Abstract:
Web 2.0 and the introduction of social networks has dramatically transformed the way we function as a part of society. This paper aims to discuss the implications of when we become too reliant on these online networks leading to overuse, and the impact this can have on users as individuals as well as society as a whole. The paper refers to the Covid-19 pandemic as this was a time where we relied heavily on social networks as a society. We can therefore examine the effects the pandemic had on individuals and society in reference to the overuse of online networks. This paper is a part of the online networks and social change stream as it discusses how online networks have led to changes in society and shows how the ways in which we use them can have significant effects on society, whether this be mental health of individuals, the effect of online relationships, as well as the effect on learning and work performance.
Online networks have led to a significant amount of social change in terms of the ways in which interaction is carried out, and the way in which users are able to express themselves. Online communities can be described as ‘networked publics’, which are instantaneously a collection of people and a space, otherwise known as a ‘restructured public’ (Papacharissi, 2011). While online networks allow for connection at almost any point in time, the risk of addiction and overuse can be high for many users. It has been shown that responding to online stimuli activates neutral reward pathways and reward circuits in the brain (Peper & Harvey, 2018). This makes it very easy for users to spend too much time online, and those who suffer from pre existing psychological distresses are at a high risk for engagement in problematic online use (Oberst et al., 2017). Papacharissi (2011), argues that defining and managing boundaries around private and public lives also appears to be challenging in networked societies. It can often be hard to draw lines between the two, making online networks play an even larger role in users daily lives, leading to potential overuse. It can be argued that while online networks offer many benefits, such as increased connectivity, and spaces to mediate self expression, they are also designed to be highly addictive and can often lead to negative implications throughout society. These implications range from poor mental health and overall wellbeing of users, focusing particularly on the effects of the Covid -19 pandemic, as well low self esteem, decreased relationship authenticity, and reduced work productivity and academic performance.
Due to the social isolation implications of the Covid -19 pandemic, this was a time when social networks were heavily relied on for work purposes, online learning, maintaining communication, as well as a sense of support for many. The impact of the outbreak globally increased at home media consumption (Arora et al., 2021), and while social networking platforms and online communities provided a great sense of support for many individuals during the pandemic, the increased use also came with various negative effects that can be further explored. Prolonged periods of technology use and isolation can lead to unhealthy lifestyle patterns, and decreased overall wellbeing and health (King et al., 2020). In a study conducted on high school students, it was found that during the pandemic a moderate amount of users were addicted to digital technologies, which was proven to impact their mental health leading to emotional instability, raised stress levels, anxiety, depression and sleep deprivation (Arora, et al., 2021). Arora, et al. (2021) states that it was also confirmed that during the lockdown period, the sleep quality of students was reduced considerably, with a 90.90% maximum decrease. This shows how online network overuse can be detrimental to physical and mental health.
Studies have also been done on the Covid – 19 pandemic and the rise in online gaming addictions, another form of a social network overuse. It has been proven that negative impacts of excessive online gaming include disruption to sleep cycles, as well as harm to physical and mental health (King, et al., 2020). The conditions of the Covid – 19 pandemic amplified social network addictions, allowing light to be shed on the consequences of this, and to discover the many factors that play a role in the development of online addictions. It has been found that social isolation is a key factor which can lead to an increase in problematic internet use (Alheneidi, et al., 2021). Loneliness was also a key factor in internet addiction, showing that those with an overuse problem often used the internet as a gateway to escape this loneliness (Alheneidi, et al., 2021). Therefore the conditions of the pandemic created an environment in which users became more susceptible to online addiction. The excessive use of online networks has been shown to have negative effects, typically on vulnerable users such as children or those with pre existing psychological conditions (Ngamije, 2021). It was shown that adolescents with internet addictions showed “increased activation in the orbitofrontal cortex that is involved in processing emotion and plays a key role in craving, maladaptive decision making processes, and involvement in compulsive behaviors, each of which pertain to misuse” (Ngamije, 2021, p. 3). It was also shown that those who misused the internet had “abnormal white matter integrity in brain regions such as temporal regions involved in auditory processing, comprehension, and verbal memory, and the occipital regions” (Ngamije, 2021, p. 3). It can therefore be see that the overuse of online networks can affect structures the brain, and in turn lead to continued addiction, resulting in other negative implications. This links back to the idea that the development of online networks can have a negative effect on society and people’s overall wellbeing if used in an excessive way.
