Are You Spending Too Much Time On Social Media?

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We live in a digital era, which has countless benefits. Communication seems to be right at our fingertips; it’s always just a slide or click away. With 72% of all Internet users active on various social networking sites, social media has become one of the most powerful communication tools of today. Social media websites have developed in the recent years and have cultivated a huge culture and following among people of all ages. While the ongoing development of media and technology makes our lives way easier and faster, we cannot ignore the fact that there are dark consequences when the platform is abused.

If you’re spending way too much time on social media, then there are a few things you should know: Social media slows down productivity As cliché as this seems, spending countless hours casually scrolling through Twitter and Instagram usually proves to be a total waste of time. We can all agree that social media makes it really easy to consume information, which is often not beneficial. Whether it’s stalking exes or craving celebrity status, it’s important to balance your social media intake. The key is to spend more time balancing your social media content between idle and constructive information so you’re keeping up to date with your current affairs as well as enjoying the platform.

It gives a false sense of reality Social media has an interesting way of making us believe in an artificial world or lifestyle which really doesn’t exist. Besides its ability to spread fake news, it also takes away the element of face-to-face interactions, which makes it easier to create a false perception. Ever heard of the term “catfish”? In the urban dictionary, the term means someone who pretends to be someone else online. Essentially, this person completely assumes a fake identity and goes the extra mile to make their victim believe that they are exactly who they say they are. Imagery plays a large part of what we consume on social media and many people don’t realise that one can create a perception of a “social media reality” which only reflects what you want people to see.

Loss of physical activity and hinders creativity Most people who are in tune with social media express their thoughts through platforms like Twitter and Snapchat. It’s normal to express yourself quite regularly in order not to store built up emotions but with social media one easily becomes accustomed to ranting into “thin air”. Well, not really thin air because old cruel tweets or Facebook statuses could resurface at any time, but the idea of sharing and physically spending time with other people becomes almost unnecessary. Finally, creativity is severely hindered due to the immediate access to information. We no longer have to think too hard or analyse ideas ourselves, when we can have things explained with just a click.

At the end of the day, we certainly can’t go back to the Stone Age, as communication is key in a developing world. But like everything else in life, which is abused, there will always be effects. Thus we should create a balance between social media and real life in order to maintain a healthy communication bubble for ourselves.