When a user opens Facebook, Twitter, or many other social media platforms, there is a slight delay before an icon flashes to indicate that the person has a notification signaling that someone has made one of the user's posts liked or interacted with him.
That moment of delay was intentionally incorporated into social media apps to create a seductive cycle of anticipation and reward, according to Amanda L. Giordano, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) whose main research area is behavioral addictions, including addictions Technology and social media. “Social media is irresistible. It opens up the pleasure centers of the brain. It's meant to keep you posted for as long as possible, ”says Giordano, associate professor at the University of Georgia. “You work according to the reinforcement scenario with a variable ratio. This is the most powerful reinforcement plan out there. [Social media’s draw] is like gambling when you know there can be a big payout at any time, so keep playing. Users know they are going to get a reward, but they don't know when it will come. There is a strong dopamine reaction [to that]. "
This urge to look for rewards triggered by social media can lead to compulsive and problematic use. By providing psychoeducation about the way social media platforms affect neural pathways, counselors can help clients strike a healthy balance with their social media use, says Giordano, a member of the American Counseling Association. This is especially true for customers of children and teenagers who are digital natives who have been exposed to technology their entire lives but may not yet have the maturity to see the control social media can have over them, she adds .
The provision of psychoeducation is just one of many ways counselors can help clients change their perspective and use social media to get what they want from the experience, not the other way around. Taking simple measures like changing a smartphone's color scheme to shades of gray can make Facebook's notification icon – a red bell – less powerful, Giordano notes.
"Once customers become aware of all of this and understand how social media uses some of these more primitive brain reactions, the knowledge can empower them and gain more control over their use," she says.
Part of life
According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of American adults use at least one social media site to "connect with one another, engage in news content, share information, and entertain themselves." Pew found that 18 to 29 year olds had the highest consumption at 90%, followed by 30 to 49 year olds at 82%, 50 to 64 year olds at 69%, and 65 year olds at 40 %.
Pew's data collection in early 2019 found that more than half of adults who used Instagram, YouTube or Snapchat visited these websites at least once a day. Facebook was ranked as the most popular social media site. 69% of adults use the social networking platform. In addition, 74% of Facebook users visited the website on a daily basis.
These statistics point to a conclusion that is difficult to ignore: social media is a very real part of the fabric of people today. Regardless of the consultants 'personal feelings about social media – whether they see its impact and influence as positive or negative – they must do their best to understand it and the role they play in their clients' lives.
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Do not discount the positive
The use of social media can address any number of presentation problems and challenges clients bring into counseling, from relationship problems discussed in couple counseling to problems with clients' self-esteem or body image, those with perfectionism, eating disorders, social anxiety, or other conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic added another layer to this problem as many people are quarantined or otherwise spending more time at home, feeling isolated and turning to social media to connect or suppress boredom.
In relation to the lives of their clients, professional advisors can first think about the possible negative effects of using social media. However, the consultants interviewed for this article emphasize that there are both good and bad aspects to using social media. And for many people, the pluses can far outweigh the minuses.
“It is an area that many advisors shy away from. … Often times it feels like people are demonizing social media. There are many ways not to be unhealthy and to use it to your advantage, ”says Kertesha B. Riley, career coach at the Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration at the University of Tennessee, where she is working on a PhD in consultant training. "There are hundreds and thousands of examples where social media is not a good thing at all, but I'm not going to let the good that can come out of it outweigh the good."
Riley is active on Twitter and uses the platform to stay up to date with the latest professional news, follow executives in the field, and build connections. In the career counseling space, social media sites like LinkedIn can play an important role in client job searches, Riley says, adding that she often speaks to her clients about using social media to improve their career development. Creating posts with hashtags like #jobs and #hireme can grab the attention of potential employers while allowing customers to follow hashtags in their own industry to keep up with trends or connect with colleagues.
