Question

use, through suc meais ds beag tive behaviors and increase positive ones. Return to the prologue of this set of modules and consider the following questions about frequent users of social media: 1. In what ways does conditioning theory explain how people can become "addicted to social media? 2. In your view, is classical or operant conditioning more at work in the behavior of social media users? Do you think that operant conditioning figures in the planning and marketing strategy of those who own and operate Facebook, Twitter, and simi- lar media? What serves as "reinforcement" for the use of social media? How is behavior "shaped"? Could excessive use of social media be "treated" by behavior modifica- tion? How? 3. 4. What does cognitive learning theory add to the behaviorist interpretation of social media "addiction"? Does observational learning play a role in social media use?

Answer 1

1. In what way does conditioning theory explains how people can become "addicted" to social media?

According to the conditioning theory when an individual is exposed to certain action several times, it tends to learn the process and the conclusion of the activity. With repeated and continuous use of social media, there has been an addiction towards it by the people. Social media is that platform which is very inclusive and it accepts every person's thoughts and viewpoints. It becomes very easy for people to gather information and share things. A repeated action creates the case of conditioning which proves that the people become addicted to social media.

2. In your view, is classical or operant conditioning more at work in the behavior of social media users? Do you think that operant conditioning figures in the planning and marketing strategy of those who own and operate Facebook, Twitter, and similar media?

Considering the form of conditioning is more at work in the behavior of social media users, operant conditioning can be seen much than a classical one. Operant conditioning comes with a reward or punishment for the deads repeatedly done by the people. When likes, shares, and comments start to flow more in the social media platform, the users tend to post and share more on the same. It starts to accelerate the time of using and exploring things on social media. People active in different media have different approaches to it. The people active on Facebook are more towards the entertainment sector and at the same time exploring things. On the other hand, people using Twitter are more likely conditioned for the updates by the people they follow and the responses they get from the public. Hence, different media have a different way of conditioning process as per se.

3. What serves as "reinforcement" for the use of social media? How is behavior "shaped"? Could excessive use of social media be "treated" by behavior modification? How?

The popularity and the maximum amount of information received from social media serve as "reinforcement" for the use of social media. The sharing and gaining of the number of followers in social media is one of the ways of reinforcing the process. Social media is that platform which makes a special space for every person who is able to share their thoughts and view things as per the choice. Social media also serves as a platform of forming an opinion which gets noticed and talked upon by the others too.

4. What does cognitive learning theory add to the behaviorist interpretation of social media "addiction'? Does observational learning play a role in social media use?

Cognitive learning theory explains the theory of thinking and differing mental processes and how they are influenced by internal and external factors in order to produce learning in individuals. The exposure to social media also exposes the individual to a different world which helps in framing the opinion and perceptions.