Social Media vs. Our Brains

The central research question I will be investigating is how social media affects our brains. We have witnessed a significant impact of social media on our youth. The rise of social media in this generation has also created one of the biggest generational gaps yet. Additionally, social media has an even bigger effect on kids who are exposed to it at very young ages. I will be studying how social media affects one’s moods, thoughts, and behaviors, as well as what social media physically does to one’s brain. For example, studies have shown that social media triggers brain activities that parallel the ones involved in addiction. Using the methods outlined in the Information Literacy portion of the FFC program, I plan on conducting my research using reputable videos and documentaries, online searches, and peer-reviewed articles found through the Leatherby Library database about social media. The expected conclusion to my research will be that social media platforms use systems, such as the infinite scroll, to intentionally trigger certain areas of our brain in an addictive manner. This is because they want to hook their users to their platforms. This addictive tendency of social media in turn negatively impacts people’s mental health and has a correlation with an increase in mental illnesses. Furthermore, young children have especially susceptible brains and exposure to social media molds their brains in a way that hinders their development.