Digital Detox or Dive In? Deep Dive Into Phone Addiction
Written by Serigne Thiam, Graduate Assistant for the Graduate College
In today’s digital landscape, much of our social and emotional well-being is influenced by the smart devices we carry everywhere with constant and unlimited access to. You’ve likely walked around campus and saw dozens of students staring down at their phone screen seemingly chance they get. Perhaps you’ve had a sit down with a friend and instead of conversing you’ve found yourselves lost in your phone screens. Moments like these can show we may be at a point where we should be having an honest dialogue about our potentially unhealthy cellphone habits.
It can seem like you’re constantly maneuvering through your schoolwork, social life, and other tenets of everyday living during your graduate school journey. But perhaps you haven’t considered another factor that can be detrimental to your personal and academic success: social media and cell phone addiction. Studies show that nearly 40% of college students have cellphone addiction on some level. What are the telltale signs of these addictions? We spoke with UC Blue Ash Assistant Psychology Professor Alex Holte about his expertise specializing in social media psychology. With a focus on the relationship between human psychology and social media engagement techniques, we delved into Dr. Holte's insights on everything from the role of algorithms in forming attachments to the psychological implications of a world that’s always online.
UC Blue Ash Assistant Psychology Professor Dr. Alex Holte. Image Provided.
Please explain attachment theory and the correlation to social media and phone usage. How can an unhealthy attachment to one’s phone sort of mimic social interaction or attachment?
Attachment theory describes the bond that is developed between two people that exist regardless of location and time. Within attachment theory you can have different types of attachment, such as secure, preoccupied or avoidant. Individuals with preoccupied attachment are more at risk for developing problematic smartphone use.
From my research standpoint I don’t study “unhealthy attachments”, rather I study how an individual forms an attachment to their smartphone and the outcomes of that. As outlined in my published research, smartphones are the perfect attachment figure as they are always available and can be used to support the user.
What can cause a person to develop full-blown phone addiction?
Currently, smartphone addiction is not a recognized behavioral addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), however there is always the potential for it to be included in future editions of the DSM. If it were to be a behavioral addiction, I can see factors such as having anxiety, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder would predispose someone into being more inclined to develop the problematic behavior. So in other words, you have to have some type of diathesis to predispose you to developing problematic smartphone use. From there, there has to be some type of environmental exposure that gets you hooked.
For many, the social media and communication aspects of one’s smartphone has addictive-like qualities, so in general, I would say that the environmental component of addiction-like behaviors is set, so it really depends on if you are predisposed to developing problematic smartphone use (PSU). Since the environmental component is set for addiction-like behaviors, you really would just need to have a diathesis towards problematic smartphone use to develop PSU. That is to say, two people could spend the same amount of time on their smartphone, but one could be displaying addiction-like behaviors based on their genetics which causes them to be more at risk for PSU.
Explain how social media platforms are so adept at leveraging psychological techniques to increase engagement and time spent on them?
Social media platforms design their social networking sites (SNS) in a way to obtain and maintain one’s attention. For most individuals, the use of one’s SNS application is a habit. Thus, we aren’t mindfully making the decision to use Snapchat or Facebook. It’s habitual. Social media platforms use reinforcement schedules to develop these habitual behaviors.
Moreover, other elements such as the bright saturated colors used in the platforms play a role, as bright saturated colors are physiologically appealing to look at. Lastly, when you browse a typical web page, there is an end of the page. As in, you cannot scroll anymore down. This sends a signal to the brain that you are done browsing. With SNS, you don’t have this ending of scrolling, thus individuals never receive this signal to the brain.
What are some of the early signs of phone addiction that people should be aware of?
A few early signs of problematic smartphone use are using one’s smartphone more than one planned, using one’s smartphone as to cope with negative emotions, and/or having your smartphone use cause deficits in work, schooling or social life.
How would you define “mindful social media scrolling,” and how can users achieve it?
Mindful social media scrolling is the act of being fully present and attentive to the content you are viewing. While I have not tested it empirically, I would imagine by practicing mindfulness meditation, you can achieve mindfulness which can be later transmitted to the act of scrolling online.
How can someone use social media in a way that enhances their life rather than draining their focus or emotional wellbeing?
I would say that setting boundaries for how long you are going to spend on SNS is a good way to promote mental health benefits. Moreover, knowing that you should stop using SNS when the enjoyment of the platform wears off. Lastly, using SNS in a manner to maintain social relationships is a good way to promote mental health benefits. Perhaps use SNS as a way to plan in-person social activities, which can promote feelings of belongingness that are critical to one’s mental health. Research has shown that non-social forms of SNS use are related to more addiction-like behaviors.
In your opinion, what are the psychological benefits of mindful social media scrolling?
In my opinion, by practicing mindful social media scrolling, you can control your SNS use in a manner that you don’t fall to the attempts at getting “hooked” by the SNS platform and in turn you are able to regulate how much time you spend on the platform.
What are the psychological benefits of social media detoxing, and how often should people consider taking a break from social media?
In general, I do not think the typical individual would need to take a break from social media, but if you think your social networking use is negative impacting your mental health, it is advisable to take a break from it. From my own experience, I have found taking a break from social media can have positive mental health effects. Provided individuals tend to spend hours each day on social media, by taking a break it can provide more hours to do things that have positive impacts on oneself.
If you’re seeking more mental and emotional support, we encourage you to contact UC Counseling & Psychological Services to schedule an appointment. You can also explore our student health resources guide for more helpful information and support options.