As technology continues to advance, the impressive changes online, including social media, makes our daily lives more entertaining. Social media provides us with educational new insights daily and helps us to connect with people around the world. However, getting sucked into our devices can have some alarming impacts on our lives as well. Here, we will dive into some of the impacts of social media.
1. Shorter Attention Spans Are on the Rise
One of the most popular things to do on our devices is use social media. Social media is filled with bite-sized information that young people are increasingly drawn to. Instead of spending an hour on one content, social media users can scroll and consume 60-minute videos that will be just as entertaining.
Studies have suggested that this quick content has a significant impact on the attention spans of young people. It is indicated that quick video formats on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels influenced a drop in average attention spans. According to the Microsoft Attention Span Study in 2015, the average human attention span was even shorter than the attention span of a goldfish since it had decreased to 8 seconds. As a result, there are concerns that young people might struggle to do one task for extended periods.
2. Social Media Fuels Comparison, Affecting Self-Esteem
Social media influences many people, and these people fall prey to the unrealistic standards of beauty, success, and happiness that social media portrays. As a result of believing in the lies told on social media, people with low self-esteem feel pressured to measure up. Teenagers may be at risk of having mental issues, including depression and anxiety, if they spend more than three hours per day on social media, according to research. Due to constantly comparing the likes they received and their appearance to the heavily filtered or staged photos, their self-esteem might suffer greatly.
3. Digital Communication Is Replacing Real Conversations
The importance that was once placed on face-to-face conversations is slowly fading. With the advancement of technology, people are finding it more and more important to communicate through their devices via texting or social media messaging.
The use of emojis is reshaping how young people communicate, giving them more entertaining ways to bring across their thoughts. However, young people are at risk of impairing their interpersonal skills if they lean too much toward digital communication. Additionally, they might not understand how to read social cues, and they might have difficulty handling face-to-face conflicts. Studies have shown that teenagers often feel lonely despite connecting with many friends and family online.
4. Gaming Can Trigger Reward-Seeking Behaviour
While games offer thrilling adventure and relaxation, games also might impact you negatively with the engaging reward-based mechanisms that mimic gambling. Gamers feel ecstatic when they attain points, badges, and virtual currencies because the brain’s dopamine system is activated. Therefore, players might develop compulsive gaming behaviours as they chase rewards. Video games might seem harmless, but too much game time can result in “gaming disorder.” Gamers might experience the impacts on their relationships, academic performance, and even physical health.
5. Sleep Is Suffering Due to Screen Exposure
Too much screen time can not only damage your vision but also interfere with the body’s natural production of melatonin due to the blue light. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates sleep, which means it can reduce your sleep quality if you are using your device late at night. As a result, you may suffer chronic sleep deprivation, which can affect your mental health, resulting in anxiety and depression. It is said that young people typically use their devices for around seven hours, including nighttime.
