You are not alone if you lose several minutes (or even hours) after using social media. While social media first connected with friends and family, it’s since developed into a coveted hobby used by all age groups.
You may enjoy social media and use it consistently, but are you “addicted” to it? There is no such thing as an official diagnosis of “Social Media Addiction.” Yet social media overuse is progressively ordinary today, and it may have a few severe repercussions on your physical and mental health.
Learn how to identify the negative effects of social media use and what you can do about it.
Read also about Micro Coaching the future of personal development.
What is Social Media Addiction?
Whether you use social media to connect with friends and family, watch videos, or “kill time,” the prominence of this pastime has increased significantly over the last decade. It is mainly the case in kids and teenagers and young to middle-aged adults.
So, how does a harmless hobby transform into an “addiction”? Like different behavioral addictions, using social media can harm your mind. You may use social media compulsively and unreasonably. You can become so accustomed to scrolling through posts, pictures, and videos that it interferes with different aspects of your life.
Some professionals examine that up to 10 percent of individuals in the United States have social media addiction. However, due to how typical social media usage is, the number of those who have social media addiction may be significant. Not everyone who uses social media will build up an addiction. Since this activity is developing into highly reachable to more people, more people may build up an addiction to social media.
What are the Types of Social Media Addiction?
People may develop an addiction to specific activities carried out on social media. Here is a list of the five types of social media addiction.
Facebook Addiction
We describe Facebook addiction as the excessive and compulsive use of Facebook to boost one’s mood despite negative consequences. Problematic Facebook use interferes with a person’s daily life.
Nomophobia
A shortened form of “no mobile phone phobia” defines a condition in which individuals build up fear and anxiety when left without a mobile device.
Instant Messaging
The enthusiastic need for online communications through instant messaging services includes WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The disorder comprises an obsession with instant messaging and may induce an individual to check their phone from time to time to see new messages or texts.
Microblogging
Refers to the excessive use of microblogs, a form of traditional blogging that involves short pieces of content that can be audio, text, or video. One precedent of a famous microblogging website is Twitter.
Online Dating
Many people use online dating sites and applications in the wrong way. People may choose building virtual relationships over mobile dating applications, contributing to segregation from family or friends and harm to personal relationships.
What are the Negative Effects of Social Media Addiction?
There is no harm in using social media platforms now and then, even every day, but the more time spent on them, the more likely you are to experience the negative aspects. The 10 negative effects of social media include the following:
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- Low self-esteem and comparing yourself to others
- Increased isolation and loneliness
- Anxiety or depression
- Social anxiety and embarrassment
- Exposure to fake news and misinformation
- Reduced physical activity, which may upset your overall health
- Poor academic performance
- Depressive symptoms
- Reduced ability to empathize with others
- Vulnerability to negative people, trolls, or bullies
How to Avoid Negative Effects of Social Media?
Avoiding social media and its negative effects is not something you can do overnight; it requires a reevaluation of your digital-life balance, which is something personal to you. However, while only you can figure this out, there are some steps you can take to reduce your use of and dependency on social media and to help you take control back from the tiny tyrant of the smartphone.
Turn off notifications
It can be challenging to detach yourself from social media when your phone lights up every minute with new notifications. So turn them off. Notifications when specific individuals have tweeted and so on are distracting enough, but many people also get caught up watching their phones and counting ‘likes.’
It is dangerous and will merely lead to anxiety if you do this after creating a post. After posting what you’d like to, I recommend leaving social media for a while so that you do not get wrapped up by who is interacting with your post.
Don’t have your smartphone by you while you sleep
Sleep deprivation is one of the leading negative effects of social media on teenagers. It is easy to see how our phones inflict destruction on our sleep schedules. 45% of teenagers choose to scroll through social media instead of sleep.
To withstand this, put your phone in the alternative part of the room. We will be less tempted to check the phone if it is out of reach. It is often an inevitable attitude to come to your phone and scroll through social media in bed. If you have to get out of bed to enable this, you will feel why you need your phone, and chances are that this will facilitate you cut down on how much you use it at midnight.
Remove your phone from your morning routine
Likewise, do not reach for your phone when you get out of bed. For many of us, the first thing we do in the morning is to check our phones. Avoid this! Not only does this exhibit an unhealthy dependency on our phones, but the sudden vast quantity of content that will hit us as we scroll is too much for our tired minds to handle.
It will overwhelm and distract us and negatively impact our ability to focus for the day. Don’t touch it until you are at least settled into the day.
Place less weight on your social media appearance.
Easier said than done, I know. However, one of the negative effects of social media on mental health is that you spend a lot of time overthinking and over-planning your posts. It causes anxiety and stress; if you place less importance on how and what you post, you can free up your mind from this stress.
Opt for analog alternatives
Plunge back in devotion to your hobbies, or invent new ones. Set time away from work and your phone to explore and enjoy non-screen-based activities, such as arts and crafts, reading, or exercising.
Digital Detox
The good thing that you can do is learn to get along without it. It doesn’t mean abandoning social media; it just means spending some time away from it altogether. It is called digital detox.
All of the tips mentioned above are steps toward a digital detox. However, the benefits of a total digital detox are unmatched by any other tip discussed above. When you remove social media from your daily routine, you realize how much more time you have for yourself in the day and how much it frees up your mind.
Final thoughts
Social media is progressively pervasive today, but this doesn’t mean you will unconsciously build up an addiction to it. If you notice a negative effect of social media addiction, work on setting clear limits around how often you log in and how much time you spend on these platforms. Keep in mind that people design these platforms to get and keep your attention, so work on getting control of your usage instead of letting these sites dominate you.
This way, social media can enhance your quality of life instead of diminishing it. Don’t hesitate to contact a psychiatric health professional for advice on this type of addiction.
You may be interested in our other informative ideas on lifestyle, home maintenance, and everything you need to know like Why Do Businessmen Invest in Social Media
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