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Kenyatta University *

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MISC

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Psychology

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Nov 24, 2024

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Surname 1 Student's Name Instructor's Name Course Name Due Date. Research paper Introduction My research question is: How does technology affect our brains and make us addicted? This paper explains how technology can alter people's brains to become constantly addicted to social media. Roger McNamee has authored a book in which he discusses how Facebook has been a pioneer in the study and development of technologies that may be used to manipulate information and alter the experiences of users. McNamee discusses this topic in the book. As a consequence of this, a system has emerged that is not democratic, and that makes it possible for political manipulation to take place using an algorithm. This is a dilemma for democracy since it implies that we are receiving information skewed about politics and current events. The smooth operation of democracies is hampered as a result of this issue. This might lead to our voting for politicians that do not reflect our views or lead us to make judgments based on erroneous information about events that are going place throughout the globe (McNamee, 29). Both of these outcomes are undesirable. Both of these possibilities have the potential to have major ramifications for society as a whole since they would result in voters who are less educated making choices that influence everyone else. These actions would have an impact on everyone else. The human brain is not a static organ. It changes and adapts throughout our lifetimes as we learn new things, form new habits and make new connections. In particular, the brain has the ability to change its structure through learning and experience. This is called

neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, and it's the reason that one can learn a new language quickly or why a grandmother can play video games despite their old age. The same thing applies to technology use. People's brains have evolved to adapt to new technologies, such as smartphones, computers and video games. How we interact with these devices changes how our brains work — sometimes in ways that are beneficial, but often in ways that are detrimental. Technology-induced changes in people's brains can lead us to become addicted to certain behaviours or activities online. Addiction is when something becomes so important that people need it to feel normal or happy — it's not just a bad habit anymore. Getting drunk every Friday night would be considered a drinking problem. The majority of people find that social media is a valuable source of information, yet, it has the potential to have a detrimental impact on people's brains in unanticipated ways, as well as cause them to spend more money on things that ignite phantom vibrations. People are constantly browsing through their social media feeds without paying attention to what they are seeing. They maintain this behaviour whether they are standing, sitting, or lying down, which leads to an obsession with social media. The practice is thought to be innocuous, but there are major concerns about one's mental health associated with using social media on a regular basis. According to studies, the mental consequences of social media are especially prevalent among young people (children and adolescents). The American Academy of Pediatrics has admitted that the use of social media applications like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat has affected the minds of a significant number of adolescents all over the globe (McNamee, 34). Problems with the brain, such as depression brought on by Facebook, sexting, cyberbullying, and exposure to improper information, were the most prevalent negative impacts of social media use. In addition, owing to the addictive nature of social media, it has substantial consequences on the brains of its users, both mentally and physiologically. According to

research conducted at the University of Harvard, exposing oneself to social media applications activates the same area of the brain that is stimulated when an individual consumes an addictive drug. The research findings also suggest that choices and feelings are influenced by the brain's reward area and the routes taken by its chemical messengers. People who are constantly engaged in the use of social media will inevitably face the same impact. The regular notifications that users get from social networking sites cause a rush of dopamine to be released in the brain, which, in turn, causes the brain to direct this dopamine through the reward pathway, allowing the user to experience a sense of pleasure. In a similar vein, regular use of social media delivers a limitless number of quick benefits in the form of attention from other people for a substantial amount of effort that is required ("Is "Snapchat Dysmorphia" a Real Issue? - PMC."). As a result, the human brain can regenerate itself via positive reinforcement, which is why people want the emotional responses, retweets, and likes they get on social media. The fact that the majority of individuals' brain rewards are concentrated when the majority of people speak about themselves is yet another aspect that contributes to the addictive nature of social media. People, on the other hand, tend to speak about themselves between 20 and 30 per cent of the time each day. People like this tend to spend a lot of time talking about themselves on social media platforms to brag about where they are in life and what they have. It is believed that around 85 per cent of people spend time on social media talking about their lives (McNamee, 37). The brain effect happens when a person posts a picture and gets an excessive amount of favourable social responses from their peers. The brain is prompted to release dopamine, which, in turn, satisfies the brain's need for the addictive social media habit and encourages more use of Facebook. Because of this, social media has become harmful when users interpret public networking sites as virtual platforms

