Social media is driving some people up the wall, right into the loony bin.
Houston social media expert Crystal Washington identifies a new classification of online addicts “constant checkers.” She says the release of endorphins they get when making contact with friends has literally turned them in to addicts. “Constant checkers are people checking in to social media, emails, checking their smart phones, without even thinking about it,” she says. “If you’re that person who finds yourself holding the phone looking into one of these apps and you didn’t make the conscious decision to do it, you’re probably one of these constant checkers.”
And the American Psychological Association says it's affecting your mental health. The APA released a study finding the first significant stress increases, a ten point jump, caused by people checking in on political updates. They say the last three months of the political environment has aroused anger in a number of people, and that’s driving them to social media. “They’re getting triggered by this anger, but it’s becoming their new normal, so when they’re having a day without all this stress something in them tells them to check in again because this is my new normal,” Washington tells KTRH News.