Roundtable Presentation 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

Can You Really Switch Off To Switch On? Social Media And Addiction (#231)

Hajra Hussain 1
  1. American University of Sharjah, Duba, DUBIA, United Arab Emirates

Social media has become an integral part of our everyday lives. It has enabled individuals to create a sense of belonging & redefine their way of being. Numerous platforms have allowed users to create a community wherein individuals share their daily activities, & much more, with people across the globe, at any given time. This community is growing at great speed, the number of social media users worldwide is approximately 3.196 billion – this increase is 13% year-on-year (Global Web Index, 2018). There are numerous benefits to social media usage – despite this, there is a dark side. For many, we don’t realize how much time we spend scrolling through digital feeds, photos & walls. Increasing concerns have been raised about the negative impact on the excessive use of social networking sites on users health & wellbeing, especially that of young people, who are enthusiastic users of this technology. There are now many issues that are correlated with social media, such as the development of Social Media & Social Anxiety Disorder, & low self-esteem. So how can we protect ourselves from these potential issues? The question is how can we embrace & engage with social media in a positive way?