DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Thesis

 

Social media is negatively affecting our attention spans because it overwhelms our brains’ dopamine neurotransmitters. Adolescents are more susceptible than adults to increased neuron damage, which is conveyed by their brains’ decreased ability to concentrate on academic tasks.

 

Conclusion

 

Dopamine is affected by our social media usage; which high jacks our attention span. Dopamine gives us the ability to pay attention to subjects that are important to our survival. The prefrontal cortex helps regulate, the impulsive behavior caused by dopamine.  Social media undermines the frontal cortex's ability and forces the brain to search for material, that is more exciting, because of the decrease in dopamine receptor sensitivity. The receptor sensitivity causes a feedback loop of a person needing more dopamine; which is supplied by social media providing new viewing material. The consequences of social media’s effects on the brain include depression, suicidal thoughts, addiction, lack of sleep and poor academic performance in adolescents.  The brain of a youth is more susceptible to brain damage from social media than an adult. The only way to remedy the problem of social media, is to reduce or eliminate the habit.

 

Individuals need to take steps to lower the amount of social media they are consuming on a daily basis. Our attention spans are slowly being damaged from multitasking with social media applications. Parents with the knowledge of social media’s influence on the dopamine and the frontal cortex need to limit their children’s viewing of Internet enabled devices, as well as video games. Their children’s academic success is on the line.

 

Long-term studies may reveal in the future, if social media usage leaves a person vulnerable to age related diseases like dementia. What will happen to the youth that grow up on social media, when they reach old age? Corporations know that social media takes control of the dopamine in the brain. Is this a tactic used by the companies to increase their profitability? This is not a subject of social media; however a topic about our brains' and society. 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.