Social Media: Addiction and Socialization Levels - Coursework Example

Section/# Social Media: Addiction and Socialization Levels In seeking to answer the question of how social media affects our lives, it is necessary to understand that social media has the potential to become somewhat of an addictive function. An understanding of how social media can be ultimately addictive also engenders many other negative aspects of human nature and social media. As a function of this particular analysis, it is the hope of this author that the reader will gain a more full and complete understanding of the means by which social media addiction is exhibited within an environment and the overall applications at this rather new level of personal addiction means with regards to society, interpersonal relations, studies, and work. Accordingly, as a means of understanding this, this brief analysis will discuss some of the ways in which social media addiction is exhibited, some of the reasons for why it happens, and some of the means by which individuals have come to realize and seek help with regards this particular addiction. It must be understood by the reader that social media has experienced a great growth and differentiation from its earliest days; creating a situation in which the overall dependence on technology has come to be a central element of the way in which individuals life their lives. This of course stands to reason due to the fact that social media is ultimately an exhibition of technology which in an of itself grows and develops at a rapid rate. Without seeking to pick specifically on any particular platform of social media, one can of course see this growth and development exhibited within the means by which Facebook was originally intended merely as a means of linking individuals together. However, the definition and means by which this was affected has common to be seen as something of a shift (LaRose & Eastin228). Comparatively, exhibitions such as twitter and other social networking sites now place the interconnectedness and friendship dynamics of individuals upon a secondary level of importance; choosing instead to focus upon the means by which seemingly endless status updates and tracking of activities/interests can be relayed within the community itself. Although it is not the intention of this author to point to the fact that social networking is negative, it must be noted that this particular shift has been described has necessarily increased the overall level of the addictive nature and addictive tendencies that are exhibited within its usage. Ultimately, social media in all of its forms was originally intended to provide a virtual connection between individuals. From its very earliest phase, social media exhibited the strength of promoting communication between a broad number of individuals that might not otherwise communicate. As David Zemmels noted, social media has morphed into something that has come to re-define the way in which interpersonal communication takes place (Zemmels 7). Yet, it would be foolish to discuss social media and/or the means by which it can become addictive without understanding the level of interpersonal communication and interaction that it seeks to replace. This is of course facilitated due to the virtual realm within which this communication takes place. Although this has given individuals around the globe a means by which increased levels of dedication might take place, it also necessarily portends a situation in which individuals regularly communicate and engage with a far higher number of people than they might otherwise. This is not a net evil. Rather, the addictive quality of social media is apparent as it relates to the way in which individuals become dependent upon constant communication and interaction within the virtual world as a means of defining an understanding their own reality. As with many addictions, social media addiction is not physically addicting. Rather, it is psychologically addictive due to fact that it helps the user to understand and define the world in which they live to a more full and complete extent. This dependence feature upon social media necessarily engages the reader with an understanding of why such a process ultimately becomes addictive. What this addiction has caused is a situation in which the overall level of socialization has been decreasing year by year. Naturally, socialization and the overall levels to which an individual engages in this is something of a subjective metric; however, scholars such as Roberts (2011) note that the dependence mechanisms that are being exhibited within social media create likelihood that people will begin to lose their overall socialization skills within the non-virtual world. Sadly, if this trend continues, it can definitively be stated that social media was the harbinger of a less social world and a more insular community of keyboard warriors (Naylor et al. 119). However, rather than seeing the future in terms of socially inept and awkward people, a far more realistic point of view would state that with any new technology there is a risk of overuse and dependence. The same can of course be said with respec to the dependence upon the internet for rapid information retrieval or the dependence upon TV for news media or entertainment. Ultimately, each successive wave of technology brings with it challenges that make the future somewhat less “secure” than the era in which such a technology was only a figment of the imagination. However, rather than shunning social media as the agent of negative change, individuals should instead be aware of its risks while utilizing its strengths to add to their own personal lives. Perhaps one of the worst aspects regarding social media addiction is with regards to the level in which social media addiction only encourages even further social media addiction. What is meant by such a statement relates to the fact that individuals who are oftentimes partially or nominally addicted to social media will invariably spend a percentage of their time engaging with it. Accordingly, the amount of time spent within social media necessarily takes away from the amount of time that the individuals might have engaged in other activities; such as engaging with individuals within the real world or fostering further communication skills. In this way, each and every hour that is spent in social media addiction