What are we willing to sacrifice to remain online

When your alarm clock rings, it is time to get up and start the day. What is the first thing that you do in the morning? What do you do right before going to sleep? You’re not the only one if you answer by scrolling through social media. Social media usage is increasing, and reports suggest that by 2023, the average global use will be 2 1/2 hours per day.

This amount of time will likely increase as more social media websites and apps come online. The U.S. company Meta launched threads recently, which is the latest social media platform competing for our attention. The app was designed to compete with Elon Musk’s Twitter.

Social media is a part of everyday life for many, especially younger generations. When not online, some adolescents report feeling stressed and having a poor emotional state. It is so common that words like Nomophobia (fear of missing out) have been coined to describe the thoughts and feelings some people experience when they are disconnected from their smartphones or social media.

Social Media Use

It can be difficult to separate ourselves from our social media profiles as we become more dependent on them for information and entertainment. Too much time and enjoyment spent on social media may lead to strong habits and, in extreme cases, even addiction.

Researchers who study the social relationships between these technologies began to wonder what young adults would do to maintain their relationship with social media. To answer this question, we conducted a study with 750 Canadians aged 16-30 who use social media regularly. We asked about their social-media usage patterns, their relationship with social media, and what sacrifices they were willing to make in order to stay on social media.

The majority of respondents had at least two social media profiles, including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

It can be difficult to separate ourselves from our social media profiles as we are increasingly dependent on them for entertainment and information. (Shutterstock)

Nearly half of respondents reported that they checked social media at least nine times per day. Only one out of 10 people said they only did it twice or less. Morning and evening were the most popular times to access your phone. Access was also common in the evening, on weekends, and during the day.

It is interesting to note that despite having an average age of just over 24, nearly half the young adults who were surveyed said they had been using social media for more than ten years, which suggests a long-term interest and usage.

What are the trade-offs that young adults are willing to make?

The respondents were asked what they would sacrifice in order to maintain a social media presence. The categories of trade-offs were food/drinks, hobbies, possessions and career, appearances, relationships, life, health, and life.

Around 40% of respondents would be willing to give up alcohol, caffeine, and video games. About 30 percent of respondents were also willing to give up watching TV, playing sports, and eating in their favorite restaurant for a year.

Another 10 to 15% of respondents said that they would prefer to gain 15 pounds than to give up their driving license, travel less, or live without air conditioning.

Social media is a major part of everyday life for 4.8 billion users in 2023. This includes younger generations. (Shutterstock)

Fewer people were willing to sacrifice their lives, relationships, health, or even their health when asked to make a more serious choice. Fewer than five percent of participants would rather contract a sexually transmitted infection or be diagnosed as having a life-threatening disease like cancer than give up using social media.

Nearly 10 participants out of 100 said they would be willing to give up their social media connections, even if it meant not being able to have children or giving up sex. Nearly five of every hundred participants and three of every one hundred said that they would be willing to give up an additional five or ten years of life if it meant maintaining their social media connections.

Some young adults will sacrifice a lot to keep their social media access. Participants were more willing to offer food, drink, and hobbies then possessions and appearances. It is frightening to know that even a small percentage of participants are willing to sacrifice their health or life.

We aren’t the type of researchers that want to get rid of social media. We use social media ourselves. We see the positive and negative effects of social media, and we want to promote conversations, reflection, and thoughtfulness about our use.