Sprint in technological development and transformation of the world into a digitalized hub engenders the need to adapt to fresh innovations. In today’s date, social media is considered an advantageous technological source for long-distance communication, easing the complex activities of people who have busy working schedules and lack time for physical interaction. Social media has turned into a ubiquitous tool with inevitable usage; on the other hand, it draws criticism for widening gaps among people due to extreme human attachment and obsession.
An article published by TechAddiction highlights that when a person is obsessed with social media and continuously keeps updating it, there is a possibility of losing connection with the actual world around. A culture obsessed with updating Facebook statuses, posting tweets, playing games, and messaging social media friends can cause people to become anti-social beings.
Life in the twenty-first century is connected more to the technological means, since the need for technology is enormously felt in every aspect of life. People should understand the imperatives of technology, of which social media is an integral part playing a vital role in daily activities. Social media generates an interception to real-life interactions with those present close to us, while virtually connecting us to those far away.
“What used to be thought of as narcissistic, vain, and self-centered behavior is now the guiding norm of society,” says Elias Aboujaoude, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University and author of Virtually You: The Dangerous Powers of the E-Personality. “We are living in an era where humans are putting forth these edited and inflated versions of their lives, this ‘idealized self,’ and then they are, quite literally, falling in love with themselves.”
Due to extreme social media addiction, many people are so consumed that they forget to ask themselves a few basic questions: whether they talk to the one sitting next to them in the metro, whether they properly greet the shopkeeper they buy from daily, or whether they make time to refresh and exercise when waking up in the morning.
People nowadays tend to impress others more than themselves, living shaped by self-obsession and looking for others’ approvals and appreciation more than satisfaction within themselves. “People crave social affirmation,” says Erin Vogel, Ph.D., a post-doctoral psychiatry fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. She adds that “when everyone around you has a strong social media presence, even if it is fake, it can create major internal anxiety.”
Additionally, social media engenders serious problems such as blackmailing, account hacking, and cyberbullying. Research reveals that every seven seconds someone in the world is cyberbullied, with most perpetrated by mid-teens aged 14 to 17. Young people cyberbully others through abusive texts and emails, harmful messages, images or videos, and damaging online gossip. Consequences include shame, guilt, fear, loneliness, and depression. One in five children has experienced cyberbullying, yet many do not inform an adult.
“When people are constantly spending more and more time on social media, they are disconnecting from real life and feeling less connected with themselves,” says Shannon Poppito, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. He adds that virtual connection is “not the real-life multi-dimensional experience of connecting and feeling a sense of belonging.” As disconnection deepens, Dr. Poppito warns, “you’re going to feel more depressed and directionless.” Being drawn into social comparison, he notes, impacts self-esteem and self-worth.
By continuously engaging in other people’s lives through social channels, people begin to compare their private reality with others’ curated highlight reels, observing merely filtered glimpses of another world and not the entire actual footage. When every aspect of life is subjected to comparison, from relationships to body image, depression becomes far more likely.
Dr. Poppito suggests limiting both the quantity and quality of time spent on social media and trying periods of abstention. He also recommends investing time in staying connected with the real world and making space for face-to-face interaction with friends and family.
Real life is increasingly dominated by the virtual. People are more concerned about likes, comments, and notifications than about shaking hands with friends or spending meaningful time with loved ones. It is therefore suggested that most of daily life be dedicated to real, face-to-face interactions, with social media limited to genuine necessities.
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