The overuse of online networking sites not only just effects overall wellbeing, but can also have significant negative effects on offline relationships, as well as the quality and authenticity of relationships. It has been shown that social networking sites serve as spaces for adolescents to construct their social identities (Oberst et al., 2017). Overuse of these sites has been linked to poor social adaption and real life social problems, as users aim to cope with these problems through gratification of their social needs in an online environment (Oberst et al., 2017). It has been highlighted that excessive internet use and mood and anxiety disorders is one of the most tested relationship links (Holmgren & Coyne, 2017). While these online networks have positive implications in the sense that they provide a space for those who may struggle socially in real life to express themselves online, due to social anxiety or something similar, it is shown that overuse often increases these real life problems. This can also be explained by the fact that young people often compensate for real life relationship difficulties by seeking relationships online as a way to regulate emotions (Holmgren & Coyne, 2017). This can be damaging to real world relationships, as there is too much focus on communicating online in an attempt to solve social problems, but in turn making them worse. It has been proven that a risk factor for problematic social network use is previous psychological distress, and the use of online social interactions to aim to eliminate this distress has shown to lead to an increase in depression (Oberst et al., 2017). This then brings up another topic for further exploration on whether this may be causal or correlated.
Another explanation for developing a social network addiction is those who present a fear of missing out on rewarding experiences with peers, therefore excessively trying to connect with them online (Holmgren & Coyne, 2017). The use of social networking sites often increases this fear of missing out however, as they are constantly being updated on what their peers are doing without them. Studies have shown that the higher the use of the internet, the more of a negative impact it has on communication with family members, as well as a lowered level of investment towards face to face friendships, therefore decreasing the quality of offline relationships (Lima et al., 2017). Excessive use of social networking sites is also associated with relational aggression, and can affect users relationships offline (Holmgren & Coyne, 2017). This can be due to constant comparison of oneself to others online, and developing jealously towards peers, which in turn increases the likelihood of aggressive behaviors towards peers (Holmgren & Coyne, 2017). This can then affect real life relationships noticeably, potentially damaging relationships with peers. There also appears to be a relationship between the amount of time spent online and higher levels of emotional loneliness, showing that online relationships do not meet core social connection needs, and that only face to face friendships have positive impacts on health (Lima et al., 2017). The more time one spends communicating via online networks, the less time they have to socialize with friends in a face to face environment, decreasing real life social interactions, and possibly jeopardizing opportunities to form close and meaningful real life bonds (Lima et al., 2017). Having many friends online can take away time for actual connections, which then affects overall mood and well being. This also effects society as a whole, by changing the way people choose to primarily connect, and their ability to interact in a real world setting, which has a large effect on society and the way in which we communicate.