"It can help [clients] stay up to date and connect with people, but it can also help advance their career goals in a way that propels them much faster than without [using social media]," says Riley, a Member of ACA. “Follow executives and makers in your industry to network and see who they follow. See what you noticed on this platform and in your field. "
Social media can also serve as a tool for finding and connecting with professionals with whom customers are related, Riley notes. "Especially for those who have doubts or mention that they don't see people who look like them in the field, they can follow people they admire and identify with."
As a black doctoral student, this is the case with Riley. Although she doesn't have many black colleagues at her university, she follows and interacts with many black graduate students and professors through social media.
ACA member Jordan Elliott saw how social media can play a beneficial role in her work as a residential counselor in a treatment facility for women with substance use disorders. Many of the women in the facility had extensive trauma histories. Elliott, an LPC intern and licensed chemical addiction consultant in San Antonio, worked frequently with clients to create social media plans for after they were fired. In many cases, this included joining social media groups and following pages with others in recovery.
These connections helped the women support one another and advance their recovery after discharge, says Elliott. Often times, when a friend relapsed, they would spot the signs in the person's social media posts – or the lack of posts – and try to check each other out.
“During the treatment they often found close connections with each other. They were already drawn to bonding, and they wanted to continue to bond after they were released, ”recalls Elliott, a graduate student advisor at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). “It was huge for them to keep in touch with each other through social media. … Social media has such a healing ability because it helps people connect and stay connected with one another. "
“When you work with clients who have experienced extreme separation through addiction, loss and grief, trauma, or otherwise, think of the power [social media] that can bring people together and make connections,” continues Elliott gone. “In counseling, the relationship is key – we are relational beings and want to connect. Think about how social media can be a connective intervention for customers. "
Stay up to date
Consultants who are unfamiliar or familiar with social media should view this as "just one more way to connect with customers," says Elliott.
“It is our responsibility to keep up and how it changes. It can be difficult to keep up with everything, but take this initiative to educate yourself as much as possible on these platforms, ”says Elliott. "For consultants who are uncomfortable with technology, this is a creative intervention [to reach clients] that may not be as intimidating."
Giordano agrees, stating that consultants have a duty to keep themselves up to date on social media in order to better serve their clients. Even a basic understanding of the various platforms and their different characteristics will help practitioners ask the right questions to connect with customers,
she says.
“The best way is to ask customers, 'What does it [a particular social media platform] do for you? Get away from boredom? Find identity? Get in touch with your peers? "It's really important to have a non-judgmental view of it as people mostly have good experiences and find benefits," says Giordano.
Consultants who want to learn more about social media can first do an Internet search on the various platforms and the terms that customers use in the session. In some cases, consultants may want to create a profile themselves so they can sign up and explore a platform further. Erin Mason, LPC and assistant professor at Georgia State University, notes that some of the school counselors she knows have created TikTok accounts to better understand the video platform that is especially popular with teenagers and young adults.
Mason, an ACA member, has been on Twitter professionally for nine years. She says it helps her keep up with trends and developments in school counseling.
Riley recommends that counselors “stay open and speak to someone in your personal or professional life who uses social media. Talk to your customers. Ask what made them do it and what challenges they encountered. Hearing a firsthand perspective can help pull the wall on social media, ”she says. "[Social media] is a living, breathing, evolving entity, and for that reason there is a place for everyone if you are looking for it.
“If a customer really loves TikTok, let them guide you: What do you like about it? What makes a good video [post]? What do they do the most? This helps them open up and tells you a lot about why and how they are getting involved. … It gives you a better idea of their motivation, mindset and personality based on the type of platform and how they get involved [with it]. "
When it becomes a problem
There are no consistent diagnostic criteria for social media addiction, either in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5), or by the World Health Organization or other agencies, Giordano notes. However, it is estimated that between 5% and 10% of adults have a "problematic relationship" with social media – a prevalence comparable to most other behavioral addictions.
