Conclusion 4: Social Media Use and Other Factors

Conclusion 4: Social Media Use and Other Factors

As shown in the study, many young adults engage in some form of online media daily. Before concluding that the majority have an addiction to social media, it is important to first consider some of the factors that contribute to this excessive use. Social media addiction is often characterized by a combination of excessive media consumption, high reliance on social media, and an inability to control this behaviour despite suffering decreased physical and social engagement. With the Covid-19 global pandemic especially, social media has been a largely used tool for allowing people to stay in touch despite being miles apart, communicating at instantaneous speeds. Social media has also been a tool for some to engage with school and work communities, as reflected by 30.3% of the survey respondents (question 15). While 80% of participants admitted that social media has become significant to their daily routine (question 10), when asked how they would feel if they had no access to social media for a day, the majority indicated they would have little to no discomfort. This shows that the term “addiction” is often used too loosely, and it is vital to distinguish between addicted habits and usage.

After analyzing the results of this study, the prevalence of social media addiction symptoms was substantial among Edmonton’s sample of young adults. With the characteristics of social media addiction stated above in mind, it would be inaccurate to deem all young adults addicted, as the majority of the survey respondents indicated that they had either no discomfort or varying levels of low discomfort when they do not have access to social media (see Figure 5). Similar to the second interview subject, many young adults frequently use social media as a means of keeping up with what is going on in their personal network, as well as for entertainment purposes, but are not necessarily addicted to social media, despite displaying some addictive tendencies. It would be unrealistic to assume that all young adults have an addiction to social media, simply because the vast majority use some type of online social networking platform and spend a lot of their time online.