Lastly, online network addiction and overuse can also have negative impacts on productivity and success in school and the workplace. Online network addiction forms neurological connections in the brain, and has been compared to the way in which a drug addiction effects the brain (Peper & Harvey, 2018). As the overuse of these social networks actually alters ones brain, this can also impact on memory, learning and productivity. In a study performed on college students, social media addiction was found to have a negative impact on academic performance, concluded to be due to too much time spent online, and therefore lack of time spent on studying, as well as interruption of time management. (Hou et al., 2019). Studies in workplaces have showed that it has been proven that individuals who had full access to Facebook at their workplace experienced a 1.5 percent decrease in productivity (Yu et al., 2018). Social media addiction proved to hindering the ability of students to stay focused and to encode and remember the content they learn (Hou et al., 2019). This can create new problems such as academic struggles, which can eventually lead to decreased wellbeing and elevated stress levels. By exploring the implications of social media overuse in the workplace similar effects are seen. These include a more stressful working environment, as well as an information overload, making it difficult to concentrate and be productive (Yu et al., 2018). For example, when an individual uses social media to seek information in order to perform work tasks, they often become exposed to an extensive amount of information, which results in an information overload. (Yu et al., 2018). Work related stress can then begin to impact personal life and overall wellbeing. Another study performed on a group of medical students showed that those with above average social network usage, had lower levels of concentration and poor academic achievement (Azizi et al., 2019). This leads to social media exhaustion, where time, energy, and emotional resources allocated for work tasks becomes occupied, which eventually leads to decreased job performance (Yu et al., 2018). The effects of social media addiction often create procrastination, increased stress, as well as reduced sleep quality, resulting in fatigue (Azizi et al., 2019). Reduced quality of sleep not only affects concentration and learning ability, but may also interfere with the secretion of melatonin and serotonin, which then can result in increased stress anxiety levels (Azizi et al., 2019). Therefore it can be seen that while online networks are not necessarily bad in themselves, the overuse of them can be detrimental to productivity and academic ability, effecting society as a whole, in terms of education levels and job responsibilities.
Online networks have significantly changed ways of communication, and have provided many opportunities to share ideas and connect online. Online networks in themselves are not all bad, however the way in which they are designed, along with the pre disposing factors of many individuals, leads to high possibilities of developing online network addiction. Using online networks excessively results in many negative outcomes, such as decreased overall wellbeing and mental health, as explored in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Excessive online social interaction also shows to decrease the quality of real life interactions, resulting in damaging effects to real life relationships, as well as the issue of constantly comparing to peers, leading to decreased self esteem and possible social issues. Academic performance and workplace success are also impacted by the overuse of social networking sites, leading to decreased performance, productivity and focus. Therefore we can argue that while online networks in themselves are not necessarily negative, they should be carefully used as excessive use has a range of negative impacts on society as a whole.
References
Alheneidi, H., AlSumait, L., AlSumait, D., & Smith, A. (2021). Loneliness and Problematic Internet Use during COVID-19 Lock-Down. Behavioral Sciences, 11(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11010005
Arora, A., Chakraborty, P., & Bhatia, M. (2021). Problematic use of digital technologies and its impact on mental health during COVID-19 pandemic: assessment using machine learning. Emerging Technologies During The Era Of COVID-19 Pandemic, 348, 197 – 221. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67716-9_13
Azizi, S., Soroush, A., & Khatony, A. (2019). The relationship between social networking addiction and academic performance in Iranian students of medical sciences: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 7(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-019-0305-0
Holmgren, H., & Coyne, S. (2017). Can’t stop scrolling!: pathological use of social networking sites in emerging adulthood. Addiction Research & Theory, 25(5), 375-382. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2017.1294164
Hou, Y., Xiong, D., Jiang, T., Song, L., & Wang, Q. (2019). Social media addiction: Its impact, mediation, and intervention. Cyberpsychology: Journal Of Psychosocial Research On Cyberspace, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.5817/cp2019-1-4
King, D., Delfabbro, P., Billieux, J., & Potenza, M. (2020). Problematic online gaming and the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal Of Behavioral Addictions, 9(2), 184-186. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2020.00016
Lima, M., Marques, S., Muiños, G., & Camilo, C. (2017). All You Need Is Facebook Friends? Associations between Online and Face-to-Face Friendships and Health. Frontiers In Psychology, 08(68). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00068
Ngamije, J. (2021). The impact of Internet use during COVID-19 lockdown in Rwanda: a potential public health threat. Journal Of Addictive Diseases, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1080/10550887.2021.1882649
Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stodt, B., Brand, M., & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: The mediating role of fear of missing out. Journal Of Adolescence, 55, 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.12.008
Papacharissi, Z. (2011). A networked self: Identity, community, and culture on social network sites. Routledge.
Peper, E., & Harvey, R. (2018). Digital Addiction: Increased Loneliness, Anxiety, and Depression. Neuroregulation, 5(1), 3-8. https://doi.org/10.15540/nr.5.1.3 Yu, L., Cao, X., Liu, Z., & Wang, J. (2018).
