INFOGRAPHIC: Is Social Media Making Us Psycho?

It seems ironic, but a recent study by WhoIsHostingThis found that social media is actually making us less social, and affecting our social lives in ways that some experts say are unhealthy. Social media users apparently lie more often, and are more self-absorbed and narcissistic. They may even engage in more cruelty to others in the form of online bullying. Those sorts of behaviors aren't good for our relationships – and not just online. Twenty-five percent of social media users report having relationship issues offline as a result of confrontational online behavior.

But does all this indicate that we're leaning toward becoming psychopaths? Probably not. Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized, in part, by antisocial behavior, but while social media doesn't always bring out the best in us, our less-than-social behavior can hardly be classified as mental illness. That said, 51 percent of users said that using social networks hadn't changed their lives for the better, which begs the question of why they're logging on in the first place. Pull out the old manual of mental disorders. It looks like we may have an addiction problem on our hands.

Source: WhoIsHostingThis