Columnist Dan Abernathy.

Courtesy photo

Social media has become an insanely intricate part of life and I doubt there are few people that have not spent some time in the quagmire of these interactive technologies. We have all wasted time mindlessly closing one app to open another as we scroll through obtuse virtual communities.

Social media has seemingly become an essential part of our daily lives. It’s important however, to stay aware of how it affects your mind, as you literally scratch the entrance to an unending virtual world. Perhaps when you are mindlessly scrolling through your chosen social media app, you should stop and remember the value of moderation.

It might seem harmless and just the way of the world now but research is saying otherwise. This finger surfing habit is actually altering our brain. Ten years ago, the average time spent on social media was just over an hour per day. Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform that collects statistics, reports that number is three hours per day and rapidly advancing beyond that. That’s more than the time we spend eating and drinking each day.

As the time spent online grows, so do the effects on the brain. Studies by the National Library of Medicine are showing heavy social media users are becoming less able to ignore distractions. These efforts to stay focused can ultimately shrink parts of the brain used for concentration, a change known as neuroplasticity, the brain's capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences. 

Each like or positive comment provides immediate social rewards in the form of dopamine and serotonin, the happiness hormones. This reaction makes you feel good, so your brain wants more. On the other side of this, losing likes and comments can cause anxiety and depression because our brain isn’t getting that emotional rush.

Becoming addicted to likes and shares with dopamine driven social media, triggers the same reward pathways that are activated with eating food, winning money, a kiss or hug and taking mind altering drugs. When someone likes your post, your brain receives a hit of happiness, making you feel pleasure or satisfaction.

It has been scientifically proven that social media triggers the same center in our brain that is responsible for the center of pleasure. Every time you see a bigger number of likes you greedily want more, as you have become an addict. You feel good, so your brain wants more.

When we open our social media apps, a simple double tap or click of a heart-shaped icon can feel almost instinctual. We like photos, posts and tweets as if it’s a reflex, hardly stopping to think about why we do it.

Another common development with too much social media is Phantom Vibration Syndrome. This is when you think your phone is ringing, but it isn’t. Many people become so worried about missing calls or texts that they become fixated on sensations that one is coming. Professor Robert Rosenberger, at the Georgia Institute of Technology, says simple things like body irritations are being misinterpreted as a phone vibration.

Likes are the currency of validation in the digital world. It’s an indicator of how well you’re doing, especially for brands and businesses. In marketing terms, it’s not just a like; it’s a measurable unit of engagement, a nod of approval from your audience. Likes play into our basic human needs for validation and social inclusion. That’s why they’re so powerful and why they’re engineered to be part of nearly every social media platform there is.

There is also the concept of reciprocity in social media interactions. People are often compelled to like someone’s post because they liked yours or when a celebrity likes something. It’s become a social norm. This mutual back scratching serves to increase engagement levels, as users feel an obligation to return the favor. This rule has become so ingrained that it’s often subconscious.

What must be understood is that likes are more than just superficial interactions. They’re rooted deeply in human psychology and are thus a powerful tool for anyone looking to get ahead in the social media game. Understanding the psychology behind likes can offer invaluable insights. It’s seen as an essential step to optimizing your strategy, increasing engagement and truly connecting with your audience.

How many likes you receive can sometimes feel like a public display of your social status. Celebrities and influencers who garner thousands or millions of likes per post, sit at the top of this digital social hierarchy. Even within smaller social circles, the number of likes can signify your social standing and perceived worth.

The People’s Republic of China, the epitome of control, has created a social credit system to function as a unified record system that measures businesses, individuals and government entities to evaluate their trustworthiness and credit score.

Interestingly, the allure of likes has given rise to an entire industry built around purchasing fake likes and followers. This is because the quest for social validation has become so intense that people are willing to pay for the appearance of popularity.

Likes on social media are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they serve as a quick barometer for public opinion. On the other hand, they can encourage vanity metrics, create mental health issues, and can perpetrate falsehoods. As we move forward in this digital age, the challenge lies in using these tools wisely so we can engage in social media with a more thoughtful and responsible manner.

I for one believe we need to let people know that they are liked in real time. When was the last time someone surprised you with a small gift, an unexpected smile or a compliment when you needed it most? When was the last time that you did this? Those small moments should happen every day, and when they do, they are appreciated for a much longer time.

A like on a social media platform is only a meaningless drop of nothingness assimilated into the flood of information that is available to us at all times. This reflex takes less than a second and is usually instantly forgotten. A gift of something real, something from the heart, something with meaning is not discarded so soon. It is not online. This like shows love and has meaning, as it is real. - dbA

You can find more of the unfiltered insight and the Art of Dan Abernathy at www.contributechaos.com.