We all aware of the digital era we have entered in. It is undeniably addictive and luring. From just sharing pictures, videos and content it has now become an indispensable part of our lives. Try asking a young teenager if they have a social media account. Their answer is always going to be yes, without fail.
That is how deeply social media has penetrated into the society.
It can be pretty overwhelming sometimes. Social media was given to the world as a blessing. People used it to get connected to each other and find communities where they belonged.
Social media was once a break from reality but now experiencing life is a break from social media.
Who can we really blame?
Can we really blame social media? In my opinion, social media shouldn't be held accountable. We should really be blaming the people and organizations who are using it, in the wrong ways. Like every other thing, social media has a good as well as a bad side, both of which the society brings out. Lets look at some of the factors that are making social media toxic.
How many of us really look for credibility in a particular post or content? A very few or none of us. We come across something, we watch it, we get affected by it and move forward. None of us question the origin or the reality of that post.
There are so many influencers, so many organizations who fake their content just for a few likes and shares.
How is it going to be any different?
How are they really going to influence people like that?
They skip these questions all together.
There are a very few creators who present their truest selves in front of the audience. It starts getting so overwhelming at a point where you are not able to judge what is right or wrong for you. In this situation all you need is a little discretion and less time on social media.
This is an internet slang for "fear of missing out". This is a very common situation in today's society. This FOMO makes you anxious for not catching up with the daily updates of the virtual world. Let's take an example.
Girl A doesn't check her Instagram for one day and goes to school the other day. Girl B asks her if she saw the viral funny cat video yesterday. She says no. She gets laughed at. Now she makes sure she checks her socials everyday before coming to school. It has gradually turned into her habit now.
The only way this could have been prevented was to not have made such a big deal of social media from the first day itself. Check yourself if you are fanning the flame of social media in the daily walk of life. Try to treat it only as a distraction from the routine rather than basing your whole life on it.
We are functioned in a way that we always compare ourselves with others. Be it the notable personalities, a neighbor next door, a friend or a colleague. We compare ourselves so much that we become unaware of the worth we hold in us. Social media is a top notch platform to propagate this.
We tend to mirror our personalities in front the unmatchable standards of the people on social media. This butchers self confidence and creates issues with self.
As human beings we usually forget the fact that we are all different individuals with different timelines, processes and personalities. All you can do is trust yourself and not fall prey to the fake standards.
The constant nudges from social media and the urge to keep scrolling down the page starts causing anxiety. You are constantly worried about either what to post next or watch next. It never ends and neither does the feeling of unease leading to harmful scenarios for the body, mind and soul.
The question pleads, how do you stop it. Answer is detox, a social media detox. Take a break from it, just sit back and relax. Learn to find time for yourself. It is going to freshen and broaden up your mind indeed.
You think you are the one controlling your social media, but then it becomes too late when you realize that you are the one being controlled.
At the end when you start feeling social media starts getting too overwhelming and controlling for you; when you feel you are getting addicted to it start lessening the time devoted to it. Start taking out more time for yourself. Then there's social media detox too, where you stop using your socials altogether.
These are a few ways in which you can maintain your sanity in these challenging times.