"We know that it is common in adolescents, adults and young adults around the world," says Giordano. "In the United States, researchers found that nearly 10% of college students are addicted to social media."
With this in mind, Giordano urges consultant clinicians to thoroughly evaluate client relationships with social media. The frequency and time they spend on the platforms are good starting points, but there are a lot more nuanced indicators that need to be considered. Giordano recommends that practitioners inquire about their motivations for using social media, their compulsions, the effects of using social media on their moods and the emotions associated with them from all teenage and adult customers. For example, does it interfere with their sleep cycles? Do they experience envy, lack of belonging, or self-loathing?
"If the customer is not on social media, does he have the urge to check it out? Do you want it? Do you have FOMO [fear of missing out]? Does it create fear if you are not there? "asks Giordano, co-author of an upcoming article on cyberbullying and social media use among adolescents that will appear in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling.
Practitioners should note that using social media while driving is a red flag that may indicate dependence on social media, Giordano added. There's also a documented link between social media use and non-suicidal self-harm – so much so that many of the major platforms have put in place guidelines for banning photos and posts that glorify self-harm, she says.
Overall, people with poor regulatory skills are at higher risk of becoming dependent on social media, says Giordano, while those with healthy regulatory skills are better at self-regulating their emotions than relying on social media to manage their moods. Consultants should pay attention to the hallmarks of addiction in how clients describe their social media use, she says. Possible warning signs include:
When customers become compulsive to use social media and they review it when they have not planned to
When customers lose control and stay on social media longer than intended
If customers continue to engage in the behavior even after negative consequences such as cyberbullying, family or relational conflicts through the use of social media or disruptive sleep patterns
Practitioners can use various assessment tools and questionnaires to screen customers for social media addiction, notes Giordano. For more information on these tools, see “Studying the Psychometric Characteristics of Social Media Addiction Interventions in Adolescents,” an article Giordano co-authored with Joshua C. Watson and Elizabeth A. Prosek for the October issue of the Journal of Counseling & Development
Elliott emphasizes the importance of evaluating each customer individually, as a healthy relationship with social media differs for each person. "A customer might say they only use social media six hours a day – but they used to use it for 12 hours. Change your perspective to meet them where they are with their social media usage and pathologize Don't him. " … They have no precise idea of what it would or should look like and think you know what is best for you. Let them judge how they interact with these platforms instead of us basing our perceptions on them, ”says Elliott, who co-hosted a session with Stacy Speedlin entitled“ Healing the Brave New World: Resolving Millennial Trauma Problems Using Social Media “Presented” (Available at aca.digitellinc.com/aca/sessions/18482/view) at the ACA 2019 Conference & Expo in New Orleans.
For Riley, a general indicator that a customer is having an unhealthy relationship with social media is when its use begins to affect the person's daily life and functioning. If clients talk about activity choices because they might lead to posts or photos that resonate on social media, it should lead to additional questions from the counselor, she says.
"It's not as simple as the time you spend on [social media]. That can be an indicator, but it doesn't have to be. … At the moment when everyone is home [because of COVID-19] the usage will be higher "says Riley." If it affects the time you spend [the client] on self-care or time with loved ones in nature or in your community, and you find that it takes time to get away from things solve that you want to do, it's that could be approaching an unhealthy relationship … If you ask [clients] about your time on social media, you can start the conversation, but from there you specify what's behind it forces them to spend so much time on social media? "
Cold turkey is not the answer
A recommendation that customers delete their social media accounts or stop using them altogether may be appropriate for the small percentage of people who really struggle with social media addiction, says Giordano, but it is for many may not be helpful or even possible to other customers.
"Social media offers many benefits, from relationship building and social connectivity to advocacy," says Giordano. “The answer is not to stop using social media. The answer is that customers are taking more control over their use of social media so that they not only follow the impulse but are [instead] on purpose. "
Consultant clinicians should also keep in mind that social media can be a part of a client's livelihood, adds Mason, making it impossible for the person to leave the platforms entirely.