necessarily reduces the exposure that the individual might otherwise have with the remainder of the outside world; thereby representing something of a vicious cycle. Although it may seem rather humorous to the uninformed reader, social media addiction is a form of addiction that is affecting a larger and larger number of people within the environment. Accordingly, addiction experts have noted a dramatic increase in the overall level of individuals who come to them seeking advice and aid in seeking to let go of their dependence upon social media within their daily lives. Experts note that the rapid increase in overall addiction to social media has spawned something of an additional problem. Whereas many individuals within society have noted that the current generation seems to exhibit an egocentric approach to life, over dependence and overuse upon social media only serves to compounds such an eventuality. If one stops to think about the way in which updates are posted in individuals interact with each other within such a format, the focus is invariably on the way in which the individual sees the world, their individual triumphs, defeats, and a curiously insular approach to all matters (Castello et al. 684). Whereas social media was designed as a means of bringing people together, what has actually been realized as a situation in which the individual is ultimately encouraged to recluse into their own world within this highly populated environment. As it was introduced to society, it was broadly understood that social media could serve as an enhancement for the way in which individuals already lived their daily lives. However, as time has gone on, it has become clear that social media is instead a crutch that allows individuals to spend a bulk of their social lives behind a screen; interacting with “virtual friends”. Although this is not the case with each and every individual that utilizes social media, it is the case for the broad majority; leading to a situation in which the individual user, especially one that has a high number of online friends, is less likely to interact with real friends in the non-virtual world. Sadly, this reality has come to be represented more and more with each successive generation that integrates with this new form of communication and socialization. With that being said, it must not be understood that social media should be shunned or that the stakeholder should discontinue using it entirely. As with any activity or habit, the user should take stock of the degree or level to which dependency is created. If this dependency has become so strong that social media serves as an impediment towards living a healthy non-virtual social life, then the overall amount of time and importance that this platform of communication and social engagement has within the life of the user must necessarily be reduced. Regardless of the way in which one integrates with social media, the fact of the matter is that social media and mobile devices are playing an increasing role in the way individuals interact with one another and with every aspect of society. In such a way, seeking to understand and ameliorate the negative externalities of how humans behave with these paradigm shifts is a central issue of concern. After reviewing the arguments which have been discussed within this brief essay, it is the understanding of this author that one of the most effective means of doing that is to ensure that the uniform level of interaction takes place both between the real world and the world of social networking. This was mentioned within Kevin Roberts piece entitled, “Confessions of a Cyber Junkie” where he relates the way in which the dynamics of internet addiction impact upon the social awareness of the individual (Roberts 3). Therefore, seeking help if one finds oneself in a situation of social dependence and addiction is one of the most important steps to can be made. As with any form of addiction, realization is the first step towards recovery. Finally, from the information which is been discussed within this brief analysis, the reader can come to the understanding that social media in an of itself is not necessarily a net evil or dangerous. This must be noted due to the fact that anytime one discusses the aspect of addiction, negative connotations arise in the physically addictive aspects of narcotics and drugs. Whereas this is obviously not the case with social media, it nonetheless portends a level of danger with regards to the addictive nature that the individual might exhibit if he/she interacts with it too much. Works Cited Castelló, Itziar, Mette Morsing, and Friederike Schultz. "Communicative Dynamics And The Polyphony Of Corporate Social Responsibility In The Network Society." Journal Of Business Ethics 118.4 (2013): 683-694. Business Source Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. LaRose, Robert, Carolyn A. Lin, and Matthew S. Eastin. "Unregulated Internet Usage: Addiction, Habit, Or Deficient Self-Regulation?." Media Psychology 5.3 (2003): 225-253. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 13 May 2013. Naylor, Rebecca Walker, Cait Poynor Lamberton, and Patricia M. West. "Beyond The "Like" Button: The Impact Of Social Media Settings." Journal Of Marketing 76.6 (2012): 105-120.Business Source Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. ROBERTS, KEVIN. "Confessions OF A CYBER Junkie." USA Today Magazine 139.2790 (2011): 58-60. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 May 2013. Zemmels, David R. "Youth And New Media: Studying Identity And Meaning In An Evolving Media Environment." Communication Research Trends 31.4 (2012): 4-22. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 13 May 2013. Outline: Introduction: I: History A: Growth and development of social media B: Where we are now with this technology II: Addiction A: Psychological addiction B: What this portends for users and how it reshapes the social world III: Insular World A: Purpose of “social media lost” B: People withdrawing within their virtual friendships C: Losing touch with the outside world IV: Increasing Size and Scope of Social Media Addiction – affecting ability to have normal social life A: Metrics from current generation B: Discussion of repercussions for society V: What the future holds A: Should we shun social media B: How to avoid the slide towards unsocial behavior C: A middle path Conclusion Read More