Over the last decade, technology has evolved rapidly. As technology develops, the world of social media continues to gain popularity among society. Social networking is purposeful for staying connected to people and for creating new social relationships. Social networking is a very powerful media for communication that has many benefits. However, excessive amounts of social media use may lead to various negative effects, such as increased levels of depression, social awkwardness, lack of in-depth physical relationships, false personalities, decreases in productivity, and increased levels of stress. 

Studies are beginning to show how increased amounts of social media use may result in increased levels of depression among users. One particular study observed differences in social behaviors between frequent social networking users and infrequent social networking users. This study revealed that regular social media users seem to be more depressed overall than those who do not regularly use social media (Campbell 78). This may be caused by a decrease in other offline social activities by regular social media users (Brooks par. 2). Social interaction is not necessarily decreasing; in fact, it is probably increasing due to the growing popularity of social media. However, physical face-to-face interactions are beginning to become less popular, resulting in negative consequences, such as depression. As one study observes, "Social media, though easy to participate in, may not be in an individual's best interest when they are seeking to maintain their well-being" (Brooks par. 2).  Physical social interaction is very important to human social behaviors. With increased online social interactions, offline interactions begin to decrease in frequency. This lack of offline interaction leads to a sense of loneliness among social media users, which often leads to feelings of depression. 

Increased amounts of social media use may result in awkward social behaviors. There are some studies which indicate the potential benefits of social media use. One study argues that various modern means of communication are significant to the development, maintenance, and strengthening of social connections (Riedl 670). While this may be true, excessive amounts of social media use transform some potential benefits into negative effects. Studies have shown that frequent social media use may lead to anxiety (Campbell 69). Because of a decrease in face-to-face interactions, social media users sometimes develop anxiety when physically interacting offline with individuals. This anxiety results in awkward, more introverted social behaviors. In a particular study observing different behaviors between social media users and people who do not use social media, the results suggested that individuals from the online group were relatively less extroverted than those of the offline group (Campbell 73). Real, physical social interactions allow individuals to be less socially awkward and more extroverted. Hiding behind a computer screen or a phone screen doesn't demand any immediate, direct responses, so when individuals are required to respond on the spot in face-to-face conversations, they often do not know how to naturally respond. These moments create awkward pauses, causing little to no fluidity in the conversation. Along with awkward social behaviors in casual conversations, increased online interaction also causes awkward social behaviors in more formal settings, such as interviews. Without being accustomed to responding immediately and on the spot, interviewees can be very awkward and unprofessional. Excessive social media use results in awkward social behaviors in both casual and formal settings.

Increased social media use also results in a lack of in-depth, offline relationships. Often times, when people talk to one another regularly online, there isn't much to talk about when seeing each other in person, resulting in a lack of face-to-face conversation. The subject matter is also affected by social media use. Because social media is basically a different world, it becomes a common topic to discuss in offline conversations. Even when people are having face-to-face interactions, the subject often revolves around social media, leading to shallow interactions that contribute nothing to relational development. Humans have a need for physical, social connections, and social media use tends to hush that need for users. Individuals who use social media frequently begin to grow accustomed to shallow conversations and begin to view real, in-depth relationships as somewhat superfluous since they are able to post all of their feelings online. People have begun using social media as a venting source instead of having a conversation with someone close to them who could potentially offer sound advice. 

False personalities may be invoked by excessive social media use as well. While engaging in social media, people are able to hide behind their computer screens and potentially take on an entirely different persona than their offline self. Many social media users are much more extroverted and bold online than they are in the real world. Many will also post false or exaggerated content in an attempt to improve their image. Social media also promotes the portrayal of negative behaviors in extreme ways. For example, there are many social media users who post immense amounts of profanity and bad behaviors that probably weren't displayed as often by them before they began to use social media. As one study points out, "People present a version of themselves on Facebook that is unacceptable to some of their online friends; for example, posts displaying swearing, recklessness, drinking, and/or smoking" (Brooks par. 9). These behaviors are sometimes encouraged by social media to get attention from and to "fit in" on a certain level with other social media users. However, this behavior is often times contradictory to their true personalities, which creates a false identity. 

Another negative effect of excessive social media use is a decrease in productivity. Users become so consumed while engaging in social media that they tend to get lesser work done. This may apply to casual, everyday activities or to formal duties in the workplace. Especially in professions which require regular computer use, employees have begun to multitask and interact on social media websites while they are on the clock. Even in workplaces with no computer activity, employees who use social media are able to use their phone to access social media sites while they are working. This inclination to regularly access social media sites may be due to a certain degree of addiction to the Internet. As one study observes, "Primary areas of psychological research focusing on Internet use have been addiction to the Internet" (Campbell 69). Social media has become somewhat addicting, causing users to constantly feel the need to stay updated and check their accounts very frequently which becomes very distracting and non-productive. Social media addiction has become a serious distraction in relation to productivity. 

An increase in stress levels is another negative effect of excessive social media use. Studies have shown, "the more friends a person has on Facebook, the greater stress they will feel" (Brooks par. 9). Social media sites tend to inflict stress on users. This could be caused by users feeling the need to be liked by their "friends" on social media. Because humans have a natural desire to be accepted, social media users will post in search for how many "likes" they will receive and how many views they can earn on a particular post. The more "friends" or "followers" one has on a social media site, the more pressure they will feel to please and impress others with their posts, engaging in a form of competition with other users. This competitive mindset has a psychological effect on the brain, translating into increased levels of stress. 

As mentioned earlier, social media can be addicting. The need to constantly stay plugged in, because of social media's addictive nature, is stressful in and of itself. It begins to feel stressful for users to be unaware of every little thing  --  significant or insignificant  --  they may be missing by not checking social media frequently. 

Social media has gained immense amounts of popularity in the last few years. While there are some beneficial aspects of social media use, excessive social media use results in many negative consequences. Increased levels of depression, social awkwardness, lack of in-depth physical relationships, false personalities, decreases in productivity, and increased levels of stress are some of the many negative effects associated with excessive social media use. These consequences may affect personal relationships and invoke psychological effects on users.