Excessive social media use at work: Exploring the effects of social media overload on job performance. Information Technology & People, 31(6), 1091-1112. https://doi.org/10.1108/itp-10-2016-0237
Hi Chole,
This is Wen. You’re paper highlighted your point of view on how the online network and social media are overused, which has caused negative social effects in the community such as impact on the mental health, relationships, and work performance.
However, I believe that online network and social media are not being overused but being used in the most efficient and effective way to keep people connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. As people were not allowed to go to school or go to their workplace, and some of them were even stuck in another countries that they were far away from their families, online network did help them overcome this situation as they were able to contact their families regularly. For example, they can use FaceTime or Zoom meeting that allow them to meet face-to-face digitally.
The reason that online network has caused negative social effect is because those users were not able to control the usage on social media.
Other than that, social distancing was actively being promoted on social media, especially the younger generation was the one who engaged the most in the promotion on social media, which is another positive aspect of the argument. As Mohamad (2020) indicated that “young people are creatively and effectively supporting the social distancing initiatives in Brunei Darussalam through the use of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok”.
Reference:
Mohamad, S.M. (2020), Creative Production of ‘COVID-19 Social Distancing’ Narratives on Social Media. Tijds. voor econ. en Soc. Geog., 111: 347-359. https://doi-org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/10.1111/tesg.12430
Hi Wen,
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my paper. I want to state that my paper does not argue that social networks are bad or all negative, and my paper mentions that they also have many positive effects on society.
I agree with you that social media was very important during the Covid 19 pandemic, in terms of connecting with family, and being able to participate in online schooling or work. I agree that it was also used in a positive way to promote Covid safety procedures, like you mentioned.
I disagree however with your argument that online networks and social networks were not being overused during the pandemic, as through my research I have discovered that many people did have issues with overuse and did face consequences for this.
This was shown in the study mentioned conducted on high school students, where “it was found that during the pandemic a moderate amount of users were addicted to digital technologies, which was proven to impact their mental health leading to emotional instability, raised stress levels, anxiety, depression and sleep deprivation” (Arora, et al., 2021).
My paper is simply arguing that social networks can be bad when overused, similar to your comment on ‘users not being able to control their usage’ and highlights the fact that we need to set limits and boundaries in place in order to ensure we are using these online platforms and helpful and beneficial ways.
Hello Chloe,
It is an interesting topic how social media open up alot of opportunity for us to be engage in other society. Social media have been essential part of our daily live especially when COVID-19 strikes. It does bring benefits for people to keep in touch with the society but this also had a certain drawback on certain aspect. The comfort of social media can affect certain individuals to have prejudice for real society outside online platform. In this situations, do you think people need to limit themselves and use certain amount of social media or overuse of social media can be a normal thing to do for the future generation for them to collaborate?
Best Regards
Christopher Benson
Hi Christopher,
Thanks for your comment on my paper. I agree with your point made about social media opening up opportunities for us to engage with society. In regards to your question, I do believe people need to limit themselves with their social media use in order to ensure they do not experience negative consequences, as were mentioned throughout my paper.
Hi Chloe, this is a very insightful paper!
Many of your points resonated with me, as I frequently relied on social media as a form of entertainment during the pandemic. However, over time I felt that I had oversaturated my use of media, and wanted something more.
Do you think that, in time, the effects of the pandemic will lead to a large shift in the way that society consumes and uses media, in particular social media? I think that with my own personal experience it prompted me to monitor and set boundaries for my own media use, and to engage in more authentic and meaningful tasks.
Hey Lauren,
Thanks for reading my paper! 🙂
In regards to your question, I think the pandemic has definitely led to a change in the way we as a society consume and use media. We are now seeing more things becoming online based, such as university and work, which has effects on how we function as a society. Like you mention, we need to be aware of our media usage and set healthy boundaries around this.
