Michigan Study Finds Mean People Addicted to Social Media

Trolls. They're everywhere. I'm not talking about the bridge-dwelling types that demand you answer their questions three, I'm talking about internet trolls, people who simply delight in using social media to attack, bully, and harass people online. It's not just a problem. It's an addiction. According to a study from Michigan State and Cal State Fullerton the more a person enjoys making people angry or embarrassed, the more likely they are to be addicted to social media.

The study followed nearly 500 college students and tracked their social media habits; how long did they spend on the platforms and how did they engage with them. They found that the more addicted to social media a student was, the more likely they were to be aggressive and engage in cyber bullying.

According to the researchers, these traits are also prevalent in narcissists and psychopaths. They have found that these sites, which are supposed to help people connect and share ideas are inadvertently catering to bullies, quote:

“Our results demonstrate that individuals who have a greater preference for these types of rewards display greater problematic use of both platforms"... “cater to people who seek rewards from being cruel, such as through cyberbullying or various aggressive online behaviors.”

Suddenly every cesspool of a comment section for every news article I've ever been sucked in to makes so much sense. There are people on the other end of the internet who are somehow being fed by being cruel. I highly recommend stepping away from the screen for a little while...