Why You Need to Limit Your Social Media
Did you know? A person spends an average of 5 years and 4 months using social media in a lifetime.
To be honest, that’s not shocking. Social media undoubtedly plays a crucial role in people’s lives during this digital age. Whether it’s checking your Facebook timeline, scrolling through Twitter, or posting photos on Instagram, social media is a part of your daily life.
Social media has lots of benefits that it’s almost impossible to totally discredit it. But there are always two sides to every story, and social media is no exception.
The Positive Effects of Social Media
Since I don’t want to sound overly pessimistic about social media, let’s dive in to the positives first.
1. Efficiently getting in touch with family or friends
Gone are the days when people have to wait for days or months to receive their telegram. With just a few clicks or taps, contacting your loved ones is now very easy. Thanks to social media, you can message or call them within a few seconds (given that you have a good internet connection, of course).
2. Borders don’t limit anyone anymore
Want to contact someone who’s thousands of miles away from you? No muss, no fuss. Social media is here to be the bridge. It overcomes borders and time zones, which are communication barriers. Plus, you get to share. Sharing your stories and opinion to people all over the world has never been this easy.
3. Reaching out for help 24/7
Health professionals and organizations are now using social media to help people. The development of 24/7 online help bots (chatbots that help people in times of distress) is proof that social media can be a great avenue for asking for help. Social media also helps those who are shy to do face-to-face consultations as well.
4. Learning various skills
Do you want to bake a cake or learn a new language? There are hundreds of videos teaching you how to do so on Youtube or Facebook. Through social media, you can easily find information, explore ideas, and improve your skill set.
5. Earning money through social media
Most businesses have social media accounts that are used to reach a big target audience. If you own a business without social media accounts, it’s high time to make some. If not, you can become a social media manager. Either way, you’ll earn some money.
The Negative Effects of Social Media
Social media may be beneficial, but let’s not dismiss its negative effects.
1. Constantly comparing yourself to others
When it seems like people in your feed are having the time of their lives, it’s hard not to compare yourself to them. As humans. we thrive on unconsciously comparing ourselves to others. This can result in dissatisfaction, lower self-esteem, and jealousy.
2. Caring too much about the likes
It’s undeniable― getting likes makes you feel good. But when a few likes turn into hundreds or thousands, you might be obsessed about keeping that big number. What’s worse is when you base your value on how many people liked your post. No wonder Facebook and Instagram are considering hiding the number of likes.
3. Being susceptible to pretending to be someone you’re not
One problem with social media platforms is allowing us to hide behind the screen. Due to this, it’s easy enough to create a life suitable for an online audience. You can make others think about what you want them to without being caught. This can lead to a two-faced life, which is hard to manage.
4. Getting into an internet warfare.
How many times have you seen people fighting in the comments section? Probably a lot. Expressing your opinion is good, but if you do it too often, you might find yourself fighting with other netizens just to defend a point.
5. Spending too much time online.
People being glued to phones and computers are a common sight nowadays. Being active on different social media platforms takes too much time that we take for granted what really matters. More often than not, what really matters is found in the offline realm.
What Now?
After reading the positive and negative effects of social media, what should you do now?
The answer is easy, but not many want to take action. It’s as simple as limiting your social media time.
Following too many accounts? Unfollow some, if not all. Posting many photos and videos daily? Try setting a post limit. Using your phone before bedtime? Turn it off.
Doing these things will be difficult at first. But remember, doing a social media detox is one of the best decisions that you’ll ever make.
And if there’s one thing that this pandemic taught us, it’s that online events can never replace offline moments.
I agree. I try to limit social media. I am only really active on Facebook and don’t really understand the draw of TikTok. Unfortunately, I have had to “mute” some friends especially around election time. They KNOW my views and tag me in posts to make me feel bad. These friends aren’t usually like this! One friend I muted posts the minutia of her life and complaints and never takes anyone’s advice, You are correct about keeping in touch though I’ve been in touch with some old college friends from around the country which is nice. Fortunately, my 13-year-old thinks the whole thing is stupid lol. The only social site he uses is discord to talk to a friend that lives an hour away. They talk for hours. This was an insightful article thanks!
Good job Elsa! It’s important to be aware of both the positive and negative effects of social media. I’ll definitely have to be more mindful of my own social media use. Thanks for the reminders!
It’s interesting to see the pros and cons of social media highlighted in this excerpt. It’s easy to get caught up in the constant stream of updates and notifications, but it’s important to remember to take breaks and not let it consume too much of our time and attention. It’s also good to be aware of the potential negative impacts on our self-esteem and relationships. It’s all about finding a balance and using social media in a healthy way.👍