Hi Chole,
I feel that your points in your above paper to be valid and of great discussion while providing insight into the effects of obsessive online data usage, where we need to ask ourselves, why are people using social media more and to the point where their health and physical wellbeing is crippled. Some are driven to complete insanity as the extreme consequences of excessive use of social media. Are people scared in today’s society because of recent worldwide movements? Do they feel their identity is safer online where their identity and cultural makeup might not be as easy targets? Are people more likely to free and less challenged on social networks? Is it really that social media is bad in excessive usage or are we going through a human evolutionary process where previous expectations are now seemed to be ineqadute.
Thanks for the read!
Hey Gustavo,
You have made some very interesting points about reasoning behind why some of us are becoming addicted to these online networks.
I think that people definitely used social media as a safe place to express their feelings and discuss recent worldwide issues such as the Covid 19 pandemic, as well as recent societal movements. I agree with the question you present about people feeling their identity is safer online, as I think this is most definitely true for many.
In summary, I think society is definitely changing the way in which we use these networks and we need to be aware of these changes. Thanks for your comment! 🙂
Hi Chloe!
I really loved your paper!
I think it is so relevant to address how the Covid-19 pandemic has really challenged the way we communicate on social media and how deeply it has affected communities. I really liked when you said, “We can therefore examine the effects the pandemic had on individuals and society in reference to the overuse of online networks” According to Zhao and Zhou “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is likely to enhance the risk of addictive social media”(2021. p. n.a).
Whilst I agree that there is a very high usage of social media during the covid-19 pandemic I think it really is important to note how deeply society relies on socializing and physical contact. As humans being/mammals, we are conditioned genetically to be social beings. With the pandemic striking, this social aspect and human nature was completely thrown away and we have been left with turning towards a system that allows us to feel closer to what we know. Social media, whilst encouraging antisocial behaviors, in the context of the pandemic, has offered people an escape from being stuck at home. This is quite ironic as before the pandemic started, we could have argued that people socialized in person to get away from social media and online activities.
Really enjoyed your ideas!
Emma
References:
Zhao, N., & Zhou, G. (2021). COVID-19 stress and addictive social media use (SMU): Mediating role of active use and social media flow. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 635546. doi:http://dx.doi.org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.635546
Hey Emma,
Thanks for taking the time to read my paper! I agree with your point about how as human being/mammals, we are conditioned genetically to be social beings, and how the pandemic affected this, which I believe raised some very interesting effects. I also agree with you on the fact that social media and online networks were also very useful during the pandemic, as they allowed people to connect when they had no other ways. I think the pandemic really created a new situation for society as a whole, which has given us further insight into the effects and uses of social networks throughout society.
Hey Chloe!
What an insightful and well-researched paper. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your paper and I really liked how you went into depth on how social media affects our neurological function.
I particularly liked how the main focus of your paper was the implications of web2.0 and social media, yet you’ve acknowledged the fact that online networks are in fact beneficial when used in moderation (as is everything else). I also enjoyed the paragraphs on Covid and how you’ve linked the arguments to something that has pretty much taken over our lives and so, this was a very relatable read.
Covid has definitely caused us to spend more time online due to the endless restrictions put in place which has put a strain on our abilities to socialize after being in isolation for a long period of time. This was definitely the case for me – after being in lockdown for almost a month, I’d forgotten how to socialize in person due to being so used to using apps such as messenger and Instagram as a means to stay in touch with my friends. This also made me appreciate the offline world so much more. With just one month of excessive social media usage, I had forgotten how to socialize and this makes me question how people who are addicted ie. gamers and those who spend 24/7 on social media are able to keep their offline relationships and connectivity with their friends if they spend all their time in a room in front of a screen. I think this is one of the most damaging activities one can engage in.
I also like how you’ve connected the overuse of social media with our lifestyle and how that negatively affects our well-being as well. With the excessive amount of users online, when does one have the time to exercise or engage in activities that actually benefit them?
My question is – Do you think Covid has or will have changed the way we use social media in the future? The majority of our population is already addicted to gaming now more than ever. Do you see this changing?
Hey Saranya,
Thank you for your comment, I strongly agree with the first point you have made based on your personal experiences with the COVID-19 lockdown, which also made me appreciate face to face communication so much more and to realise that it is not good for our mental health to rely solely on online relationships.
