Social Media Usage: The Only Elephant In The Room with Job Security
How often do we hear from one another that there is no time for X and Y and Z? It’s understandable when it comes to prioritizing and time management. Oftentimes, it seems that the people who say this still have time for heavy social media usage. I want to make it clear that I am not painting with a broad brush as this comes from my own observations. It’s also from my observations that I have come to be more understanding of it even if I still have my disagreements. This would be attributed to seeing the negative influence it has on young adults.
We all know it’s addicting, you have probably heard the same talking points again and again about how it’s harmful towards mental health. It’s no different than when we are told smoking is bad for you. People still smoke for almost the same reason we use social media or at least one of the reasons stemming from the subconscious. As noble as their intentions are, the same people advocating against excessive social media use and smoking, are doing a disservice by just focusing on general facts. They should appeal more to a person’s self-interest and how it affects them in other areas of their life that they did not think about before. We are inherently selfish and typically respond to problems when they directly affect us whether it be fear or self-interest. It really should start with understanding why when getting into the mindset of the average young adult. Social media usage comes from a multitude of motives. There’s the fear of missing out. As it’s easier now than ever to stay in touch with people and be connected, there is also a sense of urgency to check notifications and respond promptly. The fear of missing out is what keeps people returning to social media in a tiresome cycle. It’s natural for people to not want to be left out and feel the need to like, share, or respond to posts. It becomes easier to see why a lot of relationships are misplaced especially when social media is used as a filter for socializing serving as a “security blanket.” Researchers have found that face-to-face interactions reduce anxiety seeing that talking with a trusted friend or family member without judging, criticizing, or continually being distracted calms your nervous system. With relationships made and dependent on social media use, it’s easy to keep worries to yourself which only causes them to build until they can be overwhelming. We are not meant to live in isolation as a species which is why relationships on social media are just artificial at the end of the day if the relationship is just restricted to social media. A study at the University of Pennsylvania found that high usage of social media platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram increases feelings of loneliness where less of it reduces that feeling along with improving overall wellbeing.
If it affects your mental health, it’s going to affect your physical health. A 2018 British study tied social media use to decreased, disrupted, and delayed sleep associated with depression, memory loss, and poor academic performance. Seeing that browsing social media has become one of the most common activities before going to sleep, it’s easier to see why sleep patterns have been disrupted when the blue light emitted by mobile phones affects the melatonin levels signaling to your brain that it is daylight. That’s why it’s generally recommended to not bring your phone to the bedroom and just use an alarm clock. Social media use has provided a reasonable ROI for that. If you have read my previous article, you know the significance of the relationship between the gut and brain and how anxiety and depression can translate to nausea, headaches, muscle tension, and tremors. When you think about it more thoroughly, what you do at night can really dictate how your morning goes and we all know the morning is the opportunity to get a head-start to be better off for the afternoon and so on. Sound familiar?
While I am generally reserved about what I post on social media, I do share the same sentiments with my peers. When I post occasions, I hope to get likes and comments just like the next person. That’s not the only idea on my mind when I post, although for others, it seems to be the only idea. Social media has given everybody the opportunity to feel like a celebrity among each other as it seems with the need for attention and not wanting to be left out. With more social media platforms, we have seen Instagram models, Tik-Tok stars, YouTubers, and so on. While there has been good that comes from it as people teach useful knowledge, we have also seen so much nonsensical things posted while yet still catering to an audience. If you ask me how I get by, it rests on the belief that it’s just image taking priority over substance and belief that it’s universal. Jealousy, insecurities, lack of self-reflection can cloud judgement when we default to assumptions. I have found myself to be optimistic when focusing on my own life and keep in mind the potentials and opportunities in the areas of my life that will change me and my wellbeing for the better. Self-monitoring can be attributed to this. A 2018 study by the University of Pennsylvania suggested that self-monitoring can change one’s perception of social media. They split undergraduates into 2 groups and found that the limited group showed significant reductions in loneliness and depression. There is a reason a lot of Tech CEOs from Snapchat to Google limit their children’s screen-time. If you are reading this and a parent, remember that you set the example for what is permissible and what is not to your kids and that includes putting your phone down at dinner. It’s better that you show them rather than tell them. With self-monitoring comes more mindfulness. That being said, live a little!
