 2007, this excessive use of networks could lead to psychological dependence.

The problem here, as we discussed in the articles on behavioural addictions and gambling
addiction, is that these types of addictions are not included in the main diagnostic manual of
mental disorders (DSM-5, APA 2013). Therefore, it is difficult to establish a diagnosis or
comment on what their main symptoms are.

What are the symptoms of social media addictions?

Related to the above, in order to establish what the symptoms are, we will have to look at the
symptoms of substance addictions. The most frequent are:

Increased time spent on networks

Psychological dependence. Need to have a few "likes" to be happy.

Tolerance. Need to have to spend more time or make more publications to get the same
sensations.

Social isolation (classroom)

In addition, other symptoms may also appear, for example: emotional instability, impulsivity,
the need to always have exciting or strong emotions, etc.

What are the consequences of RRSS addiction?

According to various authors, the most common consequences of excessive use or addiction to
these devices are:

Anxiety

Emotional Dependency

Low self-esteem
Unproductive Coping Styles

Extroversion problems

In addition, there may also be other associated disorders such as internet addiction or mobile
phone addiction. This is because to make use of social networks, in most cases, it is done
through a mobile phone and an internet connection is necessary.

abusive use of social networks.jpg

Treatment for network addiction

There are not many clinical guidelines on how psychological treatment should be in these
addictions. Even so, from my point of view it is essential that the following be taken into
account:

Exploration of the problem. Collect information about the hours of use, from when the
possibility that there is a problem is perceived, possible consequences that this problem has on
daily life, number of social networks with which they feel dependent, etc.

Psychometric assessment using standardized questionnaires. It is important to know at what

point the affected person is in order to establish the therapeutic objectives. By means of both
quantitative and quantitative evaluation it will be possible to establish the severity of the
problem.
Psychoeducation on what behavioural addictions are and how we can deal with them. There is
little information about what these addictions are and what addiction to social networks is.
Therefore, it is essential to inform the affected person so that they can identify with the
symptoms and can see that it is a problem.

Explanation and identification of possible consequences. A problem becomes a problem,

among other things, when it affects daily life. That is, when we stop doing things because we
are posting. It should also be seen if there is a great psychological dependence or not.

Self-recording of usage. In order to establish how much use occurs, it is recommended to note
how many publications are made and in which social networks. In addition to serving the
psychologist to help determine the severity of the problem, it can also help the patient to
know what is really the number of times you publish. Often there is no awareness of the latter.

Stimulating control. It is often recommended that you uninstall applications or use tools to
limit the amount of time you spend on them.

Addressing other types of associated problems such as those mentioned in the previous point
(anxiety, depression, coping problems, low self-esteem, extroversion problems, etc.).

Techniques are also used to control the anxiety that reducing consumption, etc. can produce.

Conclusions
It is vitally important that these types of addictions are included in the main diagnostic
manuals of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association
(APA). In order to be able to establish a good diagnosis and use appropriate measurement
instruments to carry out the assessment, this is very important.

It is a problem that, above all, is associated with younger and younger people. In addition, the
age of use of mobile phones and, therefore, social networks is getting younger and younger. It
is true that the networks usually have a minimum age to be able to register. This is usually
between 13 and 14 years old. However, lying is very easy and we find that children and young
people as young as 10 years old already have social networks.

What was mentioned in the previous point can be problematic for two reasons. On the one
hand, an addiction to a particular social network can occur and, on the other hand, that young
person is totally exposed to the community of that social network with all the dangers that this
can bring.

Positive aspects of Social Networking

Social Networks are here to stay and in them (and through them) we have found allies for our
professional and personal life. Apart from the long leisure time that we can spend on networks
like Facebook or YouTube, there are many other positive aspects of social networks that we
find in our daily lives. Here we highlight some of the most striking ones:

1. Speed of information

It is clear that Social Networks have strong points, both personally and professionally. One of
them is the speed with which we find out the most important news of the day. The
information is shown on our wall or in our timeline constantly shared by contacts or friends.

On many occasions (and more and more frequently) we find out about the big headlines of the
day from Social Networks instead of from the media, because someone around us has shared
it on their Social Networks. This information that is given to us and that appears on our
timeline or wall, without us doing anything at all, is one of the great advantages of Social
Media: we are constantly informed about the news of the day.

2. Knowledge of profiles of interest

In addition, just as we find information quickly, Social Networks like Pinterest, Instagram or
Twitter make it easier to find people with whom we share interests and hobbies, so that a
virtual link is created with people you do not know but that, as a rule, everything they share is
useful or interesting to you.

All kinds of hobbies, hobbies or interests are represented on Social Networks. You can easily
find videos, publications, groups or pages that talk about what you are interested in and
connect with other users with whom you have at least one thing in common. Before, finding
fans of certain activities was like looking for a needle in a haystack, now with Social Media it's
easier than ever.

3. Ease of contact

And we don't need to go to strangers to highlight another great advantage of the Social
Networks: the ease with which we can get in touch again with old friends or classmates or
colleagues from old jobs that otherwise we wouldn't have found in the immensity of the net. Is
it just me or since Facebook has been available, have there been more class, college or
childhood friends' dinners than before? 😉

4. Access to all types of content

Another positive aspect of social networks is everything we learn from other people, both in
terms of hobbies and professional matters. In the networks there are people with a lot of
talent and the viralization of content means that we can access all kinds of tips, guides,
tutorials and manuals that help us in our day to day, either to prepare a professional
presentation or to prepare a birthday cake for family parties.

5. Capacity for self-promotion

I do not want to finish the positive side of Social Networks without also highlighting the great
role they have in our professional side, not only for what we can learn, but also for the ability
to promote our company on networks like Pinterest or Youtube, or the ease of finding
employment that LinkedIn gives us. It is increasingly common for social networks to be
oriented to professional objectives.

6. Source of entertainment
Habits have changed and the times when television was the queen of entertainment are long
gone. In the current scenario, social networks are leading the ranking of entertainment media.

Media content and videos as stories on Instagram or games and tests on Facebook occupy
much of the free time of young and not so young people. Not to mention instant messaging
apps like WhatsApp, which take the lion's share of the time spent online.

If you want to create your own videos like a pro, you can take a look at the youtube video
editor by InVideo.

7. Online sales

With Instagram Shopping any business can sell their products, how? Through a business
account a brand can upload images with their own products.

These are interactive images in which the price appears when clicking on a specific product. If
the user is interested in it, he will only have to click on the price that appears as a label to view
the detailed product on the official website of the brand and, if interested, finally buy it. The
sale with two clicks is already here.