In the Trap of Dopamine. Why Does Social Media Make Us Addicted?

FOMO in the Digital World

Every year, Datareportal.com publishes a global report on the “digital world”, in which it presents information on, among other things, the use of social media by Internet users. According to the Digital 2024 report, 97 million Internet users arrived in the world last year, which means that more than 66% of the world's population now use the Internet [1]. At the same time, 266 million new users were added to social media. In Poland, 24.8 million adult users (75% of the total adult population) use social media.

Why do we use the internet and social media? For more than 61% of respondents, the reason for staying online is to search for information. In second place is maintaining contact with friends and family (56.6% of respondents indicated this aspect). Younger generations spend most of their time on the internet. The older the user, the less he is available online.

The data from the “Digital 2024” report are worth clashing with the observations of the authors of the report on the phenomenon of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), that is, the fear that others may experience important online events that we do not participate in [2]. FOMO is most commonly experienced by people aged 15-19 years (as much as 94% at medium or high levels). The fear of being bypassed by something is strongly linked to being on social media. As the authors of the report note: “Studies have shown that highly sophisticated people often weave their time browsing social media into other activities, i.e. not only start and end the day, but also eat while using their smartphones (...). Browsing social media for many becomes part of the daily routine, entailing the need to satisfy information, resulting — as we assume — from fear of bypassing/disconnecting” [3].

Social media and dopamine — what do “likes” have to do with reward?

Social media addiction can be compared to other forms of addiction, such as gambling. They all have a common denominator — they activate the reward system in our brain, which is responsible for motivating us to repeat behaviors that provide us with pleasure. In the case of social media, the reward is primarily positive social reinforcements — “likes”, comments, shares, as well as interactions with other users. It is these stimuli that make us return to the application to ensure another dose of satisfaction.

A key element is dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in motivation and reward processes. When we expect something to be beneficial or pleasant for us, dopamine levels in the brain increase, which motivates us to take an action that leads to receiving a reward. However, this mechanism also has its other side. As neurobiologist Dr. Joanna Wojsiat notes, “the frequent release of dopamine under the influence of a substance, some stimulus or action, causes the body to begin to get used to this signal, begins to treat it as a state of the norm and every drop in the dopamine peak feels like a throw out of balance” [4].

In the context of social media, each new notification, like or comment can trigger a slight increase in dopamine levels. This makes us want to go back to the application to see if there is another reward waiting for us. This effect is compounded by the fact that rewards are irregular and unpredictable — we don't know when we'll get a new like, which makes us more likely to check apps frequently.

Mechanisms used by social media creators

The creators of social media are well aware of the mechanisms that influence our behavior. Social media platforms are designed in such a way as to engage us as much as possible. In what way?

1. Notification system Irregular notifications make us more likely to look at our profiles. Unpredictability is key — we never know when a new like or comment will appear, and that increases our curiosity.
2. Infinite scrolling, that is, endless scrolling — Platforms like Instagram offer an endless stream of content, which makes it difficult for us to stop browsing. It can be compared to gambling — we never know what will come next and we often spend much more time on the platform than we planned.
3. Artificial intelligence and content personalization — algorithms that personalize content adapt the displayed content to our preferences. So we always get something that might interest us, and that increases our satisfaction with using the app in question and drives the addiction mechanism.
4. Elements of gamification — many platforms introduce game elements, such as rankings, badges or counters, that make us want to achieve more goals and become more and more involved.

How to deal with social media addiction?

To counteract social media addiction, it is worth making some changes to your daily life. Here are some suggestions:

1. Set time limits

Determine how much time, during the day, you want to be on social media. “Just keeping track of how much time we spend using a smartphone is one way to increase self-awareness and, consequently, reduce phone use,” writes Anna Lembke in her book Dopamine Slaves. “When we consciously record objective facts, such as the amount of time we spend on something, it is harder for us to deny them, which puts us in a better position to take action,” he emphasizes [5]. Apps that block access to social media at certain times can also help set a time limit.

2. Do a “digital detox” and practice Mindfulness

In effectively weaning yourself off social media, regular breaks in which you give up browsing your phone can also help. A good time to carry out a “digital detox” can be, for example, a vacation trip, in connection with which you delete social applications from your smartphone. Thanks to this, you will better remember the holiday and live it “here and now”, without social “distractions”.

3. Use social media consciously

Try to use social media consciously. Avoid scrolling through content that is not interesting to you or causes a surge of negative emotions (the so-called. doomscrolling). If you are a parent, pay attention to whether and in what context you present your child online. The phenomenon of so-called sharing — the term originated from the combination of the English words “share” and “parenting” — is becoming more and more common. According to the report “Sharenting in Polish”, 40% of parents document their children's growing up in social media [6]. This practice can have a number of consequences, such as a threat to a child's privacy, cyberbullying or loss of control over online identity.

4. Seek psychological support

If you feel that your social media addiction is negatively affecting your life, you may want to consider enlisting the support of a professional to help you find appropriate coping strategies. You can also have such a consultation from the comfort of your home by connecting with a psychologist online. Within MultiLife platform an hour-long consultation awaits you, during which you will discuss your situation with a specialist in comfortable conditions and make a decision on further actions. You can access the MultiLife platform through your employer.

_{Bibliography:}

_{[1] https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report
[2] https://fomo.wdib.uw.edu.pl/2023/01/24/fomo-2022-polacy-a-lek-przed-odlaczeniem-raport-z-iv-edycji-badan/
[3] Report “Fomo 2022. Poles and fear of disconnection”, edited by Anna Jupowicz-Ginalska, Warsaw 2022, p. 44.
[4] Asia Podgórska, “This is how the brain works. How to take care of its functioning wisely”, Warsaw, 2023, p. 132.
[5] Anna Lembke, trans. Grażyna Chamielec, “Dopamine Slaves”, Poznan, 2023.
[6] https://cluepr.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Sharenting-czyli-dzieci-w-sieci-pierwszy-raport-w-Polsce.pdf}