The same is true in the field of addiction healing, notes Elliott, who primarily advises adult clients at UTSA's Sarabia Family Counseling Center, which provides free community service. Deleting accounts would mean disconnecting from those who assist them with the recovery. Social media "is often their lifeline to one another," she says. “Let's say they fall behind. It is so important to have this network in place that they can be reconnected. How are you going to do that when you've deleted all your accounts? "
"I think the best way to help someone learn a healthy relationship with social media is to [for them] using it," agrees Riley. "There may be instances where it can be helpful for clients to step back for a while, but to me it's important to help them deal with it in a healthy way, and it's not that easy when you're cold Get turkey. "
"I have a love-hate relationship with this idea, but social media is anchored in our society," Riley continues. “If you don't use it, your engagement with the world, especially people in rural or remote areas, will decrease. That way, without leaving your zip code, you can see the world and get involved and learn from those who are not around you. "
To get to the why
Harvard University researchers found in a study published in Health Education & Behavior in November 2019 that routine use of social media can have positive health effects on social well-being, mental health, and self-rated health. At the same time, the researchers found that an emotional connection to using social media can have negative health consequences, such as: B. increased anxiety, depression, loneliness and FOMO.
To have a healthy relationship with social media, understanding why you are using the platforms, and advisors can play a key role in helping clients explore that perspective. According to Giordano, the most important thing for clients is to decide and define their own goals rather than having consultants make suggestions.
"You probably already have people in your life who tell you they spend too much time on social media. So that's not helpful to say." Instead, help them find their own motives for change. From there, you come from a non judgmental attitude [and] and use the client's own motivation to make changes rather than just impose rules, ”she says.
Giordano finds motivational interviews and cognitive behavioral techniques helpful when dealing with clients, but she says counselors can adapt whatever framework they prefer to address this problem.
Practitioners can first of all help customers "express" the advantages and disadvantages of their use of social media. Giordano suggests asking clients in the session why they are using it, what they like about it and what they want to get out of it.
Giordano notes that research studies on the role of social media in people's lives have shown that people turn to them to meet three main needs:
The need to belong
The need for self-expression
The need to regulate emotions or change mood
She suggests that practitioners ask clients about their thoughts and beliefs before using social media, while using social media, and after using social media. Then, listen to language that points to deeper problems or poorly adjusted core beliefs that might motivate customer behavior. For example, a customer struggling with self-esteem may mention that they feel inappropriate or self-critical for not posting a funny response to a friend's post.
Elliott emphasizes that the customer should be the driver in this process. "I'm a big advocate of meeting customers where they are. If they have negative side effects from social media or an unhealthy relationship with it, ask them about their relationship, what role it plays in their life and how it is Improve this conversation instead of directly challenging it. [If you say] "It sounds like you're addicted to social media," that won't help. Use motivational interview techniques to evaluate, what it gives them instead of taking it from them.
"Social media is good because you can choose who you are connected to. There is so much freedom. A counselor can help turn that perspective: [Clients] You are in control of who you are with are friends and what they may see in their feed. "
Change of perspective
Consultants can help clients gain intentionality and control over their use of social media. A great way to start this process is to get customers to talk about what social media has to offer and what to take from them – and how or if they want to change those benchmarks, says Elliott.
Elliott recalls a client she worked with at the San Antonio inpatient treatment center. Social media was an important part of the woman's life and she had more than 1,000 "friends" on Facebook.
Customers were not allowed to have cell phones during recovery treatment. When that particular client was about to be released, Elliott allowed her to turn on her phone for the first time in two months to create a social media plan in one session.
Elliott sat with the client as she was going through her social media contact lists and blocking, disobeying, and breaking connections with people who had previously been part of their life with substance abuse. Many of them had sent their messages, knowing full well that she was in a recovery program, to ask her to contact her once she was gone.
