Why are Social Networks so attractive to us?

The Internet has revolutionized society and social networks have become an essential infrastructure of daily life. In just one year, 227 million new users have been registered and, today, 59% of the world's population has an online presence.

Currently, it is 2.5 times more likely that we go to social networks to keep up to date with world news, instead of resorting to printed newspapers or magazines. We also do not limit the use of social networks to find out about the news, since we use them for all kinds of issues, such as communicating with our relatives and friendships, express our opinions, seek inspiration for our home decoration, see a concert, apply to job applications, have digital meetings, get an appointment or share photos and videos with our followers.

Despite the fact that two decades have not yet been completed since the appearance of Web 2.0, up to the present, the evolution and revolution of social networks has been unstoppable, which has made them an indispensable aspect of our daily lives. But the question they ask us is: why do we find them so attractive?

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The Psychology of Social Media: What's the Appeal?

Despite the fact that the use (or abuse) and the time invested in social networks has been a very recurring topic in recent years, the social impact it has had is undeniable. And it is precisely has revolutionized our lifestyle, the way in which we establish links with other people and even the vocabulary we use.

Thanks to social networks, geographical barriers to communication have been eliminated, so we can have an unlimited connection with innumerable people with whom we could not interact due to the mere fact of living in different countries, so the scope is endless. The immediacy of information is another point in its favor, since it facilitates the dissemination of information, and since it is an interactive medium, it allows the disclosure to not is limited to being a simple statement, but turns it from "monologue" to "dialogue" to debate ideas and refute arguments in the moment.

If we wish to understand the appeal to the human mind, we must first explain the brain reward system. The reward system of the brain is in charge of mediating the sensation of pleasure in the organism, with the purpose of reinforce a behavior so that it recurs. It is the basis of behavioral psychology, which uses positive reinforcement to "reward" a behavior, increasing the probability that it will be repeated.

When we get that positive reinforcement, our brain releases neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that drive signals between neurons and target cells), such as dopamine and the oxytocin, which cause a feeling of well-being and pleasure in the body. Many activities can activate these reward mechanisms in our brains. One of them is the use of social networks. Neuroscientist Paul J. Zak (2015) considers oxytocin as the “social glue”, capable of uniting families, communities and societies, because it is the most important human stimulant to develop empathy, generosity and trust.

How is oxytocin related to the use of social networks? According to studies led by Zak, just 10 minutes using social networks can increase our oxytocin levels by up to 13%. This is because the interactions we have online, the views of content that inspires us, or even the positive reactions we receive from something we have shared, can activate the release of happiness neurotransmitters and produce a feeling of well-being in us that we desire repeat.

The attractiveness of social networks may also be due to the “social connectivity” that it evokes and that is associated with a feeling of belonging and closeness, and the degree of satisfaction we have about our interpersonal relationships. Connectivity is a human need, but it can't always be done in person. This was the situation we were in during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, social networks served as an alternative and many users dedicated themselves to sharing hopeful messages and videos.

Here comes into play another psychological phenomenon called “emotional contagion”, which is the tendency to share the emotions felt by the people around us. Various investigations have shown that this emotional exchange is especially powerful in social networks and can serve as social therapy to regulate emotions and reduce stress psychological. This is why the massive applause to recognize the work of health personnel, an initiative that arose and spread through social networks, served as consolation and relieved the mental load of many people.

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The dilemma between the real world and the online world

The distinction between the real world and the online world used to be very simple. But nowadays, online interactions are not only not separate from our real life, but an integral part of it. On certain occasions, online interactions may even be preferable to real ones.

One advantage of online communication is that participants they can interact despite the existing geographical distance. There may also be a preference for asynchronous communication, that is, deferred in time, which allows you to communicate when it is most convenient for you. The expert professor in the study of social networks, Ferran Lalueza, indicates that this preference is common in the millennial generation and in generations since it allows them to write, edit and review the message as many times as they want before sending it, which they cannot do in a chat on real time.

Some individuals may prefer online interactions over those in the physical world as a self-protection measure. For example, many people may feel intimidated or unsafe to have certain interactions in person when they are not know the other person well or because the activity itself, such as going through a therapy session, causes them anxiety. As the psychologist Paz Holguín establishes, the online modality allows the person to be more comfortable, being in a more controlled and familiar environment.

Finally, we can manage several online interactions with multiple people at the same time, which simply does not it would be possible or it would be very tedious to manage if the information was addressed to a large number of people in the world physical. This preference for efficiency It is another reason why many individuals prefer the online world over the physical world.

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Social networks: a lifestyle

Social networks are not a passing phenomenon, but a socialization tool that we have internalized and adopted in our lifestyle. It is so much so that they are not two individual worlds, but only one, an extension of ourselves. However, there is still a long way to go so that these spaces are not harmful to our health and using them irresponsibly puts our integrity at risk. Entrepreneur Isaac Marcet defined it best when he said that social networks are "a highway that now it is wider than before, but for which it is still necessary to impose seat belts and certain rules".

In conclusion, social networks began as a means of communication and, currently, have the capacity to be a space for digital activism, a source of social connectivity and a digital meeting point regardless of social, economic and cultural background. Transforming this space and making responsible use of social networks is in our power.