facebook: why can't we look away?
3 minute read
despite all that's wrong with facebook, we continue to log in. getty
stay up to date on this topic
facebook has had an eventful few weeks filled with controversy, leaked documents, system-wide crashes, and a name change of its parent company to meta platforms.
but facebook is like watching a horrible car accident — it’s almost impossible to turn away.
what keeps people hooked on the social platform despite all the corporate messiness and admissions of nasty business practices?
“we are wired to want to connect with other human beings,” dr. anna lembke, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at stanford university told cnn.
when we see some news we don’t like and hit the angry react button, or post a photo from our wedding and get hundreds of likes, we get a surge of dopamine which is known as a “feel good” hormone.
facebook’s 2.89 billion monthly users continue to use the site to stay connected, see photos, and check the news despite the controversy. the third most popular website in canada according to digital intelligence company similarweb, facebook has more than 27 million accounts registered in canada as of 2021, reports german consumer data company statista.
“one of the hallmarks of addiction is we continue a behavior that’s inconsistent with our values,” lembke said. “it’s quite possible that people who are angry with facebook and say that facebook’s behaviour is not consistent to their values but who continue to use facebook on a very regular basis are people who may indeed be addicted.”
addiction isn’t the only thing keeping people hooked on facebook though; fear is also a significant contributor to late-night doom scrolling.
the fear of missing something online, such as a new friend request or an influx of comments, keeps people glued to their devices.
“when you have such a profound impact on how people feel about themselves or rate themselves, that’s going to win,” john duffy, a clinical psychologist from chicago told cnn.
advertisement
because facebook is constantly updating, there is no endpoint to reach that marks a good spot to log off, duffy said. there is no point while scrolling where you can see everything that was posted.
you may be aware that consuming that much content on social media could be dangerous or addictive, but the emotional aspect of posting and seeing can overpower the ability to stop, duffy said. we have the same fear of missing out when we’re 13 as we do when we’re 50, he said.
“am i attractive? do people like me? am i invited to the thing? those were the important things that mattered 20 years ago,” duffy said. “now it’s, ‘ok, i posted something this morning. do i have any new followers, do i have any likes?’ “
both duffy and lembke agree that quitting is a difficult process, but quitting cold turkey is the first step. levels of dopamine tend to go back to normal levels after about a month, but some can get results faster.
“i always warn people that in the first two weeks, they’re going to feel worse before they feel better because in the first two weeks, they’ll still be in that dopamine deficit state,” lembke said.
as early as the third week, lembke has seen people enjoying other activities more and even thinking about facebook less often. the key after this is to be careful with how much you consume, so as to not be sucked back into the virtual vortex.
if you do find yourself slipping back into facebook’s pull, lembke recommends disconnecting from the internet and reconnecting with yourself by taking a walk or putting your face into some ice water.
keeping notifications off can also help, which can be done through your phone’s settings. recently, apple introduced focus modes to the iphone, which can block notifications from chosen apps or certain people during specific hours.
share story
