Complete the Social Media Disorder scale. How did you score? What do you think about the items in the scale? Why do you think that different patterns are found across the world?
I scored 2/9 but I actively try to keep social media to a minimum in my life. That’s not to say I don’t get caught scrolling through Instagram reels regularly, but I do try to keep some discipline in that department.
As humans, we strive for social acceptance and dread being rejected socially. I think that’s what social media ultimately taps into, and exploits in all of us. It is the ultimate way to keep in contact with our friends and family, but also has a dark side. They say that if something is free, you are the product. Social media companies engineer their algorithms to keep you in their apps and on their websites as long as possible, because they can push you more advertisements, and thus make them more money.
I do think it is important for the DSM to acknowledge that there is a problem here with social media addiction and “Social Media Disorder.” Social media is still relatively new, but it is apparent that there is an addictive nature to it, and should be clinically diagnosed as a “disorder.”