The dark side of social networks and their impact on our health

The number of users of these platforms reaches nearly half of the population of our planet (3.5 billion people, equivalent to 45% of the Earth's population) at a rate of 3 hours per day that these users spend on social networking sites, and with these crowds that have produced huge communities of audiences that spend their time on those Pages that read, communicate, see people's lives and pictures and interact with them, unhealthy phenomena produced by social media platforms appear in today's societies.

Facebook Envy

Perhaps the term “Facebook envy” is more famous than the term “social media envy.” The term may be a little harsh or exaggerated, but the resentment and resentment that some feel only to see someone's promotion at work or perhaps a trip photo of a relative or just a nice selfie post, makes us wonder about the truth about the feelings of jealousy and envy raised by social media platforms, which in turn are reflected in our lives with a sense of dissatisfaction and lack of self-esteem associated with the comparisons fed by social media posts that create a state of constant anxiety and possibly depression.

In a review of a number of researches conducted to find a causal relationship between Facebook envy and the comparisons that occur while browsing social media platforms and depressed moods, and although studies have not yet reached the full causal chain of occurrence of depressed mood as a result of comparison and envy, it suggests that the feeling of being lost Time, excessive contact and the comparisons that occur after browsing these platforms have a negative effect on human mood.

Psychologist Rachel Andrew says that she sees more and more envy in her counseling room from people who "cannot achieve the lifestyle they want compared to the lifestyle of others," and adds, "our use of platforms compounds this deeply disturbing psychological disagreement."

Those comparisons are now much less realistic because the images are modified and attempt to give the impression of an ideal life that does not really exist.

Studies have reported that the rate of psychological stress and stress for the Constant CHECKER 4.4 is much higher than for others who are not classified in this category.

Fear of missing out FOMO

A relatively new term for feelings of anxiety that arise from the realization that they miss an opportunity that other people are experiencing and push people to stay informed of what other people are doing on social media platforms.

Studies indicate that FOMO fears increase the more time a person spends on social media platforms. These fears affect mental health and behavior such as the appearance of depression, lack of focus and the physical symptoms related to that.

CONSTANT CHECKER

We meet many people who seem to have a smartphone sticking to their hands with glue, during a business meeting, at the dining table, while driving a car, in family sessions, and you notice them taking a look at their Facebook account, email, etc.

Here appears the term CONSTANT CHECKER, which refers to people who cannot take their fingers away from their phones, and here we are talking about a large proportion, about 43% of the American people, for example, who were diagnosed as CONSTANT CHECKER with varying degrees of connection to the phone, on a scale of 1-10 (1) little pressure or None and 10 is a great deal of stress), studies have reported that the rate of psychological stress and stress for the CONSTANT CHECKER category is 4.4, which is much higher than others who are not classified in this category.

Where the American Psychological Association notes that the highest levels of stress and psychological stress are associated with CONSTANT CHECKER, in addition to stress, these people feel separated from their families, and that they are less likely to meet with family and friends in person because of the preoccupation with social media.

It has become impossible to maintain healthy and great social relationships with social media sites that absorb time and attention in the first place

Emotional safety and social media platforms

A study conducted on the impact of social media use on emotional well-being, reported that the more time a person spends on social media platforms, the more likely he will be exposed to a negative impact on his emotional well-being in general and the lower the quality in his relationships, as social media users feel distracted, irritated and negative feelings .

Social media platforms and their danger to social relationships

It can be impossible to maintain healthy and great social relationships with social media sites that absorb time and attention in the first place.

The destruction that inflicts on relationships is often caused by the fact that social media users' energy, passion, and interest put them in the virtual world, and invest less energy in real relationships on the ground, thus creating a kind of social apathy and alienation that kills the relationship around us.

Social phobia and social media platforms

Social phobia is a type of psychological disorder in which the sufferer feels fear, anxiety, and severe disturbance from exposure to a social situation in which there is self-humiliation, as if his actions are under the microscope or his feeling that everyone is watching what he does, which leads to the person being isolated in an attempt to avoid these situations.

Social media platforms were the biggest cause of the spread of such psychological disorders, for example, fleeing to text messages became a way to avoid the anxiety that may occur when meeting people, this escape from social experiences on a daily basis deprives people of opportunities to go into social experiences and opportunities to learn from them, and thus It enhances the negative sense of self that accompanies social phobia.

Social media can be a place to connect with friends and family or have fun, but at the same time it can be a source of harm to our social relationships.

The influence of social media on decision-making

There is much talk about the role of social media in influencing human behavior, including decision-making, this fact that companies, large institutions and even governments realize as a means of influencing the recipient in what serves their interests, and examples are many, including the influence of social networking sites to attract voters or change the shape of elections in a country Or for example, the campaign that Facebook raised to donate organs, and the number of its donors reached 500,000.

Statistics show that 81% of consumers are influenced by recommendations from posts and friends when making their purchase decision.

The impact social media has on our perception of ourselves and our bodies

Social media platforms, including influencers who nurture the idea of ​​perfection, the ideal body, the ideal job, the ideal partner, the ideal leisure life, the ideal home, smart and polite ideal children and other images, make the recipient imagine that this idealism is the natural state that must be possessed and when he looks back at his life he finds the chasm The big difference between what he sees and what he aspires to and his real potential makes him frustrated, or maybe even self-loathing or hating the body he is.

Social media encourages the necessity to display every profile picture and showcase the successes of individuals and thus users reach despair by increasing their desire for perfection.

Social media can be a place to connect with friends and family and have fun, but at the same time it can be a source of harm to our social relationships and our perception of ourselves, and what determines its impact is the way we use it.