I joined social media from a young age. To be precise I joined Instagram on the eleventh of February 2014. I was ten years old at the time. A year later I also joined Snapchat and slowly but surely I had all the social media app which includes/included, X, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Musical.ly, TikTok, BeReal, you name it I probably have had it or am currently using it like so many others do as well. I am embarrassed to admit that my screen time is insanely high each day (between ten and twelve hours) and I am aware that I need to lower it and start focusing on my hobbies and things that interest me. At least I don’t need to but I want to. There have been many studies on the harmful effects social media can have on people especially on teens. The companies behind social media make it addictive and if you are an impressionable teenager the need to fit in and compare yourself to others is already high enough and then we decided to add social media to the mix.
The need to keep checking your phone to see how many likes and comments a post gets is for most people high. People get a dopamine rush out of it and we keep coming back to find that dopamine rush again. I think most people could benefit from a social media detox but are getting fomo by the thought of deleting all social media apps. Social media is also a way to stay in contact with friends, family and even to start a career (if you want a social media career or to sell your art for example and promote your business). I don’t think I can ever fully get rid of social media also since it is such a big thing in our world and a big part of our reality and daily life. So it would not be feasible to get rid of it totally almost like food or water which is an interesting comparison.
I do think if we understood a little bit more about how social media makes us feel and why it makes us feel the way we do, we could maybe figure out how to use social media without getting anxiety or depression (or any other mental health issues). Luckily I am way more blasé with social media. I still love consuming it and I definitely should have a detox but I don’t care too much about likes anymore or comments. For me when I post something, it is for myself, because I enjoyed something or just wanted to share some pretty pictures. I do think growing up with social media has had a big effect on who I am as a person and in my teens it was definitely a source of anxiety. I just really hope we can all get a little bit less dependent on social media and start talking to each other more.
Recent Comments