Recommendation 3: Long-term Effects of Excessive Smartphone and Social Media Use
Recommendation 3: Long-term Effects of Excessive Smartphone and Social Media Use
The smartphone era has forced on us the need to always be connected and never truly shut down or log off. Although it has been widely studied and concluded that excessive use of social media has negative consequences on the lives of many, it would be interesting for future studies to research what long-term effects channelling so much time and energy into devices will cause. According to Larry Rosen, psychology professor and author of The Distracted Mind, “A lot of [phone usage] is unconscious behavior, … You shift from Facebook to Instagram, to checking the weather, to texts” (D’Onfro, 2018, para. 11). He suggests that an incredibly simple way to cut down on distractions is to turn off push notifications for as many apps as possible and install an app that tracks smartphone habits so usage goals can be set and met. Throughout this current research study, several short-term effects of social media addiction were discussed, such as phone-induced anxiety, poor academic performance, and stress. In the future, research studies could further explore the long-term effects of the overuse of smartphones and social media on physical, social, mental, and intellectual well-being. Establishing these long-term effects will make people more aware of their social media use habits, which may contribute to the prevention or reduced risk of being affected by these issues.
