When joke becomes a reality—a cartoon on a person sitting in an addiction treatment clinic. The doctor is asking him what is he addicted to alcohol or drugs? He replies, WhatsApp. This is serious. This is no longer a meme. This is a fact undeniable. Life is being spent on social media.
Either following others or trying to get others to follow you. It may start as a game but soon becomes a life engulfing occupation. In the beginning it was just Facebook.
Now it is many others. Tiktok, WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram have become bread and butter of life.
The unregulated, uncontrolled, boundary-less nature of these forums makes them dangerous for minds in general and their unauthentic, unverified material makes them hazardous for young minds in particular.
Why is it that unlike TV, this mini-screen in our hand is so unshuttable? It is so because it gives a high just like any other addiction. Substance use produces a chemical dopamine, so does social media.
The addictive nature of social media activates the brain’s reward center by releasing dopamine. When we post something and it gets viral we get a high. This is a “feel-good chemical” linked to pleasurable activities.
When we post something, our friends and family can “like” it, giving us a boost of dopamine.
However, when we do not get that boost or approval, it can impact our sense of self and adequacy.
Also, it has many characteristics of substance abuse of more and more to get the same satisfaction, withdrawal symptoms, etc. That is why it is important that parents and families do not take it as just another gaming phase that will go away. The impact on some of the most important parts of our mental well-being can be more than we can imagine:
1- The Self, i.e, Focus— The worst thing that can happen to an individual is to be self-centered. That is a classic case for feeling too much about his or her own issues.
How you look? How you compare with others? How you are feeling? How they make you feel? How you could not get it? The list of what could have been but could not be is endless, and painful.
The social media era’s most revealing innovation has been selfie. 92 million selfies are taken daily. That is huge.It substantiates an old finding that the most interesting topic for every individual is him or herself.
While doing a photo Op and applying filters the image does make look very attractive it is temporary. If a particular photo gets many likes, the dopamine happiness is short term and may result in more anxiety of knowing that the picture is no match to the actual reality.The focus on self has two basic issues.
Firstly, every problem when focused expands. Secondly, the ability to connect outside to a diverse public shrinks. This is especially true for young people.
A study performed by California State University found that individuals that visited any social media site at least 58 times per week were 3 times more likely to feel socially isolated and depressed compared to those who used social media fewer than 9 times per week. This is disastrous for relationship management.
Personal and professional life is all about communicating and connecting, not just via WhatsApp but on a regular face to face basis. Such people then become social misfits
2- Trapped and Enslaved— The biggest recipe for misery is letting other’s control your emotions. The minute you hand over the remote control of your happiness to somebody else you become a prisoner of their opinions. Social media does that.
The highs and lows of many people are dependent on the likes and comments of people. They feel happy when people are giving happy comments and they feel miserable as the comments turn nasty. This dependence is truly enslaving.
Celebrities in the social media era go into hiding as they see people mocking their posts. Some get depressed, others bitter. You are basically unable to live your life the way you want to.
The constant comparison with how others look and behave does affect your self esteem. The Instagram fame is irresistible.
The reels going viral affects your mind and heart. The artificial filters and contours create a picture that looks very attractive, but can really dent the confidence of impressionable young minds.
One study from the University of Pittsburgh found a correlation between the time spent scrolling through social media apps and negative body image feedback.
Those who had spent more time on social media had 2.2 times the risk of reporting eating and body image concerns when compared to their peers who spent less time on social media. This is the ultimate emotional slavery.
Imagine how your happiness depends on comments/opinions given by people whom you have never met and will probably never meet. Imagine you get depressed when your own picture looks less than perfect.
Imagine how you are more comfortable with a piece of machine in your hand than a human to human handshake. Not normal at all and will lead to not normal results.
3- Conflict within— While social media is meant for increasing social networking and connectivity, it is also decreasing human connectivity. This focus on social media content has led to internal discontent. Human beings are social animals and need to have that physical proximity of other humans to feel fulfilled. Texts, voice notes, calls, pictures are all great to keep in touch but will never be able to replace the human touch.
The constant feed on timelines that pull people to scroll irresistibly have created negative environment of FOMO, i.e., fear of missing out. The constant urge to see your phone before sleeping, sneak peek while driving, etc., has increased sleep disorders, accidents and anxiety.
Cyber bullying is a reality that has now gone beyond harassment. This summer nearly everybody who has gone anywhere has posted endlessly on their trip albums. These pictures posted with good intent can create a feeling of depression and deprivation on people who have been unable to get out.
Anything that makes you dependent and dysfunctional needs restriction. Parenting of children born on the smartphone is tough. However they must “Mind the Phone”. The time and place on screen needs strict monitoring. Parents have to give alternative physical activities and diversions to kids. That is the challenge for parents.
Thus for children, parent behaviour modification will lead to children behaviour modification. For adults it is the same. A 2018 University of Pennsylvania study found that reducing social media use to 30 minutes a day resulted in a significant reduction in levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep problems, and FOMO. The principle stands-Control your gadget before it controls you.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
The writer is a columnist, consultant, coach, and an analyst and can be reached at [email protected]
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