Too Much Social Media
Nowadays, when we are upset, need some ego boosting or just want a small distraction, a lot of people turn to social media.
I was born in ‘89, and growing up our technology was not as advanced as it is now, well from what we know of it. When my friends wanted to get in touch with me they would have to ring the doorbell or call the house phone. Now, they either text me, beep the horn, or call my phone. Yeah, times have changed. Since those meaningful connections have changed so has our technology.
Today, we live in society where people are controlled by their electronic devices and media outlets. Most people have become handicapped because of their devices and social apps. We have lost our way to think due to social media. For instance, people will rather turn to their media outlets for truth, lies, encouragement, diet plans, conspiracy theories, conflict, relationship advice, love, or anything else that they are seeking, instead of doing research or conversing with others.
It has become a notion that if you have a lot of followers, likes, shares and comments then you’re in the “in crowd” on social media. When did social media become the high school cafeteria?
Social media is starting to become an addiction without people realizing it. There have been times where I can be in a full blown conversation with someone and they will start scrolling through their phone and I look over to see them on social media. There has also been moments where I have been on social media and I would see someone slandering someone else online instead of just talking to them one on one.
Being able to post whatever you want and slide in dm’s has taken our social skills down a couple notches. By having these social media sites we lose out on human interaction. We get so so consumed with our phones and the media outlets, we start start to forget about the people around us. Once we start to not acknowledge our loved ones we begin to live in this unrealistic world that is consumed by likes and shares. If you wanted to explore then you should go out with a loved and explore new things instead of faking happiness online or creeping through someone’s page.
There are many individuals that start have these unrealistic expectations of the world. They start to compare their relationships based off celebrities, memes or their peers. It is as if people are starting to forget about life and real connections.
Then there are others that have lost their sense of privacy being on social media. We all get the First amendment gives us all freedom of speech, but some people have not deciphered what is appropriate to share online and what is not.
According to Shelley Galasso Bonanno, MA, “ Yet with the rise of social media, there are concerns many people appear to be substituting virtual, online connections for real-life, social relationships.”
Since social media has been a leading distraction in a lot of people’s lives and a substitution for one on one interaction, we are left to ask, “ What’s next?”
There are ongoing changes being made daily but if we keep our losing on the face to face interactions and emotional connection then we might as well become robots. The change we have witnessed has been good but with every change comes some sacrifices and some bad. The effect in our good change has made our relationships we have with one another and ourselves not as good as strong as they should be.
What is important is restoring, taking time out to practice mindfulness, and to learn about it. When we age we forget about how to be mindful and since our technology has advanced we have forgotten it even more. Take a moment from your device and your media outlets. It is time to enjoy your loved ones. It is time to embrace your life and to be thankful.