Media usage: Maladaptive patterns and its psychological correlates

Pages: 265-266
Binny Borkha Boruah and Mala Chaliha Talukdar (Department of Psychology, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam)

Media usage has been proliferating in recent times. Irrespective of the age factor, people are gradually becoming heavy consumers of media. Increasing number of hours spend with one or the other form of media can have various detrimental effects. These effects are not only physical; but psychological as well. The feelings of irritation, anxiety, if deprived of media use, are not just signs of behavioural addiction but these can eventually manifest as early signs of depression. The casual factors for maladaptive media usage cannot be pinned down to one, it is multifaceted in nature. This paper highlights the maladaptive media usage patterns and its repercussions that are psychological in nature. It explores the different research data, emphasizing on social media usage patterns.