Limiting Social Media. Life before 2012 and now. Stress is on us. The constant pressure to support or abuse has taken a toll on us. Let’s be normal, back to our work. Fewer memes, less talk, more do.
How many times have you felt pressured to take sides on social media brawls? Doesn’t the constant pressure to have an opinion or to stand for something for the sake of your social media persona kind of get to you sometimes? If so, welcome to the club— you’re not alone, my friend! This generation dances to the whims of the latest social media trend, or the hot gossip, and if you feel compelled to have an impressive presence in social media, you more possibly experienced the pressure to abide by that particular image.
Imagine life around or before 2014. Social media wasn’t non-existent back then, but memes hadn’t yet become the be-all and end-all of life for youngsters. People had dreams and aspirations that they weren’t simply giving up to sit in front of their gadgets and scroll endlessly for the latest shred of lame humour. Social media was a part of many people’s lives, but the scrolling was being done in moderation, without compromising on other activities. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, without making a qualitative judgement, life was more active and it had more things to have fun with.
Right now, social media have taken over a majority of most people’s headspace. People are struggling to get out of their little bubble of instant gratification, and failing desperately. Social media have familiarized us with instantaneous validation too much for own good, and a lack of that kind of momentary adrenaline rush has begun taking a heavy toll on most people’s mental health and dopamine production. Whatever it is, it isn’t a healthy practice to be so so dependent on instant validation that a lack thereof sends you on a downward spiral of stress and low self-esteem and unfortunately, that is exactly what is happening. People are failing to identify that a heart react or a positive comment from a stranger online can not be the only thing responsible for their happiness. Using memes to escape the reality or hiding behind that kind of humour as a coping mechanism for serious issues plaguing one’s mental health can not be the solution to dealing with crippling anxiety and depression.
All of this has delivered a severe hit in the face of productivity. We are investing way too much time and energy behind social media to get any work done. Instead of communicating freely, we have begun to scour our galleries for a meme that remotely conveys a sentiment, and then we wonder why the communication gap is ever-widening. It all boils down to the number of hours of our life that we have wasted, aimlessly and mindlessly scrolling through Reddit, Facebook, with our human reactions limited to upvotes or downvotes, or double taps.
It is of extreme importance right now to limit our engagement with social media, because the more time we spend on these apps, the more we are getting sucked into the whirlwind of addiction. Once we can tear ourselves away from social media, all that is left to do is jump right back to action, and we will find it relatively easier to find our footing in life.
Getting out of that mad rush of instant validation will be a great favour to ourselves because doing more will need all our undistracted dedication— and the particular brand of social media gratification is nothing but a distraction. The less we let the entire world know what we are thinking, the more time we will have to focus on ourselves on our goals and dreams. Here’s a little advice—start a fifteen-day free trial with a life of minimum involvement with social media and with more productivity, and I promise you, you’ll fall in love with it!
You will be:
- Less distracted: The urge to not check your phone in every break you get, will make more focused on your work and less distracted.
- Sleep better: Minimum involvement in Social Media means less exposure to your phone, thus your sleeping patterns will improve.
- Will be less anxious: Millennial and Gen Z have complained of getting anxious and checking their Social Media very often—anxiety levels will drop once you limit your exposure to social media.
- Your mental health will improve: Social media has been the cause for depression according to studies, refraining from it will help improve your overall mental health.