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for dealing with their feelings of isolation, despair, and stress. The following paragraphs will go through three of social media's most significant effects on the brain. Effect on self-esteem People's levels of self-esteem are inextricably related to the way their brains work. Therefore, an excessive amount of time spent on social media apps has an effect on an individual's sense of self-worth. It has come to light that social media may negatively affect people's thinking habits, which in turn can have a big impact on their sense of self-worth. Physique Appearance is the title of a research study that was conducted in 2019 in Canada with a sample size of 200 female graduate and undergraduate students. The study found that the participants felt demoralized about their body presence after spending significant time interacting with other people on social media (Noble, 3). The primary problem was that they had encountered other individuals who were more gorgeous than they were. According to the findings of the research, the negative comparison extends farther than a person's outward attractiveness and look. These people look at the things other people on social media have and compare them to the things they have themselves. Some people who give it a lot of thought and spend more time on social media are more likely to develop depression as a result of this, which makes a bad situation much worse (Noble, 3). On the other hand, persons who cut down on the amount of time they spend on social media have effectively reduced their feelings of despair and loneliness ("Is "Snapchat Dysmorphia" a Real Issue? - PMC."). According to research published in the Journal of Social and China Psychology in 2018, persons who have reduced the amount of time they spend on social media platforms on a daily basis to less than thirty minutes are more likely to have success in lowering feelings of isolation and despair. These participants claimed that they were feeling better after refraining from social media for a period of two weeks (Noble, 4).

In addition, some people have reported experiencing despair due to associating with peers on social media who exhibited costly school bags and other stationery, which led to their dropping out of school. An investigation of the reasons for that action was carried out at universities in Australia. The findings of the research suggest that the majority of young people in Australia join gangs due to having a skewed sense of their own self-worth due to comparing themselves to others with whom they have connected via social media applications. The authors proposed that young people's access to social media should be restricted by law to prevent them from becoming addicted to the platform. According to the findings of the research, a student should only be permitted to browse social media for a total of ten minutes each day at the most. The significance of shortening the time is that individuals will have more time to engage in useful tasks and less time to waste being idle, which will lead to increased use of social media ("Internet Addiction and Excessive Social Networks Use: What About Facebook?"). Effect on the brain's grey matter The amount of young content that people retain in their minds may be influenced by social media. The authors of a review that was published in 2018 under the title Societal Neuroscience point to a connection between the public media net scope and the hominid intelligence capacity in their findings. In a subsequent explanation, The Study said that it had used magnetic resonance as a research instrument. A total of 40 Facebook users' brains were analyzed using this instrument, which used magnetic resonance imaging. According to the findings of the research, those who use WhatsApp often are more likely to have a sizable pool of talented young workers at their disposal. The better immature stuff capabilities are located inside the regions of the brain that are connected to the duties of general procedures.

Some examples of the duties include identifying social-gang associates and attempting to understand their moods and the reasoning behind their actions. In addition, the grey matter altered the way that they thought about themselves in relation to issues concerning social groups. Some individuals believe that all persons are equal and that all social activities and well-being should be conducted equally. Since of this, the research suggests that individuals should disregard the notions of social media because it may disrupt their complete life cycle. The trust that was shaken as a consequence of the varied ideas and discussions pertaining to social media led to the need to make an effort to comprehend their conditions and reasons. The research indicates that those with a large amount of grey matter in their brains are more likely to be strongly hooked to social media. They are unable to manage the activity without consulting their social media programs for more explanation. It indicates that their ability for thought has been diminished as a result of the huge volume of the brain being taken up by cerebral grey matter. Another research, on the other hand, suggests that trying to understand one's own motives and feelings is not a bad habit, despite the fact that it may have considerable negative consequences. The authors contend that acknowledging self-motivation and circumstances might be ethical and immoral in different contexts. It is dependent on the religious perspective that underlies the conduct. In addition, an action is considered unethical when it has a detrimental impact on persons, as measured by a shift in the individuals' thinking and conduct with regard to social issues ("Psychological Risk Factors that Predict Social Networking and Internet Addiction in Adolescents."). As a result, the author of the research suggests that folks think about their religious beliefs and their aims before practising the performance. In addition, users should think about the impacts of engaging with social media programs such as Facebook for an extended period of time.

