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    Why Can’t We Resist Social Media?

    Social Media 5 Mins Read
    social media

    First appeared in NewsBreak

    By Aron Solomon

    Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, providing us with a constant source of information, entertainment, and connection. However, the use of social media has been known to be addictive, with many people struggling to control their usage.

    This issue is hitting another peak in our news clucks this week with what Axios described as a “slew of lawsuits” being filed by school districts across the country against social media companies, “alleging that the tech giants are contributing to a youth mental health crisis.”

    The root cause of that crisis is the deeply addictive nature of social media. Not only is the scope and reach of social media inescapable for many people, social media addiction is a real phenomenon that affects millions of people worldwide.

    The use of social media triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is associated with pleasure and reward. When we receive likes, comments, or messages on social media, our brain releases dopamine, creating a pleasurable sensation that reinforces our desire to use social media. This cycle of pleasure and reward creates a strong association between social media use and positive emotions, leading to addiction.

    Moreover, social media platforms have been designed to be highly engaging and addictive. The use of infinite scrolling, push notifications, and personalized content keeps users hooked, making it difficult to put their phones down. Social media algorithms are designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible, showing them content that is relevant to their interests and preferences.

    This personalized content creates a sense of validation and belonging, further reinforcing the addictive behavior. It truly becomes a self-fulfilling infinite loop – any reinforcement drives more time on the site in issue. Where the reinforcement doesn’t come, more time is spent on the site looking for it or the user moves to another site hoping for reinforcement there.

    The addictive nature of social media has several negative impacts on our lives. Excessive use of social media has been linked to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Social media use also leads to decreased productivity, as users spend hours scrolling through their feeds instead of working on important tasks. Furthermore, social media addiction can lead to social isolation, as users become more focused on their online interactions than their real-life relationships.

    As social media addiction becomes more prevalent, there is growing concern about its legal implications. In a world where social media addiction is a real problem, the role of the law is increasingly important.

    Lauren Scardella, a New Jersey lawyer, highlighted the potential for legal action against social media platforms themselves. “Social media companies have a duty to protect their users from harm, including addiction. If it can be proven that a social media platform knowingly designed their platform to be addictive, they could be held liable for any harm caused to their users.”

    While there are currently no laws specifically targeting social media addiction, this is absolutely where we are heading. Scardella believes that this may change in the future. “As social media addiction becomes more prevalent, we can expect to see more legal action being taken against both addicted individuals and social media companies. It is important for the law to keep pace with the changing technological landscape to protect individuals from harm.”

    One of the earliest social media addiction cases was filed in 2012, when a Facebook user named Chikezie O. Okoro sued the company in California Superior Court, claiming that the social network’s “addictive nature” caused him to spend money on virtual goods and suffer from emotional distress. The case was dismissed by a judge in 2013, who ruled that Okoro had not shown that Facebook had engaged in any wrongful conduct.

    Another notable case was filed in 2016, when a woman named Nina Romano sued Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in federal court in California, alleging that the companies had created “a platform for harmful addiction.” Romano claimed that she had developed a compulsive disorder related to social media and that the companies were negligent in failing to warn her of the risks. The case was dismissed in 2017, with the judge ruling that Romano had not shown that the companies had any duty to warn users of the risks of addiction.

    Since then, there have been several other lawsuits filed against social media companies alleging addiction, including a 2018 case in Canada in which a teenager sued Snapchat for causing her to become addicted to its “streaks” feature.

    This will remain very fertile ground for litigation as social media companies are faced with an increasingly binary choice: either make their social medium far less compelling to use and lose a lot of revenue or build an increasing number of lawsuits into their cost of doing business.

    About Aron Solomon

    A Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, Aron Solomon, JD, is the Chief Legal Analyst for Esquire Digital and the Editor-in-Chief for Today’s Esquire. He has taught entrepreneurship at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was elected to Fastcase 50, recognizing the top 50 legal innovators in the world. Aron has been featured in Forbes, CBS News, CNBC, USA Today, ESPN, TechCrunch, The Hill, BuzzFeed, Fortune, Venture Beat, The Independent, Fortune China, Yahoo!, ABA Journal, Law.com, The Boston Globe, YouTube, NewsBreak, and many other leading publications.

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