7 Negative Effects of  Social Media(How to Protect Yourself)

Social media is also very helpful in promoting businesses, organizations, and different causes. We can stay updated about the latest trends and events. Social media is a significant part of our lives. It helps us to connect instantly with our friends and relatives. People share thoughts, ideas, and opinions through various social media platforms.

Social media is also very helpful in promoting businesses, organizations, and different causes. We can stay updated about the latest trends and events. On the one hand, there are many advantages and positive effects of social media . On the other side, it has many disadvantages too, which are very harmful to our mind and body. Which ultimately impacts our lives in a big way.

Mental Health issues-

Various reports suggest that more than 45% of teens are addicted to social media. People of different ages also are engrossed by social media. Before we discuss it further, let’s just understand what addiction is.

Addiction happens when we do something that gives us a dopamine kick. Dopamine is the pleasure chemical in the brain. The more you do that act, the more you get used to it, but in addition, you develop a dependence, which means that if you don’t do it, you will feel sad, angry or frustrated. That is when pleasure-seeking Behavior can lead to problems in your life.

How Social media addiction is different from other addictions? Actually, Social media is a mix of all addictions.it is accessible. It is in your pocket all the time. You can carry it around on your phone like cigarettes. You can pick it out, and you can use it anytime you want.

It is socially acceptable and also a part of social gatherings like alcohol. The immediate kick you get is like Heroine. There’s a roller coaster of emotions that can be violence, like in a mob mentality, and there can be sexuality, like in porn. So, you see a lot of other things that one can get addicted to, and social media gives an option. This is the reason why it’s so easy to get addicted to social media. Therefore, it is recommended that people use it mindfully so that the effects of social media remain positive.

Interestingly, unlike all the other addictions that I mentioned, there are no restrictions on social media. It’s free, it’s legal, it’s socially acceptable, and there are no blood tests or markers to check how addicted somebody is. You will only know once their daily life suffers, their performance gets affected, and they are unable to do their everyday tasks. You can feel irritated, tired and frustrated due to this.

Spread of Fake News-

Social media has turned into a hotspot for spreading misinformation. Fake news and rumours spread quickly on social media, which can confuse people and change their point of view. This can also harm democracy and damage trust in important institutions.

Self-Esteem Struggles-

On social media, people often display idealized versions of their lives, which are unrealistic most of the time and lead to feelings of incompetence and low self-esteem. People start comparing their lives with others and become dissatisfied with their own. This can lead to low self-confidence and poor mental health.

Decline in direct communication-

Due to the addiction to social media, people are becoming more and more self-centric, and because of the convenience of social media, interactions are decreasing. This results in a decline in social skills and emotional intelligence, and with these, it is easier to make strong and meaningful relationships. 

Social Division and Echo Chambers-

Algorithms of social media reinforce biases, which put people in different echo chambers. People only see the content that they believe in, which leads to polarisation and hampered open-mindedness, which is not a good sign of a healthy society.

Cyberbullying and Harassment-

Due to the anonymity on social media, it is very easy to stalk someone digitally; harassing and blackmailing are also increasing trends nowadays. The ultimate result of it is that people get exposed to low self-esteem and, in the worst of cases, commit suicide as well.

Decline in Personal Privacy-

All the social media platforms have our most private information with them. There is a good chance that it can be leaked or it can be sold to companies for targeted advertising. This information can be misused as well.

Solution(How to deal with it)-

One thing that can help is purposeful action. Before you realize it, do you ever stop to wonder why you are opening it, what you are looking for, and when you plan on stopping? It has become an instinctive action, and that is what you need to change if you have to break your social media addiction.

Next time you find yourself reaching for your phone and opening Instagram, take a 1-second pause and ask yourself what you are looking for. And it doesn’t matter what answer you come up with. You could say that you are bored and you want entertainment; you could say that you’re looking to reply to a particular person; you could say that you are looking for a certain brand or looking for details about one specific person, whatever it is,  say it out to yourself before starting to scroll. 

What happens is now that you have set that context in your brain, you will immediately start looking for that thing, and once you find it, you’ll find it easier to close the app. The simple act of labelling purpose gives your prefrontal cortex more control over your limbic system.

Because it is the limbic system that subconsciously opens the app, but ultimately, it is your prefrontal cortex that has to decide to close it. This is why bringing mindfulness into social media is so important. Try this out the next time you unlock your phone.

Conclusion-

Social media has brought a revolution in our lives, all the information is available at our fingertips. We can connect with people instantly and share our views with millions of people in a few clicks. However, the negative effects of social media should also be addressed. Apart from the solution I mentioned above, social media should be used mindfully, which can mitigate the negative impact of social media.