The psychology of social media: Why are we addicted to social media and how does it influence us?

Lecturer in Psychology, Greg Westerman-Hughes, talks to us about the psychology behind why we're all so glued to our phones.

What is social media addiction?

Firstly, it needs to be stated that social media addiction is not an officially recognised mental health disorder, though similarities between existing non-substance related disorders (behavioural addictions) and behaviours exhibited by people who use social media have been made.

Based on the Diagnostic Statistics Manual (5^th ed) (DSM-V) definition for similar behavioural addictions it would be defined as “the persistent and recurrent use of social media which leads to clinically significant impairment or distress”. This usually involves exhibiting a certain number of criteria or symptoms over a 12-month period. Very vague, I know!

Are we talking about flicking through our friends’ pictures on Instagram or reading dreadfully cringy posts by our family on Facebook? It could be both! However, with the popularity of short-form videos use like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and all the other platforms that host video-sharing, many researchers have argued that consumption of these short, quick videos is like the ‘high’ experienced by those who gamble or take drugs.

The rise of short form video content

With shortform videos and social media in general, the fast and almost infinite reinforcement that can be received from viewing content leads to the development of behaviour that becomes repetitive, habitual and, if left unmanaged, dependent and negatively impactful on our lives.

For example, you are swiping through TikTok and find a video of a baby laughing at a dog being silly; you laugh, you smile, it makes you feel good, and you swipe up to the next, this time it’s a cat knocking a drink off the counter… you laugh, you smile, it makes you feel good. You swipe up to the next… do you now see a pattern forming here? It might not always be something positive and entertaining, but it is still providing some form of reinforcement and meeting a need that you have. That need could be anything from boredom, coping with stress, escaping from reality, autonomy.

Again, there are many different reasons and motivations why people use social media and platforms like TikTok. Granted, watching these videos without any context seems completely harmless and enjoyable, however when are our lives ever that simple and easy? Unfortunately, never!

Signs of social media addiction

This is where we need a list of symptoms or criteria to really understand when people are experiencing harm, where that line is crossed and when it starts to become a dependent and negatively impactful behaviour in our lives. So, what are these?

Coming back to the DSM-V it would be suggested there are around nine, based on gaming disorder (which is an actual recognised mental health disorder). Exhibiting a number of these in a 12-month period would be the basis for concern:

1. Preoccupation – social media dominates your thinking and is constantly on your mind
2. Withdrawal – experiencing negative feeling/emotions from not using social media
3. Tolerance – needing to use social media increasingly over time to feel the same effect
4. Unsuccessful attempts to control participation – cannot stop or reduce the amount you use social media after trying
5. Loss of interest in previous hobbies – stop doing other activities to use social media instead
6. Continued excessive use despite psychosocial problems – use social media despite the negative way it is making you feel and the impact it is having on your relationships
7. Deception – lying about using social media or the amount you are spending on it
8. Used to escape or relieve negative moods – using social media to feel better or avoid dealing with unresolved issues / stressful situations
9. Jeopardising or losing significant relationship, job, or education or career opportunity – using social media means instead of meeting role obligations or expectations with relationships, occupations work, education.

Moderation is key

It would also be worth considering the frequency of social media usage, i.e. how often are you using social media and how long if daily, as well as any comorbid mental health issues or symptoms. But, and it’s a really big but, only a clinician or certified healthcare professional can comprehensively diagnose an individual with a mental health disorder as social media addiction is not officially recognised.

So, before you go and self-diagnose yourself, or check your phone usage for how many hours you use Snapchat to keep your streak going, remember that all of what is presented here are indicators based on psychological journal articles and guidelines, and as such should be used to understand, inform and invite reflection to seek support if concerned.

It must be iterated that not everyone who uses social media is an addict or will go on to become an addict. For most, using social media, consuming alcohol, placing a bet, or playing video games is not inherently harmful, but it is when usage is excessive, impact is felt strongly in a negative way, and harm is being caused to the individual or those around them. If none of this is happening, keep swiping to your heart’s content and enjoy all those animals causing chaos!