Psychologists warn against social networks: people break with reality, addiction is betrayed by various symptoms

The World Health Organization (WHO) addiction to computer games in 2018 officially recognized the disease. Although so far there is no dependence on social networks in the classification of diseases, the psychologist prof. Dr. Laima Bulotaitė states that it is probably only a matter of time. According to her, mental health professionals are already noticing that some people are so engrossed in life on social media that they begin to fear being in reality. According to the professor, experts predict that a pandemic will only make the situation worse and more and more such people may occur.

We spoke with L. Bulotaite and an expert from the Center for Digital Ethics, representative of the European Network for Problematic Internet Use (PIN) in Lithuania, Vilma Liaugaudaitė, a public health specialist, about the threats and risks posed by computer games and social networks. .

What is a ghost call? Is it normal to feel anxious after putting down the phone?

We are not alone in a situation where we feel insecure, uncomfortable, and even anxious when we leave the phone at home. However, prof. Dr. Laima Bulotaitė reassures: there is no need to experience those feelings, it is definitely not a sign of addiction yet.

“When you leave the phone at home, there is often a fear that your loved ones will not find you, and you promised them that you would. Addiction is a slightly different matter. Having a phone with you is a simple habit. After all “If the parents do not communicate with the children for a couple of hours and the children have promised to do so, there is anxiety. It is not an addiction, it is normal,” says the psychologist.

Scientists have been studying another phenomenon for some time. Have you ever caught yourself hearing a phone ring or vibrate, but when you pick it up you realize that no one is looking for you or looking for you? This is called a ghost or so-called phantom. However, as V. Liaugaudaitė points out, scientific evidence as to why this is happening is still lacking.

“It can simply be related to that daily reception of signals, which constantly reminds us, causes tension, anxiety that is as if important information came,” says the specialist.

For his part, L. Bulotaitė points out that now we are simply used to receiving important information and knowledge from friends or family through smart devices: telephone, computer.

“I don’t want to emphasize that this is already a disorder. I think it happens to everyone. Especially when we are waiting for a call and we do not receive it, we are constantly interpreting whatever sounds may be calling us here. This is perfectly normal. This is not a sign of a mental disorder ”, says the psychologist.

V. Liaugaudaitė offers to follow their behavior: how long does it take from when a message sounds until we read it? The specialist also recommends trying not to react to them for half a day and see what emotions it provokes.

“The problem is that smart technology maintains our constant level of anxiety, so during this period, it is even recommended to replace smart watches with analog, turn off active accounts on the phone, messages, so as not to put too much stress on us “advises the interlocutor.

Two personality traits associated with propensity for games and social media

According to V. Liaugaudaitė, research shows that anxiety may also be related to a morbid tendency to computer games.

“Research looking at the causes of addiction to computer games highlights the importance of impulsivity. Such personalities have a greater tendency to anxiety and negative emotions, more often they face a lack of control, manifested by a tendency to misbehavior or even aggressive behavior.

The research is still very preliminary and there is a lack of clear guidelines on what determines commitment. It is known that computer games are more used by people who want to break away from everyday worries, reduce stress and get away from virtual reality, as if they were isolated from other existing problems ”, says the specialist.

According to V. Liaugaudaitė, the extent of this problem in Lithuania is difficult to answer, not enough data has been collected on it. For his part, L. Bulotaitė affirms that no very specific personality traits or circumstances have been identified that promote immersion in this addiction. According to the psychologist, this is usually a set of personal characteristics and circumstances.

“Two of those personality traits that are really associated with a trend toward both computer games and social media are extroverts: people who need that communication and that openness to change. They want some kind of innovation, they actually lack. , there is no type of adventure in the environment, perhaps they do not allow you to experience some special sensations at home, they do not allow you to take risks, you are very protected ”, says the psychologist.

Satisfies needs that cannot be met in reality

According to L. Bulotaitė, trying to find out what determines morbid participation in virtual reality, specialists also analyze computer games. The professor notes that they are often created with the help of not only IT specialists, designers, but also psychologists.