In relation to your question, I do believe Covid has changed the way we use social media already, an example being TikTok use, which increased significantly during the lockdown period. In terms of addictions, I think the only way to decrease this problem is to recognise the issue more, and provide more education and support around online addictions to ensure we are using online networks in a healthy and balanced way.
Hope this answers your question!
Hi Chloe,
It was great to read your view on this matter as my paper focused on the opposing argument. You had some compelling evidence and I found it very interesting to hear how it was impacted by the pandemic as this is not an area I went into detail about.
While I understand your argument and I have seen some of these problems happen to people I know, do you think that social media is benefitting people as well? In my argument I look into how thanks to social media, marginalized groups now have a safe space and that it is allowing people to have more freedom to be themselves.
Do you think that both sides considered, people need more education when it comes to online spaces perhaps to decrease some of the problems that are faced due to social media?
This was a great paper and it was great to read an opposing paper! If you’re interested I have attached my paper.
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/30/social-media-is-positively-influencing-and-changing-how-people-discover-and-modify-their-identity-by-providing-platforms-to-freely-express-themselves-and-bring-a-sense-of-community/?fbclid=IwAR3UB-t7_dGj70YoJWx4Y3gNTtwE8AF10Ai5n3XLw_8Fkkdmm33w4-R7bdE
Hey Jasmine,
Thanks for reading my paper! I do believe that social media is benefitting people just as much as it is causing issues. As I mention in my paper, online networks only become damaging when they are overused and when addictions form, and moderation is key, just like with most things in life.
I definitely agree with you that people need more education in order to decrease problems related to online spaces and social media use 🙂
Hi Chloe,
Thank you for sharing your paper.
Identity development and performance is so important during developmental years and adolescence, and your paper highlights this well, also noting the importance of moderation. More than ever, and especially with youth, existence online is fundamental – but it is important for parents to be aware of the symptoms of overuse. I liked your use of the Oberst citations (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.12.008), which highlights that despite excessive use being linked to, or worsening, psychological issues, that social network sites are also important for youth in developing their identity.
Your paper got me thinking about the long-term effects of overuse in our society. Society is now used to mediated messaging, rather than face to face chat, in some cases, preferring and in some severe cases, finding face to face anxiety inducing.
The immediacy of gratification and validation from virtual networks – the ability to control reactions due to moderated interactions and authenticity in online identity performance continues to, as you note , decrease satisfaction in face to face or physical life. It is definitely habit forming.
I think this is an important point – are social networking sites, social media and virtual communities decreasing our satisfaction in what we can term “real life”? Online we can choose what we see, choose who we interact with etc, which allows an element of safety in our interactions and allows our world view to remain unchallenged – but when we limit/moderate/censor/box ourself into an online society controlled by the individual, are we losing the ability to understand and contextualize identity and community in real life?
This was a really great paper Chloe, thank you again for sharing.
I wrote about influencer culture and capitilising on community. If you are interested, please check it out here :
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/25/selling-community-and-togetherness-authenticity-identity-and-revenue-in-influencer-led-culture/
Thank you,
Tim
Hi Tim,
You have made a very interesting point about how social networks allow us to filter and choose what we see, who we interact with, and how we display ourselves. During real life interactions however we are unable to control this to that extent. I think that as long as we maintain a balance between these two types of interactions, we can continue to be satisfied with our face to face interactions.
I think this is a very insightful topic which can be further explored, to see whether we are like you mentioned ‘losing the ability to understand and contextualise identity and community in real life?’, as well as decreasing our satisfaction in real life interactions.
Thanks for taking the time to read my paper and for your comment! 🙂
Hi Chloe,
I really enjoyed your paper, as millennials we are fully indulge in technology and I have never really thought in depth about the issues. As you stated in your paper “Online network addiction forms neurological connections in the brain, and has been compared to the way in which a drug addiction effects the brain” I can strongly connect the aspect of escapism and immersion. Escapism give the ability to drift away from reality and many people enjoy this while immersion can be viewed in terms of VR and narration. Virtual world games have been becoming a new trend and this video showcase how we can be immersed in a virtual society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_vuYl5Eqtw
When we follow the trends of technological evolution its more likely our world will ressemble the movie of Ready Player One (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSp1dM2Vj48). Do you think that there will be little to no physical interaction among humans in the future?
