Facebook has really made its mark on the world, but not all of the Facebook craze is positive. It might even be described as addictive, affecting the minds of those who use it excessively. The impact of a notification ding, for example, has been compared to the effects of abusive substances. A notification might portend a social, sexual or professional opportunity, and responding to the notification results in a hit of dopamine, recharging one’s addictive compulsion.
Studies of the brains of social media users produce interesting results as well. For example, a simple exposure of five hours to social media over a week’s time is enough to create rewiring in the brains of those with little previous exposure to the Web. Internet addicts have been shown to have between 10 and 20 percent smaller brain areas related to speech, motor control, emotion, memory and sensory information. In other words, spending more time online leads to greater signs of atrophy in these areas of the brain.
Source: Best Masters Degrees in Psychology
