Bellaguerra

Social Media Effects on Our Brains, Personalities, and The Workplace

Over the past decade, social media has consumed the society we live in today. Whether it is in the work place or in our personal lives, social media plays a significant role in the way we operate. Starting with the growing prominence of Myspace and LinkedIn in the early 2000s and continuing to grow with the creation of Facebook in Twitter in 2006, social media has developed widely throughout the 21st century (Hendricks, 2013, para. 12). Many debate the long-term effects social media can have on users. One aspect these platforms have is the opportunity to have an outlet in a professional forum. However, not all users reap these benefits. Social media impacts users negatively and can cause depression, anxiety, and social media addiction.

History of social media

How it started

To understand social media, it is crucial to understand how it began and evolved into what it is today. In his article "The History of Social Media and its Impact on Business”, Simeon Edosomwan states the official definition of social media as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and blogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos)” (Edosomwan 2). Perhaps the first form of social media was the telegraph which was used to send and receive messages from long distances (Edosomwan 2). Many years down the road, televisions, radio players, and telephones were invented. With each new invention came one step forward in the progression of technology. Starting with bulky desktop computers, these devices transformed into laptops, tablets and eventually smart phones.

Onset of social media platforms

As technology became easier to access, networking sites were created to communicate through the web. As the 21st century commenced, social media took its biggest leap into the social networking world. With far over a million users each month, MySpace transformed the social media world ( Edosomwan 4). The creation of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter started the massive social networking empire we know today.

Who uses social media?

Millennials

Born between the years 1981 and 2000, Millennials or “Gen Y” are notoriously known for their laid-back approach in the workplace and constant desire for instant gratification. Baby Boomers who make up 37% of the workplace tend to grow tiresome of the constant “whys” presented to them by their Millennial colleagues (O’Donnell, 2013, para. 4). Although, with the rise of modern technology, Millennials may have an advantage over their senior counterparts. “After all, in many companies' tech-oriented offices these days, the younger workers often can be as valuable as older ones,” O’Donnell remarks. Millennials are not only more familiar with technology but they are more interested in using it rather than their senior colleagues who may not have a choice but to incorporate it into their daily work.

How Millennials incorporate social media in the workplace

But what specifically gives millennials an upper hand? Michele Maiers, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Northwestern University, believes “Millennials leverage complex social networks that span the globe, largely through social media”. Quick on their feet, Millennials are able to use their innovative skills to solve problems in a more visionary way than the past (Maiers 214). In addition, they may use social media to promote the company through their platform. It can also be used for conducting informal surveys on social media sites to receive customer feeback (Maiers 215). Although millennials are not the only group of social media users, they make up a big majority of it. While most millennials were starting their adult lives around the time Facebook was created, they serve as an accurate depiction of the way social media has affected society from the start to the present.

How social media can be dangerous

Unfulfilled in their daily lives

In an interview with British-American author, motivational speaker and marketing consultant, Simon Sinek the discussion of millennials in the workplace is further investigated. “Tough to manage, entitled, narcissistic, self-interested, and unfocused” are many of the words millennials are accused of being says Sinek. He notes that millennials grew up being told that they could have anything. Now as working adults, they find themselves depressed and unfulfilled when they find out they “can’t just have it because you want it”. This shattered self-image is also closely related to social media addiction. In short, this addiction is caused by the release of dopamine in our brains when we go on social media, get a text from our friend, or get an Instagram like.

Dissatisfaction in the workplace

As a result, millennials have failed to make “deep meaningful relationships” because they do not have the communication skills and coping mechanisms to deal with stress in difficult times. In addition, the lack of instant gratification in the workplace is causing these millennials to be dissatisfied in their work (Gosse). Millennials’ dissatisfaction in their workplace has many factors. Although, social media addiction is one of the biggest contributors to the problem. If the use of social media can cause an “addiction” why don’t we have the same restrictions we have on other addicting components such as alcohol and gambling?