“If she had read these messages at the beginning of her treatment, she might not have stayed. There have been a lot of unhealthy people in her life, ”says Elliott. “It was a really important exercise. In retrospect, I can't imagine what would have happened if we hadn't addressed this together. Would she have left treatment, turned on her phone, and been bombarded with all these messages? "
Instead, Elliott and the client had a meeting about setting boundaries with social media and processed each friend decision together. They talked about why she wanted to block some people and stop following, but want to keep in touch with others – those she could help, Elliott recalls.
The client was also able to add women from the treatment program to her social media accounts. This greatly expanded her circle of friends, adding people of different ages and backgrounds. The process represented a "total transformation" for the woman as she took control of her social media and decided what role to play in her life and in her healing, says Elliott.
This process was often part of creating social media plans with customers at the facility, says Elliott. It served as a support when customers deleted accounts or began following accounts, setting boundaries, and rethinking their use of social media.
For example, if a client followed a page that glorified drug use, such as an artist or musician's report, Elliott and the client would work together on that decision. “I would discuss it with them, 'How will it affect you to see this? If so, what are you going to do about it? “We would evaluate which of these things [the people and pages the client followed] are worth to them and which are not, know their triggers and make a plan to see if they were triggered by social media. For example, "What if you discover someone has passed away on social media [from an overdose]?" I would discuss all of this with customers. "
Set limits
In order to gain control over the relationship with social media, limits must often be set. Consultant clinicians can help clients with this process by helping them create a social media plan in counseling sessions. According to Giordano, this can be especially helpful for teenage clients who may benefit from writing down parameters to refer to outside of sessions.
Social media plans should specify certain times when customers do not want to use social media, e.g. B. während der Mahlzeiten, während der Fahrt, direkt nach dem Aufwachen am Morgen oder innerhalb von zwei Stunden nach dem Schlafengehen in der Nacht, sagt Giordano schreibt ein Buch über Verhaltensabhängigkeiten, das nächstes Jahr veröffentlicht werden soll. Ein Teil des Social-Media-Plans eines Kunden könnte die Entscheidung beinhalten, sich nicht auf Phubbing einzulassen. Dies ist ein Begriff dafür, dass Menschen auf ihre Smartphones geklebt werden, während sie sich mit anderen versammeln – im Wesentlichen, um Menschen zugunsten ihres Telefons zu beschimpfen.
Das Anbieten von Psychoedukation über die auslösenden Aspekte von Social Media kann in diesem Prozess ebenfalls hilfreich sein, sagt Giordano. Wenn Sie beispielsweise die Dopamin-Reaktion des Gehirns auf Benachrichtigungen eines Telefons diskutieren, können Kunden die Benachrichtigungen für ihre Social-Media-Apps deaktivieren. In ähnlicher Weise könnte die Erklärung, wie das von digitalen Bildschirmen ausgestrahlte blaue Licht den Schlafzyklus stören kann, einige Kunden dazu veranlassen, sich das Ziel zu setzen, ihre Telefone im Schlaf in einen anderen Raum zu stellen, wodurch die Versuchung beseitigt wird, sie im Bett zu überprüfen.
Es gibt auch zahlreiche Apps und Programme, die die Zeit begrenzen, die ein Benutzer auf einer bestimmten Website, einschließlich sozialer Medien, verbringen kann. Giordano empfiehlt eine App namens Offtime, während Mason Freedom verwendet, das sowohl als App als auch als Chrome-Plugin verfügbar ist. In beiden Fällen wählt der Benutzer die Zeit aus, die er sich erlauben möchte, bestimmte Websites jeden Tag zu verwenden, oder er hat die Möglichkeit, Websites vollständig zu blockieren.
