Harvard Study Links The Use Of Social Media to the Brain's Sensations of Pleasure

Smartphones, laptops and tablets now provide billions of people around the globe with access to personal material platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and has thus created a new environment of expression and information. The success of these platforms is based within the networks of people that are created and the ease at which personal information can be shared. It is innovative, convenient and arguably addictive. Whether or not social media and technology are useful as it is distracting is a debate that even University of Maryland's diamondback engages in. It is not uncommon for students and even staff to be utilizing Facebook or Twitter on their laptops and smartphones in academic settings. This revelation has led many to wonder if social media is more of an uncontrollable addiction than a source of convenient information.

A recent study by Harvard has revealed scientific data that shows social media platforms such as Facebook are linked to the brain's sensations of pleasure. The link provides insight as to why checking your phone or laptop for Facebook updates in class is so highly addictive. Social media allows users to spread personal knowledge to a network of users. According to Harvard researchers, this diffusion of personal knowledge and information to others leads to a rewarding experience. The experiments held revealed that areas of the brain associated with reward were heightened when users provided self-disclosure, and were less engaged when talking about someone else. This may explain our need to tweet about what we're having for lunch, or share a picture of who we are with and how we are currently feeling. As lead researcher Diana Tamir explains "[the study] helps explain why Twitter exists and why Facebook is so popular, because people enjoy sharing information".

As a user of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, it is hard to refute the positive high that retweets, status likes and positive Facebook comments provide for me. It gives a sense of companionship in the sense that people know what you are doing or thinking, and positively agree with you. The ease with which one can attain such positive feelings from Facebook and Twitter may reveal why I feel the need to check my phone and update my status or tweet, because it's convenient. This convenience has unfortunately led me to become distracted in class, especially when I feel that sharing a picture of someone sleeping on their desk has higher priority than the professor's lecture slides.

Governing technology can be difficult however and maintaining focus is hard when social media is convenient. The positive effects of disclosing personal information to your network of friends and family is hard to counter with powerpoint slides. Simply waiting can lead to a quick check of notifications and I have personally found it hard to control myself at times of impatience. Although social media itself is distracting, technology can still be governed to provide utility in an educational and innovative sense. Further reading of these institutions utilizing technology to provide educational mediums and media are successful and there are many more examples in universities and the work place. Although Harvard's study reveals an inevitable high from social media, it is up to us to curb our social media enthusiasm in order to utilize technology at its full potential.

Interactive Media Provides Weak Link to Violent Behavior

            A quick glance at any video game retailer's store shelves reveal numerous games containing a large amount of violence and aggressive competition. With successful video game franchises such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and God of War boasting blood, brutality and glory, many have come to question the interactive medium of video games as a role model advocating violence. Video games have almost become household products with 91% of U.S. children between the ages of 2-17 playing daily for entertainment (NPD). Compared to more passive mediums, such as television or print, it is valid to wonder whether or not interactive mediums greatly fuel aggressive behaviors that lead to the violent crimes noticed in today's news.

            There have been numerous studies linking violence to media. In terms of television, however, a landmark research investigation by Wilbur Schramm, Jack Lyle and Edwin Parker showed that there was no magic bullet of media effects. Further studies have revealed slight aggressive behavior, but none provide a concrete link. More importantly, family, school and religion provided greater influences on the individual, providing tastes, attitudes and behaviors.

            The claim that video games lead to hostile behavior has also been recently studied in PBS's weeklong special After Newtown. The shooter during the tragic event was linked to playing World of Warcraft, a highly competitive game valuing aggression and violence amongst players. However greater influences are at work when determining the violent nature of Newtown shooter Adam Lanza. As PBS excerpts a clip from Raising Adam Lanza, it is revealed that his mother Nancy brought him to shooting ranges as well as bought him rifles and weaponry. Nancy Lanza's influence easily correlates to her son's aggressive behavior just as much as video games do, highlighting the fact that there are greater influences outside of interactive media. Those who argue that video games have a greater effect on users in regards to influencing violence may be disregarding important outside influences such as family, school and religion and highlights a criticism of media-effects research: that audiences are easily duped by media messages.

            Although violent video games provide its users with an interactive violent environment, the correlation to aggressive behavior does not equal causation. Furthermore, public health consultant Cheryl Olson debates video games as normative behavior. Olson has a point, as the growth in percentage of video game users have not led to a dramatic increase in real world violence, making interactive media similar to passive media in terms of influence.

For more information:

Converging Media by John V. Pavlik & Shawn McIntosh - Chapter 14: Media Theory & Research

PBS News Hour "Can Violent Video Games Play A Role In Violent Behavior"

NPD Statistics on growing video game use among children

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