You’re not alone if you lose valuable time when using social media.
Social media platforms first emerged as a way to connect and engage with friends and family. However, it has soon become a desirable and time-consuming hobby people of all age brackets enjoy.
Every social media site lets us stay connected. It creates an urge in you to connect with others. But what if your connection with social media is too strong?
Let’s know if your relationship with social media is healthy or addictive.
Do you feel irritated or sad when you don’t get enough Instagram likes as you wished? Do you constantly check your phone to see if people like your posts on Facebook? Do fewer likes make you feel unworthy?
If yes, you may be getting addicted to social media.
We will shed light on the negative side of social media validation and why we get addicted to Instagram likes. Read it till the end to understand and rectify your relationship with social media.
How do you get addicted to Instagram likes?
A recent study suggests that Instagram likes work similarly to delivering food to a hungry rat pulling a lever on a Skinner box. The sooner the likes get received, the more posts will get made. Findings have led to some media speculation that this is the root of obsessive or addictive social media use and the dopamine-related nature of such behavior.
Social media likes are addictive because they affect the brain in the same way that ingesting chemicals does. Likes symbolize a growing reputation and lead to constant comparisons with other users on the platform. Let’s look into how you start getting addicted to Instagram likes.
Why does using Instagram give a sense of pleasure? What is a dopamine loop?
Instagram is primarily a visually entertaining and fun-oriented platform, focusing on current makeup and outfit trends. It is a hub for social media influencers as they can engage with more audiences on Instagram.
However, like there are two sides to the same coin, social media impacts our lives positively and negatively.
The Infamous Dopamine Loop and how it works:
Social media use can lead to both psychological and physical. It happens as it influences the brain’s reward system to release dopamine. It is a neurotransmitter involved in neurological and physiological functions.
Our brains release dopamine when we play games, eat, engage in sex, and use smartphones.
Using Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or other social media platforms can cause a release of dopamine for several users.
When a user receives a like, comment, retweet, or private message, the brain gets a lot of dopamine and sends it down the reward pathway. It feels great but increases the desire to satisfy that feeling next time.
How Instagram blurs the line between the virtual and real worlds?
We already know how Instagram can be beneficial for several reasons. But let’s put light on the negative impacts of Instagram.
- It presents unrealistic beauty standards.
One of the most harmful impacts of Instagram is that it leads users to compare their lives pointlessly and looks to the top influencers. These influencer feeds leave us with unrealistic body standards, which most regular users need help to acquire. But before you know it, the constant comparison leads to self-doubt and poor body image. It also lowers our confidence and self-esteem.
Some people with low self-esteem are easy targets for manipulation on Instagram. And some brands never let the opportunity to feed on someone’s insecurities slip away. They use it for marketing their products and making most Instagram users find more problems with their looks.
- It injects FOMO that amplifies social anxiety.
FOMO is the fear of missing out. Instagram is becoming a toxic distributor of this type of social anxiety, where people constantly engage in empty scrolling to find something amusing.
- It blurs the thin line of reels vs real.
We get lost in the virtual world that reality seems like an illusion often. The countless hours we spend watching Reel videos on Instagram leave us with false bliss. In other words, it influences the dopamine loop we mentioned earlier.
Our real lives undermine due to this uncontrolled use of social platforms. Whether it’s daily chores, goals, or plans to meet friends, everything gets put on hold for the dopamine hits that are readily available by using Instagram.
- It pushes us into an endless scrolling loop.
Earlier in this segment, we talked about how Instagram and other social platforms fuel the urge of empty scrolling in users. And pushing us to an infinite scrolling loop is just the cherry on top.
With a hub of different content like dance videos, makeup videos, memes, and more from millions of users worldwide, you have an endless feed in front of you that takes up a lot of time. So, it’s easy to guess that you’ll probably spend hours mindlessly scrolling it if you get sucked into infinite scrolling loops. And it is neither healthy physically nor mentally.
Why do you need to buy quality likes on Instagram?
As mentioned above, Instagram likes to leave you on the verge of social anxiety and mental illness. It creates a see-saw effect that fuels the need to receive likes and continues to improve the number of likes and engagement on your posts.
So, in this scenario, if you buy quality likes from BuyQualityLikes, you can be free from the anxiety and stress you get when posting content. It will reduce the burden of getting more Instagram likes organically as it provides vast amounts of likes on your post. So you can get assured that you will get the exact amount of Instagram likes when you buy quality likes from BuyQualityLikes.
Why should you do a social media detox?
Social media detox suggests a temporary attempt to reduce or stop using social media to improve one’s health.
Here are the best reasons to opt for a social media detox now.
- It enhances your confidence and lowers stress and anxiety.
We can compare our lives and achievements to others because of social media. Scientists have found that this constant comparison can lead to depression and social anxiety for many of us. So, a social media detox can help you focus on yourself and reconnect with what makes you truly happy. I can.
Social media induces competition in us when we see how many likes and comments we get for everything we post on our walls. Taking a break from Instagram allows you to break out of this destructive cycle.
- It uplifts your mood and offers peace of mind.
Research shows that spending significant time on social platforms makes users highly prone to depression and anxiety disorders.
So if you’re feeling extremely anxious, stressed, or depressed, it’s an excellent time to detox social media. It may feel strange at the beginning. But avoiding Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites will enhance your mood and bring more mental clarity.
- It leads you to conquer your FOMO
Studies have pointed out that social media’s design is as addictive as crack cocaine, and it is no mere exaggeration. You get to experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop using social media at the beginning. Scientists say it happens due to a naturally ingrained fear of missing out. After all, when you step away from your several accounts on social media, you can miss the fun and important things.
But you need to conquer your feeling of missing out to acquire better mental health and have a real social life. So you finally get a chance to make genuine friendships.
If you run a business on Instagram and Facebook, you must buy quality likes at cheap rates from BuyQualityLikes to continue engaging and sales.
- It offers valuable free time that you need.
The average person spends more or less two hours on social media daily. You can use this precious time to be more productive.
Even temporarily, taking a break from social media can be unsettling. However, its benefits can significantly improve your mental health and well-being. If you have extra time, start exercising regularly or pick up a new hobby. The possibilities are endless!
- It will give you a chance to appreciate special moments.
We all have one friend who needs to post updates with every move they make and wherever they go. But documenting one’s life this way is incredibly time-consuming and makes the moment forgettable. Put down your phone and be entirely there to make the experience more memorable and enjoyable.
Final Take
Social media detox is necessary for most regular users and consumers. You need to know that it will eventually improve your mental and physical health by bringing more clarity. However, you need to stay strong during the withdrawal period. But you will come out as an open-minded and careful being at the end of the detox period. So try out social media detox and see how it impacts your current lifestyle for the better.
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