„Eines der Dinge, die Social Media so anders machen als das Lesen eines Buches oder das Ansehen eines Films, ist, dass ein Buch und ein Film ein bestimmtes Ende haben. Mit Social Media können Sie ohne Ende scrollen, also müssen Sie absichtlich sein “, sagt Giordano. „Kunden und Berater können [as part of making a social media plan] entscheiden, Social Media nur dann zu nutzen, wenn die Ergebnisse positiv sind, und emotionale Check-ins durchführen, wie sie sich durch die Nutzung von Social Media fühlen.“
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Social Media und Jugend: Eine proaktive Rolle als Berater übernehmen
Für Berater, die mit jungen Kunden oder in der Schule arbeiten, gehört es auch dazu, sich über Cybermobbing zu informieren, sagt Erin Mason, Assistenzprofessorin an der Georgia State University.
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Cybermobbing oder Belästigung über digitale Mittel, auch über soziale Medien, ist ein komplexes Thema. Es kann sowohl während als auch außerhalb des Schultages und sowohl auf als auch außerhalb des Schulgeländes stattfinden. In der Schule können die Verantwortlichkeiten von Beratern und Administratoren in Bezug auf Cybermobbing von Schule zu Schule erheblich variieren, ebenso wie die Konsequenzen für die Schüler, bemerkt Mason, der zuvor Schulberater war.
Mason empfiehlt Beratern, Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org) zu besuchen, um über die neuesten Trends in sozialen Medien und deren Verwendung bei Kindern und Jugendlichen auf dem Laufenden zu bleiben. Die zahlreichen Ressourcen der Website enthalten detaillierte Beschreibungen und Bewertungen von Fernsehsendungen, Filmen, Apps, Videospielen und anderen Medien für Eltern und Erzieher.
Mason betont, dass Berater eine proaktive und keine strafende Rolle spielen müssen, wenn es um Cybermobbing geht. Es sollten Anstrengungen unternommen werden, um eine gesunde Schulkultur zu fördern, die einen Fokus auf positives sozial-emotionales Verhalten beinhaltet, sagt sie.
„Berater müssen wirklich wachsam sein, was an ihren Schulen angesagt ist. Sometimes the trends start in schools and then filter out and become problems in lots of places [in the community],” Mason says. “This is where partnerships are really important — partnering with other school staff, local police and families, and making sure everyone’s on the same page with what’s happening.”
In a trend that was brought to Mason’s attention by one of her graduate students, a problem arose at a school where students were exchanging and sharing messages via Google Docs. The students would type a message and change the font color to white so that any parent or school staff person who intercepted the document would just see a blank page. This method was a way to conceal cyberbullying among students, Mason says.
“Kids figure out the workarounds, ways to trick the system or at least trick the adults,” Mason says. “It’s a lot for educators to stay on top of, and it’s a lot for families to stay on top of.”
On the flip side of the coin, Mason says she has seen social media used as a positive tool in schools. One of her colleagues was running a small group for female students in high school that was focused on empowerment, confidence and positive body image. She created a Pinterest board, and the teens were able to “pin” inspiring quotes and positive messages to share with one another. This activity bolstered the group’s cohesion, Mason says. The young women would add to the board outside of sessions, and the group would discuss the posts when they met in person.
“Some of this comes down to generational differences, and I wonder if over time we will see more of a shift in understanding how social media and these kinds of tools can be helpful, because they are so integrated in people’s lives,” Mason says. “Over time, the negatives won’t diminish, but the advantages will begin to outweigh the negatives, and counselors have a role to play in that — with families and in school settings. We need to be thinking about how social media can contribute positively to school environments.”
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Additional resources
To learn more about the topics discussed in this article, take advantage of the following select resources offered by the American Counseling Association:
Counseling Today (ct.counseling.org)
ACA Code of Ethics (counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics)
Section H: Distance Counseling, Technology and Social Media
Continuing education
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Bethany Bray is a senior writer and social media coordinator for Counseling Today. Contact her at [email protected].
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Opinions expressed and statements made in articles appearing on CT Online should not be assumed to represent the opinions of the editors or policies of the American Counseling Association.
