Are you addicted to your smartphone? The majority of people in the world would say “yes” to that question. It’s almost as if their phone is like oxygen for them, and without it, they feel naked or immediately out of touch with the rest of the world. Also, when you factor in the rate that technology is evolving and people are yearning for the next new smartphone, real life probably won’t be improving any time soon.
Effects of Social Media
People live to consume, and our mindset regarding social media is no different. It has become a drug for which there is no actual cure. Below are a few consequences that can come from being addicted to social media –
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Loneliness
- Poor work performance
- Unhealthy relationship interactions
We, as consumers, have been so spoiled the past twenty years or so when it comes to smartphones. Each year they keep getting better and better, and we become more and more addicted.
According to the National Library of Medicine, the fear of not having your smartphone at your fingertips is called “nomophobia,” which can be considered a fairly common thing nowadays. It’s as if we constantly have to have our phone on us to check out a new app or find a new way to talk to family and friends. Our phones have become a part of our daily lives, which has led to a silent addiction to them.
For example, what do you do when you first wake up in the morning? Are you addicted to your smartphone? Exactly. You check your phone for missed calls, text messages, emails, etc. We want to see what we missed out on in our sleep. It has become as routine as waking up and eating breakfast.
Taking a Break From Your Smartphone
Some people will say they will “take a break” from their phone or “take a break” from social media. When you stop and think about those remarks, they are almost equivalent to someone saying, “I’m going to cut back on drinking or smoking.” In other words, they have an addiction to some degree. Only it’s an addiction to their phone.
One of the most significant uses of smartphones is social networking. Whether it be Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, we have access to all of it right in the palm of our hand. We can look at what other people are posting and respond by saying good things or bad things or upload pictures and videos in a matter of seconds for the whole world to view.
Perhaps people are looking for some sort of validation by blasting every little corner of their life on social media. It could be something positive or negative, but as long as they can evoke a reaction from someone, then that is all they need to make their day. Social media has allowed people to unload all their insecurities and personal issues or whatever they wish online for anyone and everyone to see.
Quick, Fast, and Easy
Between social media, our mobile devices, and everything the internet has to offer, it’s difficult not to become addicted in one way or another. We can have endless information at a moment’s notice from pushing a few buttons on our phones.
From ordering food from Door Dash to seeing our best friends’ vacation photos. All of it in the palm of our hand. Why would we ever want to go back to the old days of, say, a flip phone?
There are pros and cons of using smartphones and social media, though. Yes, it allows us to stay connected to one another as a society like never before, and it has revolutionized how we think and work and has made our daily lives more accessible in a sense. However, there will always be a downside to something that significant, and that’s where the addiction part comes in.
A TikTok World
Tiktok has become one of the more recent and popular apps we can use on our smartphones for people in a younger age group. It’s an app where someone can make videos on their smartphone and share them with the whole Tiktok universe. The videos could include someone discussing their divorce proceedings or something funny that happened to them at work.
For some people, Tiktok can be an emotional outlet for them to vent about personal issues they may be going through in their life. Granted, it is helpful for some people, and other people may find it bizarre to disclose such private information on social media apps.
When it comes to this particular app, it just goes to show how powerful our smartphones have become over time. We can connect with people worldwide in ways we never thought possible.
Social Media Addiction Facts
Almost 6.5 billion people in the world have smartphones. On average, a person will check their smartphone up to 63 times a day which accounts for an amount of time of nearly 5.4 hours a day on social media usage, etc.
There are roughly 3.5 billion social media users globally, where every 6.4 seconds, a new account is being made across multiple platforms. The typical user has an average of 7.6 social media accounts. Are you one of them? Are you addicted to your smartphone?
Clearly, there is no shortage of consumption with social media and what mobile phones have to offer. 
Social Media and Substance Abuse
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire”? This essentially means small problems you notice can be an indicator of a much bigger problem. In this sense, the addiction to checking social media or your smartphone could be indicative of a person having an addictive personality and gives clear sight as to who might be more susceptible to falling victim to drug addiction.
Social media essentially causes the same reactions in the brain as drugs. Seeing that you’ve received a “like” for one of your posts activates the same dopamine release reward system that doing drugs will. Substance abuse stems from people who have a problem with a craving for the dopamine release their brain emits. Answers the question, “Are you addicted to your smartphone?” Doesn’t it?
The concern here is that a person who is addicted to their phone may not be actively addicted to drugs, however at some point in life they may be exposed to drugs and if they have impulse issues regarding dopamine release, they are likely to struggle with drugs.
For instance, one day if a person who has a smartphone addiction gets hurt and prescribed pain medication, their exposure to this chemically addictive substance could evolve into a much bigger problem. This familiar narrative is a common version of many of the stories fueling the opiate epidemic we face in the United States today.
Focusing on Your Mental Health
In this day and age, there is no escaping social media. It is everywhere around us.
As we move towards the future, we have to stop and wonder if social media and smartphones will get better or worse in time and how they will affect people in the long term. We’ve become so used to having these two significant things in our lives that we panic if our phone battery starts to get low as we won’t be able to use our precious device. Are you addicted to your smartphone? Is that how we want our future to be though?
If you, or a loved one, are struggling with poor mental health on any level in Southern California call (866) 476-2823 and talk to a member of the Story Wellness team about potential addiction treatment programs in Orange County.
