Before long, May had created a well-manicured facade of herself.
Online, Mays personality and street style were adored by her 13,000-plus followers.
All I really had was my phone and myself, she says.
For May, the novelty around social media was the allure.
The main difference between then and now?
She hadnt yet learned about the dangers of social media overuse.
…
In fact, she remembers being struck by howlittleher phone use entered the mental-health conversation back then.
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Others have their nicotine vape pens, she says.
I had social media.
Critical to Mays story is that she was 17 when her dependency on social media began.
We also know that the adolescent brain is especiallysensitive to social acceptance and rejection4.
But the contradiction also proves her point.
Students arent shown slides about the dangers of algorithms and tech addiction.
What were aiming for isnt just less digital sickness; its digital flourishing, says May.
…
Its not about becoming a little less lonely; its about becoming actively more connected.
Burhan, R., et al.
Neurotransmitter Dopamine (DA) and its Role in the Development of Social Media Addiction.J Neurol Neurophy, vol.
11, 7 (2020): pp.
- doi:10.35248/2155-9562.20.11.507
Casey, B J et al.
The adolescent brain.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciencesvol.
1124 (2008): 111-26. doi:10.1196/annals.1440.010
Arain, Mariam et al.
Maturation of the adolescent brain.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatmentvol.
22,2 (2013): 121-127. doi:10.1177/0963721413476512
Janicke-Bowles, Sophie H., et al.
Digital Flourishing: Conceptualizing and Assessing Positive Perceptions of Mediated Social Interactions.Journal of Happiness Studies, vol.
…
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