It would be awesome if you could also check out my paper: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/26/amateurism-vs-professionalism-who-will-prevail-in-the-digital-era/
Hi Ignesh!
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my paper 🙂 I do believe that it is a possibility that in the future a potential issue will occur for some people who choose to immerse themselves fully in virtual reality worlds.
As stated by Lima (2017), the relationship between the amount of time spent online and higher levels of emotional loneliness suggests that online relationships do not meet core social connection needs, and that only face to face friendships have positive impacts on health (Lima et al., 2017)
I therefore think that there needs to be limits set with these types of games and perhaps support available for people who do struggle with these types of addictions, as having no face to face interaction does not meet the core social connection needs of a human.
Hope this provides some more insight!
Hi Chloe!
Wow this is such a good read, I have never really thought in depth about the issue with over using social platforms. Even though it may pop into my head when the weekly reminder comes up on my phones showing my the average time I spend on my phone each week….
Your research is so effective and really demonstrates your understanding on the topic, I especially gravitated to the comment “The excessive use of online networks has been shown to have negative effects, typically on vulnerable users such as children or those with pre existing psychological conditions” because it makes me think that technology and the use of social platforms are just going to increase and as a society we are going to become more and more depend on it, will that mean we have to raise our kids differently or come up with a method of keeping our kids safe from psychological effects from social media?
Very well written and defiantly has me thinking!!
Thank you Tamlyn
Hey Tamlyn,
Thanks for reading my paper, and you have made a very interesting point!
I do believe that the use of online social platforms will continue to increase, and that we will need to come up with methods of keeping our children safe from the negative effects of the these platforms . This can be done by ensuring there are boundaries and limits in place as to limit overuse and ensure these platforms are used in moderation 🙂
Hi Chloe
A great paper you have put together here, thank you so much for sharing!
I 100% agree with you on that the web 2.0 has completely changed our lives. I sometimes wonder what life would be like now if we did not have it? Put it this way we would not be interacting via this blog without it.
Personally for my job as a Social Media Coordinator I would not be able to have a job or a career without it so I would not be in this field of work.
Thank you for sharing your paper with us all, it was beautifully written.
Thanks,
Georgia 🙂
Hi Georgia,
That is a very interesting question in which you have propose and I agree that online social networks and web 2.0 is very big part of our lives nowadays, and due to the societal change that has occurred due to this technology, many things would be very difficult without it.
I too manage social media platforms as part of my job and so therefore this is what initially influenced me to think about this topic. As I am heavily using online platforms in both my work and personal life, and therefore have noticed just how important it is to make sure I am setting time aside from this in order to not let it effect me negatively.
I believe that the introduction of online communities have changed society in the way in that it has created many new jobs and opportunities, and I too would not be able to do my job without these platforms.
Thanks for your comment 🙂
Hi Chloe,
The topic of your paper is definitely an issue that needs to be talked about more. I can relate to this paper because I was once very addicted to video games and it took me a long time to realize that my lifestyle was deteriorating, thankfully a friend inspired me to enjoy nature and outdoor activities rather than playing video games.
I agree that this pandemic has only increased this problem of over-consumption of social media and statistics are proof more and more people are suffering from anxiety and depression. I was just wondering what would be a solution to this problem? After all, these social networks have allowed people to be connected from any place in the world, yet these social networks have also caused people to avoid real social interaction.
What do you think would be the best solution to this problem?
Thanks for the good read 🙂
Luc
Hi Lucy,
Thanks for reading my paper! In regards to your question, I believe that social networks do have many positives and allow for increased connection with those who you may not be able to communicate with in real life.
I think the solution to social network overuse is to maintain a balance, where we ensure we are pursuing real life interactions as well. An example of this could be setting 2 hours a day of spending time with a friend or family member where we engage in face to face conversation and do not use online networks.
