How social media affects your life

We like posting pictures on Instagram, share links with friends on Facebook, laugh at another gif on WhatsApp. How were our lives before all this social media heaven?

Addiction

You might acknowledge this or not. If you haven't already, install an app or just check it in your settings to see how much time you spend on apps per day/week (more on this you can find here on how to do it on Android and iOS).

We waste a lot of time scrolling Facebook or Instagram, sitting and watching YouTube or Netflix.

I am not gonna deny that I also spent time on one of these things, but it's important to put yourself a limit or reduce the amount of time you spend on these platforms.

What's wrong in reading a book or get outside and grab a bite/beer/drink with a friend or more and chat?

You might think, "yeah, but isn't that wasting time?". Well, kinda. Socializing physically is far more important and beneficial than talking with your friends on Facebook.

It's not the same thing, sorry. The face 2 face chemistry is natural, rather than online, where you kinda have to guess what the other person intentions were when they give you a reply.

Self-image issues

This seems to become trendy with the explosion of Instagram.

Everyone looks gorgeous, handsome, hunk. You name it.

You look like crap in comparison. Why?!

You don't have too many likes on your latest photo and you feel disappointed.

These are all feelings that you might encounter mindlessly scrolling through your Instagram.

I say, screw that. You are beautiful/handsome in your way.

All the things we see nowadays on these social media platforms are super edited, heck, software beautified photos with all this focus on having X cameras on your phone.

That's not who they are in reality. Yes, some of them look almost the same in person, but some of them might take you by surprise if you see them live.

Traveling FOMO?

You can also visit these places, you just have to plan accordingly and go as well.

That doesn't mean that you are not traveling enough. You have also been to a few places, right?

The fact that a person that you follow and posts on weekly traveling around the world might just be that, maybe, that person has a full-time job trying to entertain its followers on Instagram (see where I was going with this?)

Loneliness

You are just sitting by yourself on a Friday night, people going out and having fun and partying and whatnot.

All your friends are having weddings and babies while you are a single, lonely person.

What's the point?

How many times have you felt this way?

Again, screw that.

I've been alone for a long period of life. And I felt like crap.

Somehow, I managed to push myself and trying to focus on other things and not just worry to find my perfect match.

Guess what, when I wasn't looking, I found my perfect match.

I am a happily married guy, soon to have a baby girl. Life's good.

What I can say is: don't give up, you are not predestined to live alone by yourself forever. Just give it time. When the right time comes, everything will happen eventually.

Manipulation (Fake news issue)

This is getting pretty serious by the day.

Based on your likes, things you share, all these things will help Facebook to give you a recommendation in terms of ads, groups to join, posts that are sponsored.

Things like Cambridge Analytica are here and will affect you in a way that you will get into a vortex and that is where the manipulation comes in place.

Recommendations work only based on your actions. The more active you are, the more you'll end up getting into that vortex and it's very hard to get out of it unless you are aware of what you are reading.

My recommendation is to not believe every news you read. Most of them are crap. Try filtering things out that you might think that doesn't make sense.

Not everyone is plotting to take over the world or to ruin the economy.

Read as you wish, but filter out.

We have access to so much information on this Internet. Reading some bullshit article is not worth it.

Instead, read the news on your specialty.

Politics will drive you crazy.

I remember a few months ago I was watching news almost daily with my wife.

And all political games happening, I was shocked, to say the least. Will my country go to hell or what is going on?

One day, I said, enough is enough. I got better things to worry about. Politics is not one of them.

Socializing

This is somehow related to what I already said, but socializing is important.

What I want to get with this, let's say you meet with your friends to have a beer.

For the love of God, don't sit around saying nothing and just scrolling your Facebook account or God knows you are doing with your phone.

Try this as an experiment: whenever you have a social gathering, a work meeting, just turn off your phone or don't bring it with you.

You will be amazed at how different you will feel and how the interaction with the people around you will feel more engaged.

I also think sitting on your laptop or your phone while you have a meeting is disrespectful as you are not really into what's going on around you. Do yourself a favor and just leave that meeting.

Conclusion

We might not be able to give up social media at all. We might need social media to promote our products or whatnot and that's explainable. What I would like to take from my post is to just be more aware of your time on social media.

You can do so much. It's up to you how you make the most of your time.

Inspiration

How Can Social Media Affect Your Health?

Positive & Negative Effects of Social Media on Our Lives

Photo by Zoran Zonde Stojanovski on Unsplash