This guide will explore the psychological, emotional, and cognitive abilities regarding the excessive use of Instagram
The research thesis of this guide is to explore the psychological well-being, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive changes in one's brain regarding the excessive use of Instagram in young adults and college students.
The research questions addressed in this guide are:
Social media use has increased tremendously over the past decade, a popular app amongst them being Instagram. More and more individuals are spending their time on social media, with the majority being young adults. While Instagram allows connectivity and sharing with others, the negative effects of these platforms cannot be overlooked. Research on Instagram often focuses on mental health and negative body image, but a more long-lasting issue has been overlooked: the change in cognitive behavior. This research paper was curated to investigate the connection between neuroplasticity and the increased use of Instagram in young adults, specifically college students. The methodology used was mostly curated from peer-reviewed journals found in SVC databases, PubMed, Sage Publishing, and other publications. The results and conclusions of the paper indicate that with the increasing use of Instagram, physical changes are made in the brain that alter emotions, behaviors, psychological well-being, and cognitive abilities. With Instagram's increasing popularity in a short amount of time, more studies would need to be conducted to evaluate the long-term effects of Instagram and neuroplasticity in young adults.
Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization.
Within the last few decades, the use of social media platforms has increased significantly, with a large amount of its users being teens and young adults. Adolescence is a vulnerable period of life; during this time, young adults' brains are still growing and developing, increasing their risk of being susceptible and easily influenced. Adding an influence-based app, like Instagram, only heightens the process. This has raised concern in professionals, questioning the effects of Instagram, and other social media platforms, on young adults and the adolescent mind.
TEDx Talks. "Improving Our Neuroplasticity | Dr. Kelly Lambert | TEDxBermuda." *YouTube*, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOJL3gjc8ak
This video demonstrates how neuroplasticity works and how people's thought processes, behavior, and brain chemistry can be altered through their habits.
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