Thank you!
Hi Chloe,
I really enjoyed reading your paper, it was very enlightening – I definitely didn’t know about some of the more scientifically-backed long-term impacts that you discuss in your paper. I know that I definitely lived off of social media during lockdowns.
In your paper you discuss the impacts on a worker that has to utilise social media as part of their work. However, with the way society appears to be progressing with more roles in digital and social media it appears there will be more bleeding between the individual’s work and personal life. Especially after the Covid-19 pandemic it appears that some employers have realised that it is possible for communication to occur from remote areas through online networks. My question to you is, do you think that working remotely could end up being beneficial for ‘real world’ relationships, as the individual could spend more time at home with their family?
I look forward to your reply :))
Feel free to read my paper, it does comment on the Covid-19 pandemic too however segues more into the Anti-Asian Hate that occurred during the period and its relation to identities.
(link: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/26/stopasianhate-facebook-and-instagram-aid-in-advocacy-and-the-development-of-asian-identity/ )
Hey Terina,
Thanks for taking the time to read my paper and for your comments, you have made a very important point. I believe that in today’s modern society we need to be extra strong with our boundaries between our online work lives and online personal lives.
I think working remotely could definitely be beneficial for family relationships in this sense, as long as once again the user makes sure they set clear boundaries and be sure not to be aware of how much time they are spending working online.
Hope this helps!
Hi Chloe,
I enjoyed reading about your perspective on the impacts of social media during COVID-19. I have always agreed with the fact that social media use can lead to addiction and alter our ‘real life’ interactions. Although, during COVID-19 I’m not sure many of us would have survived without it…
In your paper you mention that social media addiction and overuse can have negative impacts on productivity and success in school and the workplace because of the distraction it brings. I agree with this but would also factor in the impacts of presence bleed. When the work-life combines with the home-life environment, people tend to overwork themselves as the physical distance separating the work and home life is removed. This can have negative impacts on the metal wellbeing of individuals and in turn effect the quality of work they produce.
I am interested to know your thoughts about my suggestion for your paper and whether or not you think it is relevant for your argument?
Great work!
Hey Katrina,
Thanks for taking the time to read my paper! I agree with your point about social media during COVID-19, I believe that it was extremely useful in times where we were unable to communicate face to face. The pandemic however did create a new set of conditions in which overuse became more prominent and the possibility of developing an online network addiction was increased.
I would also like to note that your second point about presence bleed is a very good way to describe the effects of online network overuse and impact on productivity at school or work. I think this point is very relevant to my argument, thanks for contributing this idea!
Hope this answers your questions 🙂
Hi Chloe,
Thanks for sharing your paper, it is an interesting topic- the link between social media and personal wellbeing. It was interesting to read about the science behind the alterations to the brain and implications on learning and productivity, I wasn’t aware of this.
I found social networking sites were beneficial during the pandemic as it meant I could stay in touch with friends and keep up to date with news and trending topics, however I can see from your paper that there are other long-term negative effects, especially for adolescence.
You mention in your paper that that social networking sites can be damaging to ‘real world’ relationships as there is too much focus on communicating online which makes them worse, so I am interested to know if you think that online relationships are inauthentic and if so, why?
Looking forward to your response!
Hi Megan,
Thanks for taking the time to read my paper! I would like to note that your point is most definitely valid, as online networks have many beneficial outcomes, and were helpful especially during the pandemic. This paper focuses mainly on the effects of excessive online network use, and while using online networks in healthy doses can be extremely useful, this paper highlights that they do have the potential to be highly addictive to some, and like anything, should be used in moderation.
In response to your second point, I personally do not think that online relationships are completely inauthentic, however, it is still important to maintain offline relationships as well, and as stated by Lima et al. (2017), online relationships do not meet core social connection needs, and spending too much time online can take away time for developing real world connections. Once again, online relationships can be extremely beneficial, as long as we don’t rely on them solely as our only type of relationships.
Hope this answers your questions! 🙂