Fifteen percent of the world’s population has a Facebook. Adults in the United States spend more than 11 hours each day engaged in digital media, according to annual reports from Nielsen Media Research. Our generation is dangerously addicted to social media, and it’s negatively affecting our society. There’s a burning desire to be perpetually engaged on multiple digital media outlets, but why?

Is it that we live in a narcissistic, selfie-filled society and need to be the center of attention?

Studies at Harvard found that self-disclosure communication stimulates sensations in the brain much like our favorite foods, earning money or even sexual pleasures. It’s almost like the brain is given a pat on the back when our post surpasses a certain amount of likes or we hit a certain number of followers, and we are reassured that we are good enough for the rest of the world.

After all, our online profiles are the best versions of ourselves, a glamorized and fabricated version of the lives we actually live.

Country music superstar Brad Paisley says so himself: “I’m so much cooler online.”

Our closest friends are just an app away, which isn’t always a good thing. We find it imperative to stay engaged as much as we possibly can. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, our addiction to social media is an issue worth discussing. Have you ever seen all members of a family on their phones at once? The mother is trying to figure out the difference between Snapchat and Instagram, and the father is emailing an important client. The son is searching Facebook to see pictures of his latest crush, and the daughter is texting her “BFF,” letting her know that she is having “OMG the worst night ever.” If you have witnessed a scene like this, you can agree that it is disturbing. We are more concerned with the lives of others on social media than the lives of our family in front of us.

In today’s world, our word is not good enough. We need visual evidence of what we did. Why do we need to take an iPhone video of a precious moment or take a picture of our food before we eat it? Forty million images are uploaded to Instagram each day. Our desire to take pictures is directly connected to our social media addiction. Facebook albums or Instagram profiles show others the coolest things we have done. We only post the things we want others to see, and the pictures shared on social media have likely been edited to improve overall perception. We act this way because of society’s narcissistic tendencies.

Social media has become a core conflict in relationships today. Individuals will search to find something that slightly justifies a negative suspicion through social media. For instance, it’s common to navigate through someone’s Twitter “favorites” to see with whom he or she has made a consistent effort to stay in touch. Another issue that I can’t believe is actually discussed is Snapchat’s “best friend” feature. The app records who you are exchanging pictures with most frequently and shows this information at the top of your personal profile. These examples have the potential to create jealousy and raise questions of fidelity, all of which could have negative effects on relationships.

The average American adult spends four years of his or her life looking at a cell phone, according to cnbc.com. We have accepted the norm of social media addiction, and it negatively affects society. Our generation is digitally insane.

Travis Swan can be reached at swan9954@stthomas.edu.