“These games satisfy many needs that in real life, for various reasons, a person may not be able to satisfy. For example, there are very clear rules in the game. And psychologists have long known that there are important rules, especially for young children, to be clear about how to behave and what will happen if you don’t follow them.

We can say that there are such rules in life, parents create them, but there are exceptions all the time. We say: no, I won’t let it go, and then we go down. And children do not fully understand: it can be done or not. In a computer game, meanwhile, there are clear rules: you know what you have to do to achieve something. If you get close, you will be rewarded for it, you will be praised for it. Praise for children is also very necessary and lacking. If you don’t achieve something, you know exactly what to do to achieve it, “explains L. Bulotaitė.

According to the teacher, although most of the time this addiction develops in children, adults are not an exception either. The psychologist still remembers a case in which a student approached her after a conference and said that he finally understood why his father, the director of the company, played at night.

“You need a simple compliment, an assessment of your work,” says the interlocutor. L. Bulotaitė points out that no one usually praises adults, especially those in managerial positions.

“It just came to our attention then. When it comes to parents, we often say: just try to find out what makes that game so appealing to the child, what their needs are. And maybe then we can meet those needs in the life and he will not need computer games so much, “advised the psychologist.

Break with real life

The representative of the PIN network in Lithuania, V. Liaugaudaitė, says that during the quarantine period, young Lithuanians spend much more time online than before.

“Our research conducted with colleagues, assessing the well-being of Lithuanian young adults and problematic internet use in this COVID period, has revealed that 76 percent. The time that study participants spent on the Internet during a pandemic only increased compared to the time before the pandemic, ”he shared.

According to the interviewee, many times the respondents use the Internet for academic purposes, but even around 50 percent. Survey participants indicated that the main purpose of browsing is social media.

In turn, the psychologist prof. Dr. L. Bulotaitė states that it is only a matter of time before dependence on social media is also on the list of diseases. According to the interlocutor, research carried out before the pandemic and the perceptions of specialists showed that this phenomenon has serious consequences and can seriously interfere with daily life.

“People who, so to speak, dive into social media are cut off from reality. Life on social media is really attractive, it’s easier than in real life: you can embellish your photo and quote an author that you really wouldn’t quote (…).

After a while, some people start to fear finding themselves in reality, which makes it easier for them to communicate on social media. When people move away from real life, they live only in social space, which of course causes a lot of problems: they don’t want conferences or meetings with friends, ”says L. Bulotaitė.

As an example, the professor cites cases in which a group of 100 people communicating on social media decides to organize a live meeting, but only two or three people attend.

Addiction is caused by various symptoms.

According to L. Bulotaitė, mental health specialists already predict that morbid participation in social networks after a pandemic could become a very serious problem.

“Now that the pandemic has started, we hypothesize that more and more of these people may emerge because we are all forced to communicate more on social media. (…) It is projected that this could become a serious problem to attract more and more people. And the longer the pandemic lasts, the more people will get used to social networks and will no longer want to return to real communication, to reality, ”shared L. Bulotaitė.

For his part, V. Liaugaudaitė advised everyone to monitor their behavior and pay attention to signs that Internet use is already becoming a problem.

“If you trade your sleep time for time online, if you try to hide how much time you spend on it, feel tense, upset about not having access to the Internet, or give up housework, the people around you start to complain a lot time online, and if that bad mood or nervousness dissipates when connecting to the Internet, which means that you are already experiencing the symptoms of addictive Internet use and then it would be worth worrying, ”warned V. Liaugaudaitė.

L. Bulotaitė advises parents to restrict children’s communication on social media. And while he says it can be very difficult to do during quarantine, ways should be found to compensate for the lack of communication at home. According to the teacher, it is useful that adults do not fall into a parallel reality talking about dangers and consciously controlling their behavior.

“Even if things seem normal now, I don’t interact much on social media, but if the pandemic continues, there may be danger. Just to make people aware that I would not deliberately spend time on social media, but would think I might as well be at risk of contracting that addiction. Not for someone else like you do you want to think, for me, never. But if I know that this can also happen to me, I will try to control my behavior to a certain extent “, shared the specialist.