Following the invention of the internet, social media is arguably one of the greatest inventions ever. It gave humanity a chance to connect with others around the world on a level none of us thought imaginable. But with the good comes the bad. Social media has also been a big reason for the mental health crisis in our country. For the sake of this article, most of my points will be directed towards those using social media for personal use rather than those optimizing it as a business.
Let’s first address what makes social media so great. Well, you can connect with so many people in a matter of seconds. More than that, you can catch up on people’s lives in a quick click of a mouse or touch of a finger. It’s also a place for you to post your most cherished moments or things you’re excited to share. It gives us a way to interact and support each other, which humanity needs. Additionally, since the use of artificial intelligence algorithms, we are now being sent material which has been tailor made to meet our preferences and keep us engaged. The algorithm tracks what we interact with and our engagement time to send us specific material. It’s insane, but the algorithm has it down to a science, and I’d argue at least personally the algorithm probably has a better a idea of what I want to watch than what I do. Which is scary. But in a positive light, we are being sent videos or material that make us feel good in a matter of seconds. It’s no wonder we enjoy being on social media!
Now, let’s address some of the cons of social media. As I alluded to earlier, social media is a place to share whatever you choose which is usually highlights or big life events. So, we need to remember that just because you see “someone” or “everyone” doing or posting something on social media doesn’t mean you should view it in any type of way. The worst thing you can do is look at social media to gauge life progress or success because most of what you see isn’t necessarily true. Even if it were true are they posting their failures and losses? No. Another negative of social media is getting too tied into it emotionally. Because as I’ve said not everything is as it appears on social media. Therefore, if you are going to post on social media then by all means do it. But do it because you want to and be proud when you do it, don’t post it because you’re seeking validation from others. If you post seeking validation from others you risk going down a slippery slope where you’re so focused on the outcome what’s the point of being on social media. Social media is supposed to be an outlet, or fun, or anything you desire for that matter. But if social media is causing you more stress or negative feelings than without it then maybe it’s time to let it go. Another thing to be wary of is mindlessly scrolling. I think we’re all guilty of this one from time to time. But again, the algorithm has gotten so concise that it can keep you engaged for hours. Now, if you need to blow off steam or are watching things of value then that’s okay. But if you find yourself losing valuable time in your day and missing out on opportunities to do the things you needed to do, then it may be time to make some changes. One thing you can do is set a timer on the app to let you know when you have reached that much time using the app. This is one easy way to at least make yourself aware of your usage and not loose time so easily. Finally, the last point I want to make is that because social media can be so addicting, it can severely harm productivity. It’s far too easy to endlessly scroll and lose valuable time in your day. When we’re pursuing our goals we often have trouble with time, yet we lose how much time to social media throughout the day? Now, I’m not saying social media is good or bad, I think there are arguments for both and that is a final decision for you to make. But what I am saying is at the very least you should be aware and managing your social media use. Social media can be an amazing thing and even a tool when operated correctly. Use it, have fun with it, share what you wish, but don’t forget about the life you DO live. We only live once! Don’t forget to live the life you want off social media, so that one day you can post the life you want on social media. Thank you for reading! I’m looking for any writing topics you may have an interest in reading about? Please email me at tanner@roadtosuccessblog.com or direct message me!
