How often do you pick up your phone and browse social media to fill up time?
These days, social media is at our fingertips. One scroll turns into thirty minutes.
These platforms are designed to keep us on there as long as possible. Social media started as a place to connect with loved ones but has evolved into areas for advertisers, influencers, and marketers to get our attention.
Keep in mind that it is easy to become compulsive and excessively addicted to social media platforms. Such use can affect your life in unintended ways.
Logging onto social media and seeing new notifications, likes, or comments can send a dopamine rush (a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure) to your brain. The problem is that dopamine is temporary. And once it wears off, you might want to go back for more.
Unfortunately, chasing the quick gratification from dopamine hits leads to an overall lower level of happiness. Social Media’s Impact on Mental Health: Evidence and Statistics
Studies have increasingly shown that excessive social media use can lead to various negative effects on mental health. A 2018 study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania found that limiting social media use to 30 minutes per day can significantly reduce levels of anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness. The study highlighted how the comparison culture fostered by platforms like Instagram and Facebook can result in feelings of inadequacy, contributing to lower self-esteem.
Furthermore, the American Psychological Association (APA) reported in 2020 that prolonged social media use is strongly associated with higher levels of stress, especially among adolescents and young adults. This is often due to constant exposure to carefully curated "highlight reels" of others' lives, which can cause users to feel their own lives are inadequate by comparison.
Consider this personal anecdote: Sarah, a 32-year-old marketing professional, noticed her productivity at work decreasing as she habitually scrolled through Instagram during her breaks. She began feeling anxious and dissatisfied with her accomplishments after seeing posts from others who appeared to be more successful in her industry. Over time, this comparison led her to experience mild depression, affecting both her mental health and professional life.
Is social media impacting your life in unintended ways?
Signs that social media may be having a negative impact on your life:
Gets in the way of life (work, school, or relationships). Do you scroll on social media instead of working or engaging with others? Sometimes we allow social media to get in the way of learning, productivity, or relationships.
Feeds feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety, or depression. Have you found yourself opening social media to check likes and comments? Or maybe you’ve seen others’ highlight reels of their activities, only to feel worse about yourself. These are common ways social media feeds low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
Disrupts sleep. Do you scroll on social media at night instead of getting rest? If scrolling on social media disrupts your sleep, you might want to consider your limits with social media each night.
The good news is that how you use social media can make a big difference in its impact on your life. You can change your relationship with social media to have a more positive effect on your daily life.
How to make positive changes in the way you use social media:
Log onto social media with an intention. What is your purpose when you log onto social media? Is it to connect with a friend? Take a couple of moments to set an intention before you open the social media platform.
There’s an app for that. Use an app that controls the amount of time you spend on social media platforms. If you spend too much time on social media, set limits on how much time you spend on these platforms.
Turn off notifications. Does your phone light up every time you receive a like or comment? It might help you to turn off notifications on your phone.
Leave your phone in another room. Vast numbers of people scroll through social media instead of sleeping at night. Avoid joining this crowd! Put your phone out of reach - or better yet, another room when it’s time to rest.
Delete social media apps on your phone. You can delete apps on your phone altogether. This way, if you need to check the social media platform, you must do it from your laptop or computer.
Replace a social media habit with something new. Reach out to a friend, read a book, go for a walk. The key is to think about why you crave going on social media - and replace that habit with something that fills the same need.
Social media can help us to stay connected with loved ones. However, it can also lead to comparing ourselves to others, causing us to feel negative emotions. If you resonate with that, know that you are not alone!
Paying close attention to how you use social media can help you feel happier and get greater enjoyment out of life.
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