Social media addiction

Behavioral issues

In the article "Craving Facebook? Behavioral Addiction to Online Social Networking and its Association with Emotion Regulation Deficits," Julia Hormes, et al. compare social media to substance dependence in that users experience excessive use, tolerance withdrawal, and negative repercussions from use. According to et al “As it has been postulated previously that addiction to the internet may share a common underlying etiological framework with other addictions” . The three conducted a study to examine the addiction based on evidence of tolerance, withdrawal, and craving. They tested the behavior of the participants who had regular access to the internet and also indicated they receive notifications on their mobile phone. The studied focused on the dependence participants had on social media inferred by their tolerance, withdrawal, and craving when not able to use the site. Aside from the addicting factors, the deep implementation of social media into our daily lives can cause lasting effects on our brain and health.

Depression and anxiety

Amy Moore speaks on this issue discussed by Mari Swingle in her book, i-Minds: How Cell Phones, Computers, Gaming, and Social Media are Changing Our Brains, Our Behvaior, and the Evolution of Our Species. From her experience as a neurotherapist, Swingle points out that Millennials and youth raised with technology are the most susceptible to being negatively affected by technology. She also notes that being exposed to technology and social media for a prolonged period of time can lead to anxiety and depression. In addition, The Royal Society for Public Health and Young Health Movement conducted a survey on the issue. When asked to score how each of the social media platforms impacted health and wellbeing- related issues, some of the top scored issues included: loneliness, body image, emotional support, and self-identity. Shirley Cramer, Chief Executive of RSPH, stated Instagram and Snapchat ranked as the worst for mental health and wellbeing and that they may be causing a feeling of inadequacy in users. Social media can skew users’ view of reality which can result in many of the issues listed above which can cause long lasting effects.

How we can approach social media

Moderation

There is no escaping social media. Our society will have to deal with the effects for years to come. But does that mean we have to incorporate it into every aspect of our lives? Although there has shown to be benefits of these social networking sites in our society and workplace, they do not outweigh the detrimental aspects. The constant use of these platforms not only puts a dent to our self- esteem but also effects the way we work with others and how we perform as individuals. As humans, it is our responsibility to make meaningful, face to face relationships with those around us. With our eyes constantly glued to a screen, it makes this very difficult. With moderation, we can have a healthy relationship with these platforms and live our lives as normal human beings. Although, like anything with addicting factors, if not used responsibly we can head down a deep dark path. Social media is not good nor bad. The way we interact with these platforms will determine how it affects us individually. However, if we want to make a change on the impact we have in the world, putting down our cell phones is a good first step.

References

Edosomwan, Simeon. "The History of Social Media and its Impact on Business." Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship 16.3 (2011): 79-91.

Gosse, David. “Transcript of Simon Sinek Millennials in the Workplace Interview.” Ochen, ochen.com/transcript-of-simon-sineks-millennials-in-the-workplace-interview.

Hearing, Gregory A., and Brian C. Ussery. "The Times they are a Changin': The Impact of Technology and Social Media on the Public Workplace, Part I." Florida Bar Journal 86.3 (2012): 35-9. Web.

Hendricks, Drew. "Complete History of Social Media: Then And Now." Small Business Trends. N.p., 06 May 2013. Web.

Hormes, Julia M., Brianna Kearns, and C. A. Timko. "Craving Facebook? Behavioral Addiction to Online Social Networking and its Association with Emotion Regulation Deficits." Addiction 109.12 (2014): 2079-88. Web. "Instagram Linked to Young People's Mental Health Problems." Education Journal.304 (2017): 12. Web.

Maiers, Michele. "Our Future in the Hands of Millennials." Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 61.3 (2017): 212-7. Web.

Moore, Amy M. "I-Minds: How Cell Phones, Computers, Gaming, and Social Media are Changing our Brains, our Behavior, and the Evolution of our Species." International Social Science Review 93.2 (2017): 1-2. Web.

Luo, Nianlong, et al. "Can Non-Work-Related Social Media use Benefit the Company? A Study on Corporate Blogging and Affective Organizational Commitment." Computers in Human Behavior 81 (2018): 84-92. Web.

O'Donnell, Jayne and USA TODAY. "Offices Try to Adjust to Gen Y's 'but Why?'." USA TodayWeb.

Walden, Justin A. "Integrating Social Media into the Workplace: A Study of Shifting Technology use Repertoires." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 60.2 (2016): 347-63. Web.