As many as one in five people say they feel depressed as a result of using social media, a recent survey found. That might come as a surprise to the generation under 30 as social media is part of their DNA and teenagers are rapidly losing the ability to communicate without their smartphones.
But the stress of constantly monitoring our statuses and endlessly documenting every aspect of our lives via networks like Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram is taking its toll, reports independent.co.uk.
Social scientists, experts, academia and employers claim many school graduates are simply unprepared for the world of work, where they have to interact with people outside their peer group and actually speak face-to-face with strangers.
Meanwhile, there have been countless academic studies since 2015 on the negative impacts of social media, showing that its regular use leads to feelings of anxiety, isolation and low self-esteem, not to mention poor sleep.
These outlets are used to present a false picture of daily life to the online community; with flattering selfies and faux-glamorous images of holidays, parties and meals. It’s as if people are starring in a movie of the life they would like to lead, not the humdrum one they actually go through and lack of ‘shares’ or ‘likes’ can lead to debilitating feelings of inadequacy.
People post intimate fragments of their lives to total strangers, falsely believing that a ‘friend’ online is a real friend whose opinions matter. As for Twitter, it is a vehicle for screaming, nothing more and nothing less. Best not to read tweets if you are of a vulnerable disposition.
Constant Abuse by Twitter
Twitter has an effect on one’s disposition; augmenting anger and upset. Many of the women have come off Twitter because of the constant abuse that waits every time they pick up their phone or log in to their computer.
The latest fad among hipsters is to have a ‘digital-free’ home. That could be a good move. Arianna Huffington has just written a book (The Sleep Revolution) citing experts who say there should be no screens in the bedroom and that social media should not be used in the hour before lights-out.
How many times have we read a message on our phones and then spent hours in turmoil? Social media never switches off: someone, somewhere, is posting pictures, comments or messages, asking you to join a chat or wade in with an opinion. Small wonder many teenagers suffer from what shrinks call “decision paralysis”. The options are simply too enormous for any human brain to deal with.
For many people (not just teenagers), it seems the only way they can validate themselves is through a screen, a habit which is just as bad for health as over-indulging in drinking or drugs. And just as addictive.
