When was the last time you stopped and mentally logged out of all of the things that society is telling you are important? A good guess would say not recent enough. Time reports that studies in the UK have shown that social media such as Twitter and Facebook have a direct link to raised anxiety and lowered self-esteem.
When you use social media, you begin to think of others more than yourself. You start to indulge in others' lives instead of focusing on your own mental and emotional well-being. Of the Facebook users polled in the UK, over half of them said that social media had changed their lives.
51 percent of that half said it wasn't for the better. Forty-five percent of the responders said that they feel worried and uncomfortable when Facebook is inaccessible. Sixty percent said that they feel the need to completely power off their devices in order to feel a sense of relief from the stress social media puts them through. 'Unplugging' yourself one to three times weekly can be very beneficial to your mental stability.
Keeping up with the Joneses
Heavy users of Facebook often also begin to do what some may call "keeping up with the Joneses." This means that they start to see others' lives as entertaining and much more positive as their own. This causes the user try and 'spice' up their own lives to the other users viewing their posts.
The user will begin to make their posts seem more positive in order to gain more attention from their colleagues and 'friends' on their social media sites. It's almost as if the users fall into a trap of sorts to make their own lives seem more glamorous while the user actually experiences quite the opposite effect. As they try to make their lives more appealing, they become more depressed and unhappy.
We sometimes forget that someone's posts or profile is not a true representation of someone's life, but instead is a collection of single moments throughout their life that may or may not be factual.
Validation- sought not self-given
Using social media heavily can cause you to become reliant on others for validation of your life and thus reliant on others for happiness.
Happiness should rely solely on your enjoyment of a situation or event, rather than whether others find your life enjoyable. As a result, many heavy users become accustomed to the attention they receive when sharing their life situations and it becomes almost like an addiction that they need to satisfy.
'Friendship' has deteriorated
Social media has quickly faded the true meaning of friendship. Instead of having real encounters and real conversations in real time, we have resorted to liking the most recent Instagram post and writing "Happy Birthday" on others' Facebook timelines. Online interaction doesn't actually progress or develop and maintain real relationships. Typically, interaction via social media is superficial.
Talking to someone from social media sites doesn't really play a part in whether or not we actually consider someone a friend.
Take a time-out
Starting today, go out and be real. Unplug yourself from social media. Log out of fake relationships and throw away the facade of vulnerability through a website. Have real conversations with real people. Interact with the world around you. Make yourself happy. Find happiness within yourself. Don't be controlled by what society calls socializing.
