Social Media Addiction

I in no way think that I am addicted to social media but after reading the talks given by President Uchtdorf and Elder Oaks I am rethinking my usage. Just the other day I realized that my husband was in the living room on Facebook and I was in our room on Facebook. I thought about what we might be doing if we didn't have Facebook. We might've been making dinner together or having discussions or out doing something fun to fill our time. Instead we were both mindlessly on Facebook. After I realized this I closed my computer and went to talk to him instead. After reading the talks I felt like I had an addiction to social media because, although I don't spend an excessive amount of time on social media, I spend more time than I should. That is something that I want to change.

After attending Dr. Steffensens forum about addiction and dopamine release I was curious to see if social media sights affected dopamine release. I found that although the site itself doesn't release dopamine, self disclosure does release dopamine. This means that telling people about yourself gives you the same good feelings that food or sex would give you. And where do people talk about themselves the most? Facebook of course! Talking about ourselves makes us feel good. There are other reasons we become addicted of course but I thought this one was interesting. Here is a link for signs of addiction to Facebook http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/facebook-addiction-signs/

As I looked at how much time I spend on social media and doing pointless things I realized that I spent more time on social media than I did focusing on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I claim that the gospel and my family are my number one priority but my actions show other wise. Social media can become our idols and when that happens we should realize it and change it. Thinking about this sparked the thought of how my children will be affected by social media. I don't want my children to see me using my phone or computer more than they see me interacting with other people and with them. I am excited to see where technology will take us but I am also worried about the impact it will have on my children. Their pictures will be on Facebook all their lives because I intend to share their pictures with family and friends. As media changes my life I have to adjust how I plan on raising my children. I never thought that social media would have this much impact on my life and on my future children's lives.

Over all I have to make sure that I keep an eternal perspective and make sure that my children know that the gospel and my family are my main priority. Social media isn't bad but it should be used in moderation.