Katie Coen

After looking at the statements on #MySocialTruth, I realize how addicting social media is. Hundreds of people have shared their stories and struggles with social media through this website by the Center for Humane Technology, and more are submitted everyday. 

Many people’s statements spoke of how social media made them feel lonely and depressed, but they felt they needed to continue to use it. They are clearly addicted to these social media platforms and cannot seem to break the habits.

“My morning time ritual became an afternoon ritual to a night ritual, to an all day ritual where I would habitually check my phone every hour, eagerly waiting for the next notification to come”

Sam, 18 from New York City

“I got addicted, always checking my phone, obsessed with keeping my streaks, worrying that someone needed my attention 24/7”

Dasani, 16 from Phoenix

“I still struggle with the endless scroll of the Instagram explore page. Feeling lonely over quarantine has made me more vulnerable”

Maddie, 17 from Yakima

These short quotes from people across the country make me sad. These teenagers struggle so much with social media, as it hurts them and impacts their self-esteem, but they cannot seem to find a solution. They have become addicted at such a young age that they don’t know a life without modern technology. 

If one wants to break their addiction to social media, it takes time and energy. Similar to other addictions, social media users can have withdrawals without it, causing anxiety and FOMO (fear of missing out). Deleting the app doesn’t delete the thought in one’s mind. I can imagine that being extremely difficult.

In my life, I have definitely seen how easy it is to become addicted to social media. I have been using these platforms for almost a decade and I have never been able to take a break. I always said I would take a social media detox eventually and I never did. The continuous scrolling and new content every second keeps users, including myself, coming back day after day, hour after hour.

I think the people around me have a huge impact on my usage. When I see all my friends using social media, it encourages me to use it more. It’s how we communicate, but it can be extremely draining at the same time. Seeing the same negative posts and worrying about followers is not  a good way to live life. Now as I am close to graduating college, I think it will be easier for me to take time off social media when I am in a different environment.

Source

#mysocialtruth. #MySocialTruth. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2022, from https://socialtruth.humanetech.com/