Social media has been one of the greatest inventions in technology. It has defined a whole generation and changed the way that we communicate and interact with each other. It even has changed the way that we see relationships and represent ourselves to the world. But there are downsides to social media too. With this great invention, it has changed us in some great ways, but also in some not so great ways too. It has such a huge effect on us and really, we don’t even realize it. The true way that it has manipulated us in a deep emotional and mental way, in some of the most unsuspecting methods. If you are ready to learn just how much you are influenced by the digital world, check out these 7 reasons social media is ruining the world.
We spend a lot of time on social media
The crazy thing about social media is that you can spend so much time on it, and never even realize it. Have you ever scrolled social media, and looked up and so much time has gone by? There are some ways that phones can track how much time you spend on different apps, and you would be astounded at just how much time you waste on social media.
We take in unsolicited advice all the time
Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly consuming information from random people. Depending on who you follow on social media, what ever content they create and post, you are consuming it daily. That content is affecting how you perceive the world, or even how you perceive your day.
We take in ridiculous amounts of information
All day long, whether you want it or you do, social media slams us with information. Some of it is helpful, and some of it is just down right useless. It makes it so that we never have a break from the noise, as we are constantly bombarded with notifications, dings, likes, shares and everything else that comes with social media.
Our moods are affected by social media
With all of the endless chatter that is created by social media, it can be grossly overwhelming. Constant distractions and noise from people that you know or don’t know can be highly upsetting, and even disturbing. Never having silence or peace and quiet has an effect on our ability to calm down and have time to ourselves. With social media, you may be spending time alone, but you can never have any true quality time with yourself. This can definitely have a negative effect on your mood.
It affects our ability to sleep
Not only does social media affect our mood, but it also ruins our sleep too. Constantly having a device pinging and going off is very disrupting. Also, the light of our phones is also harsh on our ability to relax. Studies have shown that it is very difficult to regulate our sleeping patterns with the disturbance of our devices’ lights. It throws off our circadian rhythm, which totally ruins our sleep.
We all have no sense of boundaries or decorum anymore
Social media has totally changed the way that we relate and communicate with each other. The idea of social media trolling did not exist 15 years ago, but now it defines the abusive and disrespectful behavior that many people feel comfortable exhibiting online. It is very easy to hide behind a screen and treat each other terribly.
We have developed toxic ways of viewing ourselves
There were already bad concepts of beauty standards before social media. But now that we can all see what each other think and eventually make a trend on the internet, bad standards of beauty can make it hard to think positively about ourselves as individuals.
