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How often do you find yourself opening social media apps when you’re bored or uncomfortable in social settings? Do these apps distract you from your feelings, or could they be causing you more stress?
Since the pandemic, social media’s usage has increased and adapted, switching from a platform for sharing photographs with friends to a connection to the “outside world” as we were physically isolated.
During quarantine, social media became a vital way to communicate and keep in touch with loved ones, but its use has only intensified since then.
Currently. 5.04 billion people use social media platforms, and 266 million new accounts have been created within the past year.
Online communication has become more frequent and an easier approach to our social lives – we are more prone to messaging or video calling than meeting in person. Though it comes into question, what effect can this potentially have on users
“Overall, those who logged on more frequently reported that they experienced a decreased sense of social belonging, lower engagement with others, and less fulfilling relationships – even when researchers controlled for social and demographic factors like relationship status and living situation in the results,” says Business Insider.
Being online for long periods of time and being non-interactive in your personal life can lead to mental health issues.
Long-time use of social media can lead to many consequences including superficial relationships, mental health concerns, isolation, erosion of privacy, polarization, and wasting too much time on these apps, according to ElKhalil Law.
Social media can also cause users to develop insecurities regarding self-image, body dysphoria, depression, and symptoms of eating disorders. Scrolling through photos that have been heavily edited through photoshop and filters has caused a disconnect between what is perception and what is reality. Additionally, seeing other people post about enjoyable activities might trigger feelings of jealousy, depression, and isolation from.
This adds to the struggle of socializing in-person by the constant need to feel accepted by the groups around them. Not only will this affect communication skills and self esteem, but eventually develop into more serious mental health issues that need to become treated.
This includes exhibiting obsessive behaviors. “Excessive social media use may also lead to addiction-like behaviors, with individuals compulsively checking their accounts for validation and social approval,” says ElKhalil Law.
If the continuation of these symptoms align with the overuse of social media exposure, it will progressively get worse when nothing is done to help the issue. Distancing ourselves from social media is important to help our mental health become less stressed. Seeing a therapist may become a good option if symptoms become severe.
Many use social media as a distraction to surfacing anxieties, but masking our symptoms may worsen them and create a bigger issue.
In-person environments can never be replaced by online social media communications. Real-world interactions and contact is crucial as it triggers positive hormones to release, making you happier and healthier, according to Help Guide.
So please, let’s put our phones down so we can enjoy going on walks, meeting friends at our favorite shops, and being present in the moment. These steps are crucial to healthy interpersonal relationships. They significantly help our esteem, ability to function, communicate better, and lead to better relationships and happiness.
It’s important to become aware of our behaviors so that it doesn’t affect the overall status of our health. Turning off notifications and perhaps even deleting social media apps can be a benefit to ourselves from the way we interact with the world by becoming more present.
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