There is usually little thought given to scrolling through Instagram, posting a cute picture with friends, liking a picture with a ‘double-tap’, or browsing the Explore Page. However, a segment on Hidden Brain by NPR correspondents David Greene and Shankar Vedantam provided some startling insights on the interaction between social media and the brain.
They discussed an experiment done at UCLA, where teens were shown an Instagram feed with different ‘like’ values and the matching brain scans. When a picture received a greater number of hits, the part of the brain that houses the reward area was activated accordingly. Our brain chemistry alters drastically when we see a post receiving five versus 50 likes. It’s not a far stretch to believe that our brains have become addicted to the ‘reward’ feeling of likes on our posts. Some scientists argue that this continued social media usage creates a lower self-esteem in teens and young adults, as well as a deficiency in social skills. The phrases “Go like my picture” or “Should I delete this post? It’s not getting enough likes” are often said in casual conversation, with little thought to their actuality.
Teens and college-aged kids have begun to base their self-worth on the number of hits their posts receive, instead of who they aren’t on their Instagram profile. We examine our online presence without ever truly examining ourselves. Millennials should encourage each other to delete the app and step away from Instagram for a time and engage the world in a more genuine way. We may want to take a ‘detox’ from social media, if not solely for the sake of our brains.
Photo courtesy of Startup Stock Photos and Unsplash Photos.