Complete the Social Media Disorder scale Links to an external site..  How did you score?  What do you think about the items in the scale?  Why do you think that different patterns are found across the world?

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After completing the social media disorder scale, I finished with a score of 2/9 (meaning I responded yes to 2 of the 9 questions). The questions I answered yes to were numbers 4 and 5, pertaining to persistence and displacement. I found the different items on the scale interesting, particularly the questions relating to problems and conflict, because I do not know anyone who has let their social media usage lead to such severe consequences. I know that in modern times, social media has become an integral part in many of the younger generations’ lives, but I believe that over usage of these platforms can be very risky for anyone. I believe that different patterns of social media usage are found across the world due to the varying cultures of regions. For example, the United States upholds an individualistic nature in its society, and due to that I think many people, especially younger children and teenagers, are left to spend their free time however they see fit for themselves. This, in my opinion, can often lead to too much time being spent on social media platforms. On the other hand, some cultures who uphold collectivist beliefs would not have as much time to spend on social media because they are more interested in connecting with whatever groups they are associated with in order to benefit said groups as a whole.