Social media is a waste of time in our everyday lives. When I take a look around a room with people, everyone is buried in their phones. Everyone is glued to their screens and barely socializing with people in person. Maybe a ¨look-up¨ and ¨yap¨ here and there but if we are honest we are consumed by our technology and now it’s portable. I do believe that quarantine was a huge contributing factor to how addicted we all are to social media, it was our only way of communicating with friends and family. Along with the fact that younger generations grew up with technology. We are habitually 

taken to a world beyond us to communicate, scroll, play games, etc.

The main reason for the stronghold social media has on us is dopamine. This is the chemical released when the interest in what media is presenting to us activates the reward center in the brain. The brain recognizes it as a treat after a long period away from it, which makes you crave more because it feels pleasing to your mind, like a break from everything. When interviewing Mr. Sidmore on how social media affects us, he stated, ¨ There’s kind of a polarizing effect ¨. In response to how social media affects us. He added his primary use of social media, where he claims there are, ¨super innovative people.¨ This is when he is scrolling through social media, draining into the people who share an interest in creativity like him. Ms. Morris supported his claim in a separate interview, explaining that ¨especially being an artist, I know a lot of people who make their living through that who sell their artwork, who have more of a platform because of social media¨, which for many is a great way to gain the attention of people who find interest in what is on the screen.

Although social media can be intriguing, some aspects will drag you under. Whether that be into more apps and sites or a mental rabbit hole. Mr. Sidmore believes ¨ it’s designed to suck you in¨. Depending on what comes across your page ¨doom scrolling is a real thing¨ but no matter what ¨ there is constant bashing back and forth¨. On any platform, there will always be negative aspects to it. This is because of its negative aspect; the topic of social media can genuinely activate people’s opinions of it as a whole and portions of it. Ms. Morris included that it is to ¨Numb the rest of the world out¨ when I asked her the same question Mr. Sidmore asked. Many would beg to differ that it isn’t bad; it is just abused. Younger generations who grew up with social media feel incredibly defensive of all they have ever known to depend on for dopamine. Especially with quarantine, it was the only way to socialize with people outside of your household.

In conclusion, Social media is a time-consuming part of technology that can affect people depending on who that person is as a person. It comes down to interests, free time, motivation, etc. We are drawn in by what catches our attention, and dopamine takes control of our brains; it blinds our reality for as long as possible. Who wouldn’t want more of what allows them to experience good emotions? Many people have different opinions on social media. Still, we can all agree that it wastes a lot of time in some way, shape, or form, even though their experiences affect many.