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Effect on multitasking The capacity of a person to juggle several responsibilities is significantly hindered by the prevalence of social media. People often check their tweets on their mobile devices daily, switch to WhatsApp to roll for a bit, and then check on Instagram to post about what they are doing. This has the effect of influencing people's mentality and leading them to believe that they are capable of successfully juggling several responsibilities. However, in real life, it might be challenging to operate and manage many accounts at the same time. People's capacity to focus on many things at once might suffer significantly if they often shift their attention away from one activity and toward another. Individuals who multitasked profoundly on public mass media did not operate as well as brighter media multitaskers in a variety of intellectual purviews, according to a study that was conducted in 2018 and published in the proceeding of the General College of Knowledge. The study was conducted by the General College of Knowledge. The research also shows that those who believe they are the greatest at multitasking on social media are quite sluggish at it when it comes to real-life circumstances, despite the fact that they think they are the best at it ("Internet Addiction and Excessive Social Networks Use: What About Facebook?"). Disabling push notifications is one strategy that Dr Anastasiou, another researcher at other research, suggests a person use to assist in lessening the stress that comes from often checking their social media accounts. People who break the habit of spending a significant portion of their time multitasking on social media will find that doing so helps them freshen their thoughts and rids them of the delusion that they are excellent multitaskers (McNamee, 40). On the other hand, those who are used to moving between and administering many social media profiles have a difficult time managing multiple real-life bank accounts and other activities. According to the findings of research conducted by Hu et al. (724), a number of individuals have been misled by social media into believing that they can manage many

projects in their respective professions without losing the faith of their customers or superiors. The research goes on to suggest that people should not spend a great deal of time moving between various social media accounts but should instead practice multitasking via activities that take place in real life. According to recent research, individuals should avoid becoming addicted to multitasking social media activities and instead focus on one social media account at a time. This is despite the fact that switching between multiple social media accounts may feel satisfying and exciting (Hu et al., 724). The vast majority of social networking websites, particularly those geared toward young people, are harmful to users' mental health, with evidence indicating that Instagram is the most harmful of these platforms. Instagram is said to have disastrous repercussions on an individual's mental health since it heightens a person's feelings of worry, discontent, and inadequacy (Hu et al., 726). This idea is supported by the fact that Instagram is used as an example. Other websites, including Facebook, Snap Chat, Twitter, and WhatsApp, are damaging to individuals since they may make a person's anxieties about their looks, the situation they are living in, sadness, and loneliness worse, as well as make, cyberbullying severe (Choate et al., 215). Researchers have conducted research like this out of worry for young people's mental health in light of growing evidence that cyberbullying and self-hatred on social media may lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Cyberbullying and self-hatred to the point of suicidality are causing individuals to worry about the impact of social media on young people's identities. Because of their primary emphasis on an individual's image and looks, these social media websites have been identified by several studies as being detrimental to a person's mental health (Choate et al., 219). This is because the content shared on these websites tends to be highly critical. As a result, those individuals who believe that they are not as successful as their contemporaries will be profoundly impacted by feelings of inadequacy and discontent. In the same way that there are websites like YouTube that are not

