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What social media does to your mind

What social media does to your mind

As a millennial, I have not only been alive for some of the greatest technological innovations of all time, but I have also seen innovations that are a detriment to the newer generations. By the title of this article you can probably already tell what I’m referring to, Social Media. First it was Myspace, then Facebook and then Instagram. I have used all three, but was never, even to this day, very present on them. I have had the pleasure of watching its effects on people in where I believe its influence is greater than anywhere else, Southern California. I believe social media is both bad and good, but not in the conventional way.

Lets talk about life before social media

Essentially, your parents had the blessing of knowing what was realistic and what was not. They did not have the ability to log into an app on a smartphone and see borderline unattainable lifestyles.

Royce King @ thedailynook.com

Lets imagine what is was like when your parents were young in the days of no cell phones or internet. When they were in middle school and high school all they knew was what existed in the town they grew up in, the schools that they went to and the people that lived within a several mile radius of them. They weren’t exposed to things that only the 1% did, besides if they went out of their way to watch tv shows such as Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous etc. Essentially, your parents had the blessing of knowing what was realistic and what was not. They did not have the ability to log into an app on a smartphone and see borderline unattainable lifestyles. Unfortunately the current generation is over exposed to the 1% or those who fake a lifestyle to try to sell you something or for their own egoistical reasons. What I mean by the current generation as being overexposed is seeing pictures of:

  • People with perfect shredded bodies, usually these people are taking steroids or other hormones.
  • Lifestyles on the 1% that very few people get to enjoy, such as people driving around in exotic cars, going on lavish vacations all the time, and riding around in private jets.
  • Extremely attractive people seemingly living perfect/happy lives, these people are often depressed/have anxiety disorders. You just only get to see a small facet of their lives.
  • And the list goes on……

How does social media affect your brain

If you decided to click on this article you want to know what social media does to your mind. What I have noticed as I’ve gotten older is that there is a simple answer to everything. The simple answer is that Social Media is designed to play on the dopamine receptors in your brain and causes a feel-good sensation followed by anxiety if you become addicted to it. An article on scientific America, click here for more information, notes that,” A brain chemical linked to pleasure and depression may also trigger fear, according to a new study. Researchers say this may explain why the neurotransmitter dopamine, known to cause addictive behavior, may also play a role in anxiety disorders.”

What I have noticed as I’ve gotten older is that there is a simple answer to everything. The simple answer is that Social Media is designed to play on the dopamine receptors in your brain and causes a feel-good sensation followed by anxiety if you become addicted to it.

Royce King @ thedailynook@gmail.com

You might ask,” How does Social Media cause dopamine hits”, well like I mentioned there is a simple answer to this and we will use Instagram as an example due to its popularity.  It is as easy as gaining a like, seeing who is viewing your stories, and gaining followers. Several studies have shown that this has a greater impact on females and males, but I will delve into this topic in a separate article. In turn people with addictive personalities could find themselves easily drawn to Instagram and become glued to the app, which could easily lead to depression and anxiety disorders. Further, evidence from more and more studies are building the case that those who use social media regularly report higher cases of depression. An article on childmind.org report that ,” Evidence is mounting that there is a link between social media and depression. In several recent studies, teenage and young adult users who spend the most time on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms were shown to have a substantially (from 13 to 66 percent) higher rate of reported depression than those who spent the least time.”

We’ve talked about why social media is bad, why do I personally think social media is good

Why do I think social media is quote on quote “good”. Because it makes it easier for me as a male to vet to see who I should avoid dating or decide to date.

Royce King @ thedailynook.com

Being from the land of Southern California, you will find that it is filled with people who have a taste for vanity and mind-bogglingly large egos. Evidence has mounted that women are more invested in social media than men are and typically curate posts that are more focused on themselves. This takes the form of selfies, pictures in bikini’s or provocative photos in lingerie etc. This is mentioned in an article written by Leonard Sax M.D., Ph.D. on psychologytoday.com,”Leonard Sax M.D., Ph.D.” Girls are more invested in social media than boys are, on average. Girls post many more photos on social media, and the photos are different. While the boys’ photos typically focus on something the boy is doing or something the boy saw, the girl is more likely to post a photo where the emphasis is on how the girl looks. If you don’t like Jake’s photo of the pretty cheerleader at the football game, Jake doesn’t care. But if you don’t like Emily’s selfie at the game, Emily is likely to take that more personally. “

Why do I think social media is quote on quote “good”. Because it makes it easier for me as a male to vet to see who I should avoid dating or decide to date. For example, if a woman posts extremely often with an emphasis on sexually provocative photos it is a huge red flag. Further, I see that as attention seeking behavior which highlights insecurity combined with the inability to be trustworthy partner. On the other hand, if I see a profile with mild content such as family photos, only fully clothed photos, and no emphasis on sexually provocative photos I would see that persona as dateable.

In other words, I find Instagram as an effective tool to help me save time when it comes to selecting dating material.

If you have any additional questions please contact us at thedailynook@gmail.com or by leaving a reply to this article.