Too Much News and Social Media?
As an introvert, I suspect this innocent children's song was written by an extreme extrovert. Sure, "getting together" periodically is a good thing, but is "getting together more and more" always more healthy? Aren't there times when being alone and being quiet, "being together less and less," also healthy? As an introvert, I think so!
For this reason, I now restrict how much news I watch on TV. To me, the 24 hour-a-day news cycle is producing a great deal of anxiety mainly because its producers have to find enough bad news (because it sells) to fill up all that space over a 24 hour period. They almost always keep repeating their bad "headline news" over and over again! I agree with Charles Kuralt when he said, "It does no harm just once in a while to acknowledge that the whole country isn't in flames, that there are people in the country besides politicians, entertainers, and criminals." To me, too much bad news repeated over and over and over again, is a cancer on my emotional health.
I do not use Facebook. Oh, I had it for a few weeks several years ago when I was leading a priest retreat in Ireland and someone wanted to send me pictures, but when I got home I tried to cancel my account. It took forever! They want you as an ongoing money source and they do not want to give you up that easily. I am convinced there are times when Facebook is useful and even good, but I also know that it can be a cesspool of gossip, hatred, cruelty, infidelity, bullying and vengeance! I cancelled my account mainly because I got tired of all the "cutest dogs in the world," "cutest grandbabies" and "what I just ate for lunch" pictures - often from people I barely knew or did not know at all! In the end, I am happier without it than I was when I had it for just a few weeks!
Yes, I have a blog, but you have to want to read it to access it. It's title, An Encouraging Word, is intentional. I "post" almost every other day because I want to offer readers some encouragement and support. I try to look for "goodness to affirm" rather than "sins to condemn." If I knew it was causing damage, I would stop "posting" right away! My aim in this "post" is not to condemn social media in general, but to encourage people to look at it with a critical eye as to whether it is helping or hurting them.
Here is a short essay I discovered on-line about some of the damages that social media overuse is causing. It seems to offer some warnings to those who overuse social media. I don't know if every word of it is true or not, so take it or leave it!
The Damages of Social Media Overuse
Social media is a part of the lives of nearly three billion people worldwide. Social media consists of "apps" on almost any electronic device including smartphones, computers and tablets. The most common forms of social media include Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and many more. These "apps" are used for sharing daily activities and other communications and hey are a source of comfort for many. People are attracted to social media because they have a basic human desire to communicate. Despite the comfort provided by social media, its overuse can actually cause psychological damage to some individuals.
Social media is also a major source, if not the largest source, of bullying. This type of bullying is called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be an extreme problem for many reasons, but mainly because a bully can harass his or her victim anonymously. Obviously, there are issues with this ability. Because the victim cannot identify his or her bully, the consequences on the perpetrator are miniscule. The most common mental disorders derived from social media overuse include depression, stress and lack of sleep.
Because of these stated disorders, as well as additional negative impacts of social media, it is clear that the negatives of social media overuse often outweigh the positives. Using social media, for some people, is a way to relax and release stress. However, data collected in 2015 proves otherwise. The level of stress from browsing through social media can be far greater than the level of stress released. People who think they are releasing stress by browsing social media could actually be increasing their stress levels. The human brain becomes tired from constant social media use because of the constant switching from one task to another and trying to comprehend too much information at once.
This action puts an immense amount of stress on a user's brain and can be mentally dangerous. It is strongly advised to take a break from browsing through social media to allow the brain time for cooling down. Th stress of brain fatigue can lead to physical fatigue and the lack of concentration can make living a normal everyday life a challenge. Coping with stress often leads to bad habits like smoking, aggressiveness, alcohol and drug dependency, self criticism and more.
An experiment has been conducted which consisted of Michigan State students being instructed to browse Facebook for 10 minutes and another group of students being assigned to post and talk to friends for 10 minutes. The mood of the socially interactive group was significantly better than the group that browsed Facebook for 10 minutes.
Stress from social media overuse is also derived from self-comparison. Most users of social media subconsciously compare themselves to others leading to poor self-esteem and more stress. The feeling of worthlessness and hopelessness can both be derived from online interactions. Depression affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. It can also make an individual lose interest in an activity once enjoyed. Depression can be serious enough to stop the functioning of a normal life.
An over-user of social media can be observed as acting gloomy and negative. In some cases, their depression can be easily hidden which prevents them for getting help from others. Depression, like stress, can lead to self-comparison to others. Appetite can also be altered as a result of depression. If an individual sees someone online with a physique they desire, appetite can be altered which can lead to anorexia.
Loss of energy is another effect of depression. The desire to participate in an active life can be lost. The major negative effect of depression is thoughts of suicide. Social media allows for anyone to see posts from almost anyone else. If someone is always comparing himself or herself regularly to everyone and everything they see on social media, that could produce negative thoughts including suicide.
Sadie Riggs, 15-year old girl from Bedford, Pennsylvania was harassed on social media throughout her freshman year in high school. The cyberbullying took place through Facebook, Instagram, and Kik. Sadie had previously gone though challenges in her life including her mother leaving her when she was little. Despite getting through this tough personal experience, cyberbullying was too much for her. She committed suicide because of depression coming directly from social media overuse. Depression can be a direct effect of too much exposure to social media which can lead to a dysfunctional life and even suicidal thoughts.
Lack of sleep can be another negative effect on the human body derived from too much social media use. Social media can actually become a consuming activity for many people. Hours upon hours can be spent browsing through other people’s posts. Artificial light coming from smartphone screens, as well as tablets, can inhibit the production of melatonin which facilitates sleep. Blue light is also emitted from computer screens and can be one reason for lack of melatonin production.
Getting the right amount of sleep every night is crucial to functioning properly the following day. The main effects of lack of sleep include fatigue, lack of focus and even a short temper. After many sleepless nights, the brain will begin to fog making concentration nearly impossible. Continued lack of sleep can make an individual more prone to illnesses. These resultant illnesses can include obesity, heart diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Lack of sleep can also disrupt the immune system, making an individual more prone to illnesses that are “going around.” Lack of sleep can clearly be one of the harmful effects of too much social media use.
Overall, the negatives of using social media too much can obviously outweigh the positives. Depression, lack of sleep, and stress can all be direct results of the overuse of social media. Each negative effect can branch off into more negative effects from the overuse of online interaction apps. For example, social media can lead to depression which leads to feelings of being worthless which can then lead to thoughts of self harm. Social media over-use is a dangerous habit to acquire and the negative impacts are sometimes not worth the positives.
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