The Dangers of Social Media

Scrolling through our phones for hours, we tend not to realize that we are stuck in a constant loop of desire, discontentment, and wanting to fit in. The majority of people are on social media daily, it could be seen as a distraction and not beneficial to us. It can pull us away from reality and make insecurities over time as you get more drowned into your screen. Social media is not the best alternative in situations that “require” it.

Everyone looks better online compared to real life. You show your ideal self with posts and tweets. We all want to be portrayed a certain way but how much are you faking it?  How much of that photo did you edit? Did you use a filter on that story? How many pictures did it take to get the “perfect” one? Like I said earlier you pick and choose what you put out there. Using social media as an outlet is easier than confronting the truth in real life. Hiding imperfections about yourself becomes a norm to you after so long of doing so. Gluing your face into your screen, and ignoring reality is not the best way to deal with the truth.

Why are you developing insecurities using social media? As you continuously scroll for hours, you will see and desire things that other people have and that you don’t. That could be money, status, a relationship, looks, etc. After seeing so much of this, we tend to set unrealistic goals for ourselves that are out of our reach. I’m not saying you won’t be able to achieve that, but everything comes into play at some point you don’t need everything you immediately see.

You spend more time on your device than you spend in the real world. Social media is the easiest way to distract yourself from what you are currently doing/feeling. You get bored, you pick up your phone, and next thing you know you’ve been scrolling for the last 30 minutes without realizing it. We tend to forget that there’s more to life than social media, our first instinct is to always look at our phones in every situation. This became a habit after so many years of doing this, that it’s become programmed into us now. There are more options than picking up your phone when you are bored, anxious, or in need of a distraction in general.

I think most people are affected by social media. The use of social media is a way of life for many. That’s why it’s so hard for people to come to terms with these realities, no one likes to escape their version of the truth.