Do You Use Social Media Properly?

In current years, social media takes a huge role in our society. Almost everyone has at least one social media on their phone. Throughout this page, we take a look at the influences of social media on us. Do you know some critical issues caused by the overuse of social media? Have you ever thought of how many of us use social media properly? We're going to explore some problematic uses of social media and how we can prevent ourselves from being negatively affected by social media. Hopefully, you can find something beneficial and helpful for your mental health.

Problematic Uses of Social Media

phubbing

The term originated from "phone snubbing" when people's desire for social media leads them to become cold and ignore others in real life. Recent research shows the phenomenon is associated with the reduction of satisfaction in relationships.

creeping

Online stalking can be replaced with creeping. It refers the behavior when you keep track of what's going on in people's lives through social media. It decreases your self-esteem and well-being.

catfishing

The term relates to dating apps and meeting people you met online. It clearly involves impersonating. It can be related to crimes, such as kidnapping. Whereas, it commits to lowering your self-esteem as well.

obsessed with interaction

Many people using social media are obsessed with liking. Do you check how many likes your post got? How often do you check your notification on your phone? People are obsessed with interactions with others, and it harms their self-esteem.

Consequences of Excessive Uses of Social Media

Sleep Disturbance

Even though adolescents need longer sleep than adults, many of them suffer from sleep deprivation. It is because the screen of smartphones emits the blue light, and it harms you and keeps you away from feeling tired.

FoMO

FoMO is the short-term "Fear of Missing Out". It is the fear that enjoyable social activities possibly take place without you. FoMO is significantly correlated with excessive involvement in social media.

Disturbance in
Interpersonal Relations

The extensive use of social media allows people to get deep with each other quickly eclipsing the fact that they were strangers a few clicks ago. This mistaken feeling of closeness is easily betrayed leading to jealousy and loss of trust.

Risk Management of Social Media in Your 20s

The risk management of social media has become more and more essential to every person in current society. Certainly, social media has had a massive role in our society in these recent years. Many companies, institutions, and other media sources, such as TV programs and podcast channels, have their own social media accounts. Also, we can look for some beneficial information from social media; for example, we can find some valuable healthcare information from Facebook. However, we should be aware of how dangerous social media can be. We always need to be able to objectively observe ourselves, avoid becoming confined by social media, and stop obsessing with our interactions with people there.

Reference

Alexander, David E. “Social Media in Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Management.” Science and Engineering Ethics, vol. 20, no. 3, 2014, pp. 717–733.

Modrzyński, Robert. “Problematic Use of Social Media: the Phenomenon of Popularity, Consequences and Risk Factors.” Polish Psychological Bulletin, vol. 52, no. 2, 2021, p. 172.

Springer, Rachelle. “SOCIAL MEDIA--Risk Management.” Plastic Surgical Nursing, vol. 32, no. 1, 2012, pp. 22–24.