rated highly for affecting an individual's self-esteem, there are also websites like YouTube that are ranked highly for altering people's sleep habits. This is not a good thing for the mental health of a person since a person who does not get enough sleep runs the danger of causing damage to his or her brain due to weariness. This is another reason why this is not a good thing. Although social media is not always a negative instrument for people's development as human beings, it is essential that they maintain a healthy work-life balance so that we do not allow it to interfere with our regular activities. In contrast to the conclusions drawn from earlier surveys and studies, more recent research has revealed that using social media may have a positive effect on a person's overall health and happiness. For instance, there are studies that suggest that people can develop resilience, and that this will be beneficial to the mental well-being of that individual when they engage in social media on platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. This is beneficial to the mental well-being of the individuals who participate in the studies. This is due to the fact that these platforms encourage users to engage in conversation with one another. Analysis evidence from organizations such as the National Society to Prevent Cruelty to Children and data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development have both conducted studies on the impact that technology has had on people, particularly the younger generation, which is the primary user of social media platforms ("Internet Addiction and Excessive Social Networks Use: What About Facebook? "). These studies have shown that technology has had a negative effect on people, particularly the younger generation. According to the findings of these studies, the use of social media plays an important part in the improvement and development of socialization skills, the provision of emotional support and assistance, and the formation of affiliations with peers whom they would not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. In addition, there are people who deal with mental health difficulties, and social media gives an easy

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access point for these folks to obtain support, which may improve their overall wellbeing. These studies have also shown that individuals could cherish the ability to engage with their contemporaries and seek advice from those who have been through the same experience or from people who will not criticize them. This is something that people can appreciate. It is essential for individuals to possess the knowledge and abilities required to utilize social media platforms in order for them to make secure use of the internet and other technologies that are analogous to it ("Internet Addiction and Excessive Social Networks Use: What About Facebook?"). Similarly, limiting a child's access to social media would prevent the development of some crucial abilities, such as resilience, which is essential for preparing children to deal with potential dangers like cyberbullying. Conclusion In conclusion, despite its status as a primary source of information, social media has a greater effect on its users' minds. The research report discusses three consequences of social interaction on the brain: the influence on one's sense of self-worth, the impact on the brain's grey matter, and the implications on one's ability to multitask. The widespread use of social media presents a substantial challenge to a person's multitasking abilities because of the constant interruptions it causes. People often use their mobile devices to check their Twitter feeds on a regular basis, then move to WhatsApp to "roll" for a while, and then check Instagram to post updates on what they're up to. In a similar vein, the amount of time spent on social media by a person may have an effect on the percentage of grey matter in their brain ("Psychological Risk Factors that Predict Social Networking and Internet Addiction in Adolescents."). As a consequence of this, one way in which individuals may be able to aid in lessening the harmful influence that social media platforms have on their brains is by

reducing the amount of time spent browsing and switching between multiple social media accounts.

Works Cited "Internet Addiction and Excessive Social Networks Use: What About Facebook?" NCBI, 28 June 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4926056/. Accessed 18 November 2022. "Is "Snapchat Dysmorphia" a Real Issue? - PMC." NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5933578/. Accessed 18 November 2022. "Psychological Risk Factors that Predict Social Networking and Internet Addiction in Adolescents." NCBI, 26 June 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7344613/. Accessed 18 November 2022. Choate, Laura, EdD., and Jennifer R. Curry PhD. "Addressing the Sexualization of Girls through Comprehensive Programs, Advocacy, and Systemic Change: Implications for Professional School Counselors." Professional School Counseling, vol. 12, no. 3, 2009, pp. 213-222. ProQuest, http://libwin2k.glendale.edu/login?url=https://www- proquest-com.libwin2k.glendale.edu/scholarly-journals/addressing-sexualization- girls-through/docview/213361672/se-2. Hu, Shangui, Lingyu Hu, and Guoyin Wang. "Moderating Role of Addiction to Social Media Usage in Managing Cultural Intelligence and Cultural Identity Change." Information Technology & People, vol. 34, no. 2, 2021, pp. 704-730. ProQuest, http://libwin2k.glendale.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest- com.libwin2k.glendale.edu/scholarly-journals/moderating-role-addiction-social- media-usage/docview/2533904875/se-2, doi:https://doi- org.libwin2k.glendale.edu/10.1108/ITP-10-2019-0518. McNamee, Roger. Zucked: Waking up to the Facebook catastrophe. Penguin, 2020.

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Noble, Safiya Umoja. "Algorithms of oppression." Algorithms of Oppression. New York University Press, 2018.

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