THE social networks They are part of the lives of the vast majority of people, whether they are creators or consumers. THE ease of access and speed with which they are updated, make them widely used in daily life.
The problem with accessing it so much is that they take time for other activities. The new generations and even the oldest, They spend several hours a day on platforms like TikTok, Instagram or X.
According to neuroscience, using social media is rewarding in the short term, but it can have negative long-term effects. Its content is visually stimulating, activating areas of the brain such as the nucleus accumbens, linked to immediate gratification.
This type of processing is rapid and fragmented and makes the The ability to concentrate and long-term memory weaken. Therefore, it is not deep learning, but rather a dependence on rapid stimulation.
THE dopamine is the neurotransmitter released by the brain in response to a pleasant experience. Social networks are designed to offer a immediate reward. “Likes” provide a quick spike of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. The feeling of pleasure is intense but disappears quickly. This can generate in the user a dependence on constant stimulation. This reduces tolerance to frustration and reduce the self control.
Networks provide emotional but fleeting responses and without deep reflection. They abound in social comparisons that generate rapid emotional responses such as anxiety or low self-esteem.
The rapid consumption of networks encourages limited short-term memory. The brain receives a lot of visual stimuli and information in a very short time and does not have time to process and integrate it. As this affects the synaptic plasticity and the ability to retain information.
He Excessive consumption of social networks is linked to a reduced attention span, increase in impulsiveness and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
