Psychological Impact of Social Media.

We often hear that humans will one day be controlled by robots. Although the statement seemed absurd a few decades ago, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched in today’s world. No matter where we are or who we are with, our smartphone, tablet, or a similar device is always with us. Through such devices, we find that social media has become a major part of our daily lives. In this way, it really does control us. We keep an umbrella if our phone tells us it’s going to rain. We congratulate our friends when social media informs us of their achieved milestones. What’s more, we eat whatever the internet tells us is healthy. However, although it is a very efficient means to keep up-to-date and to stay in touch, it does have several drawbacks. It has a major influence on our psychological thinking and can greatly impact one’s personality as well.

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter among many others can have positive as well as negative affects on one’s psyche. This is because the usage of these platforms is completely dependent on the user itself. Let us take a deeper look into the psychological impact that such social media platforms, or such robotic control can have over the human mind.

Mental Effects:

Positive:

Social media gives one the sense of belonging in a. This is due to one of the most basic traits of human nature, which is the need to feel included in a social circle. Although we find various studies that talk about the negative effects of using screens, the social media platforms themselves are not the sole cause of damage. When taken up as a hobby and not an addiction, social media can be a constructive outlet for those who wish to demonstrate various talents and artistic expression. Resumes and job searches have been made widely excessive to those seeking employment and those who wish to hire employees. Furthermore, it can help uplift those who find it hard to socialize in person, due to their introverted nature or even distances between relations. According to a report on CNN by Dr Melinda Ring, her son had been going through severe mood disorder. He used social media platforms, particularly Instagram, to spread messages of positivity and hope to his followers, allowing him to regain mental stability by fighting depression and anxiety.

Negative:

When these social platforms are used for self-evaluation by comparison rather than self-growth, that is where the problem arises. Users start comparing their lives with those whom the follow. This triggers feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem as they are not able to measure up to their role models. Extreme usage which causes addiction can lead to withdrawal symptoms and the inability to focus on other things. Those who rely solely on social media to interact become underconfident and awkward when placed in real life social settings. Social media not only reduces the ability to communicate, but it also results in anxiety and depression. All these effects occur as a result of growing jealousy upon over investigating into the lives of others, which makes users question and doubt their own lives.

Physical Effects:

Positive:

Of course, there is no physical remedy, cure or health tip which cannot be looked up online. That makes social media highly beneficial. It helps us stay up-to date with the latest diets and health regimens that are popular among society. With so many new health apps, online challenges and popular diets, social media has helped numerous users bring healthy changes to their lives. Furthermore, it helps draw inspiration from peers and role models, by figuring out how such people managed to incorporate fitness and health into their lives effectively. As an additional advantage, such people go on to become internet sensations, thereby creating careers built solely on the premise of their hard work and marketing strategy through social media.

Negative:

Addiction is arguably the root cause of all health-related problems that occur due to social media usage. Lack of sleep is one of the primary effects, since it is not one that is immediately linked with screens when it first starts to occur. Browsing or texting all night can cause sleep disorders and therefore result in stress and depression. Additionally, relying on screens can make us lazy and inactive, resulting in type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, blood pressure problems, neck strain and metabolic syndrome. The list would obviously not be complete without mentioning weak eyesight, which is also one of the most common drawbacks of too much screen time, especially under bad lighting.

Effects on Relationships:

Positive:

Social media plays a huge part in forming and strengthening relationships. It is through social media that people nowadays can constantly be in touch, no matter what the distance or time zone may be. The term “long-distance relationship” is a thing of the past, since social media allows one to share practically anything that can be captured in a picture or described in a text. Furthermore, various new online apps and websites even help build new friendships and communities. People who share similar interests can immediately get connected to those with similar interests, whether it be for a personal relationship or a professional one.

Negative:

Since we practically live in the digital age, it is not as simple as “using the computer” or “texting on the phone”. There is a whole new digital language that needs to be understood to the core, especially if social media is one of the main modes of communication. An “okay” text, for example, hardly ever means “okay”. “Okay” could mean fine, “Ok” could mean I am good, “K” could mean whatever, and the notorious “K.” could mean “end of conversation”. This makes us realize the importance of having face to face conversations, since no matter how hard we try, text messages can only communicate true feelings to a certain extent, beyond which they are virtually impossible to decipher.

Furthermore, one of the biggest drawbacks of social media is the fact that people tend to use their phones while sitting with a group of people, thereby going against the entire concept of a gathering. Social media distracts people from their real lives and makes it harder for them to communicate one on one. Because we know everything about everyone through their Twitter, Facebook or Instagram feeds, it leaves very little to talk about when we actually meet them in person. It is no wonder then that the emotion of empathy is gradually decreasing since social media usage makes it extremely hard to have genuine emotions and reactions to real life issues. Family life is highly affected due to the lack of interaction and communication between family members sharing the same living space.

In conclusion, we find that the whole notion of “distances” presents a huge paradox in the world of social media. On one hand, we are able to eliminate actual physical distances by keeping in touch with those who live far away from us. On the other hand, the distances created within friends and family sharing the same living space has become greater than ever before. Therefore, while social media might not be the root cause of evil in a society, there is certainly a need to keep its effects under control before it become an addiction and starts to take over our lives in ways that we may have never seen coming.

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