Today, social media is central to our lives. It helps us keep in touch with our friends, promote our work and follow the latest news. How do these networks affect our mental and physical health? Is it time to take a break from being online permanently?
Social media can be helpful and entertaining, but sometimes they cause more harm than good. That is why it is also wise to do a social media detox every now and then. We list the reasons here.
1. Social media can affect mental health
Social media enthusiasts have more than twice the risk of depression compared to their less enthusiastic peers. Research has shown that both young and older users are at risk of breaking under the pressure of unattainable standards of beauty and success, which are often inherent in the operation of social networking websites. With increased levels of depression, anxiety and isolation as a result.
And despite the fact that such platforms are supposed to increase our sense of connection with other people, research has shown that they have just the opposite effect:they make dedicated users more lonely and isolated.
2. Online interactions can harm relationships Social media websites can also promote loneliness by damaging the quality of relationships in direct and indirect ways. Seemingly innocuous comments on social media can go the wrong way and drive people apart. First, there's only so much you can control when it comes to what your friends - or often "friends" - are saying about you on their social media accounts.
For example, a new acquaintance might find it funny to share an unflattering photo of the two of you in the cafe. Or, maybe your cousin is amused by the idea of tagging you in a meme with questionable implications. Such situations can cause embarrassment at best, but a study suggests that these moments can often damage relationships in irreparable ways.
However, the things we put on our personal pages can also have unintended consequences. Annoying comments, links and quotes can be shared out of context, or misplaced jokes can all be doubly harmful in a medium that encourages fast sharing and fast reading.
3. Social media can encourage dangerous behavior
Another reason to watch how much time we spend on social media networks is because they are designed to keep us coming back for more. Research has shown that what we see on social media can lead us to make bad decisions and form dangerous habits.
A series of other experiments reached an even more disturbing conclusion:that the superficial way social media teaches us to interact with the world is actually fueling irrational behavior. Also, the carefully curated aspect of what we see on social media can lead us to make harmful decisions without realizing how dangerous they can actually be.
4. Our physical health is in danger
An overactive social media presence can leave its mark not only on our mental health, as we noted above, but also on our physical health – especially by changing our sleep patterns.
Researchers suggest that the reason why social media users may experience poor sleep may be:
* the fact that they feel obligated to be active on these websites at all hours, including late at night
* the ability to use social media “may promote emotional, cognitive and/or physiological arousal
* the fact that exposure to bright screens before bedtime is linked to disturbed sleep
5. Social media reduces productivity Finally, researchers have proven that our commitment to social media platforms can negatively impact our commitment to our own creative and professional lives in complex ways. A study article suggested that we spend a lot more time on social networks than we think we do, therefore wasting one of our most valuable resources:time.
Also, social media encourages us to constantly switch tasks or do multiple tasks at once – like listening to a new song from someone you know, while also reading the comments left on that video, and maybe a few replies too. . However, research shows that when we multitask, we simply lose the ability to focus on one task at a time.
