Remember the days when you scrolled through your Facebook feed and got to see a beautiful dinner plate laden with delicious looking food? Or post after post of a friend’s smiling baby? Even those silly videos that made you smile at someone’s ridiculous antics seem to have disappeared. social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have taken a turn for the worse these days and doctors say it is not mentally or physically healthy for you. So, how high does your blood pressure go these days when you log in?
Social media has become Facebook Feuding
Those who took to social media used to do it for entertainment and to partake of some lighthearted banter with friends.
It was a way to keep up with friends and family who didn’t live nearby and it was a way to make new online friends. At times, it could become quite boring, looking at picture after picture of someone’s supper, their cute new puppy, or a funny meme. Those same people who used to think it got boring, now long for those mundane posts as Facebook has turned into a virtual battle ground of differing opinions and down-right nastiness.
According to a recent report by American Psychological Association, “Stress in America,” all of this electronic communication is causing people to be so stressed that it is affecting both their physical and mental health. The test measures stress on a 10-point scale, with 1 being little to no stress.
It found that heavy social media users were testing in at a 5.5 and even 6 points on the stress scale. Eighty-six percent of Americans claim to be social media junkies, checking their electronic devices constantly.
When they check their Facebook or other social media, they usually find a storm of posts that set their blood boiling.
Facebook users have always had minor disagreements and a difference of opinion than others on their friends list, but lately, it has become a virtual hotbed of hate as long- time friends argue with each other. This has become even worse since Donald J trump decided to run for President and won the election. The battles began back then and have increased since he took office.
Even the POTUS uses social media to rant and rave.
Losing sleep, friends and possibly your mental health?
The digital battlefield has caused a lot of tension between friends. Many users report being unfriended, blocked and deleted by others because of their stand on political issues. Nasty comments fly faster than a speeding bullet. Words like “deplorable, snowflake and libtard” have become commonplace. America is divided by those who support the POTUS and those who want to see him impeached. Their battles take place on Facebook for the world to see and it is stressing people out. Anti-Trump people post every bad thing they can find while supporters insist it’s “Fake News.”
Dr. Lynn Bufka, the APA’s associate executive director, suggests that Americans take a “Digital Detox” to calm their stressed nerves.
She suggests limiting the amount of interaction on social sites and to just put the electronic device down. Melatonin is a hormone that promotes sleep and studies suggest that smart phones impair its production, so it is advisable to refrain from using your phone at bedtime. Turn it off and get a good night’s sleep instead.
