No matter how much our social media profiles bring happiness and excitement in the mundane routine of our daily life, one fine day it might turn against us. It might seem to be far-fetched and unbelievable to many of us, but our addiction to social media has got the potential to make us so isolated like we have never felt before.
In the beginning, the internet became a medium for people to connect with each other and bridge distances, but with time it has become more of an integral part of our lifestyle. Researchers tried to study the impacts of the internet on our mental and physical health, and as anticipated, the results were mixed. While some of the studies showed how excessive use of the internet has the potential to disrupt our overall well-being, other showings pointed out users of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are more socially groomed now!
What is the relationship between online communications and social life well-being?
When the internet made its way into the world, most people intended to substitute face-to-face communications with online interactions. With the advent of social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, our lives have become easier as now we can keep a track of our acquaintances and keep updated about our close ones’ social lives.
According to experts, the strongest impact of excessive Internet usage in our lives is through communications. Nowadays, tremendous communications flow to and fro mobile phones, messaging apps and image apps.
As communications are considered to be one of the major factors behind improving well-being it not only flourishes our already existing relationships but also can help us get rid of loneliness.
The Internet has also paved the way for new relationships and friendships which earlier were next to impossible, and the greatest example of this phenomenon is online dating. The dating apps like Tinder and Melt tracks the users’ location and then recommend them like-minded people staying in their neighborhood, thereby encouraging them to chat over coffee.
Some gaming apps like Pokemon Go also use live tracker so that players can form social circles and interact vigorously via playing the game.
Impacts of social media on our mind
More than the positive side of internet usage, researchers are gradually growing more and more concerned about its negative effects.
According to expert analyst observations, young minds treat social media as a stage to voice their opinions and hopes about the future. Some feel that the influence of social media in our lives is not necessarily positive or negative, but it can impact our lives in a ton of other ways as well.
While studying Snapchat usage, researchers state that a trend is being noticed nowadays of leaving behind giant social platforms like Facebook for joining smaller social media sections. While this behavior seems interesting, the reasons behind it are yet to be confirmed.
What people post on Facebook or Instagram often lead to stress in others which can potentially trigger insomnia. People have a heightened sense of narcissism, and tend to get in relationships that are purely superficial. But these effects are perceived only among users who spend the maximum number of hours in a day online.
Insomnia, an alarming issue nowadays is the byproduct of increased stress in our lives and it alone can hamper our health balance. If you are not getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep a day, then you can face serious mental and physical health defects. But thankfully insomnia can be treated from the very beginning by using natural and safe products, like the cannabutter. You can prepare this cannabis-infused butter at home easily and ease out stress and related symptoms. Cannabutter does not come with intoxicating effects, so you can use it without the fear of getting impacted mentally. It is also great for curing depression which is also finely connected to stress and insomnia.
There is another downside of having unlimited access to information – narcissism. Some people seem to lap up every bit of validation they receive on social media, without judging the truth or depth behind it. They start comparing themselves or their lives with others. As a result, while some become extremely narcissistic, others start feeling lowly about themselves.
And we only consider the quality of the communications on social media which are positive, a person might feel contentment. But in the opposite case, they easily feel dejected and sorrowful, such is the influence of social media on their lives.
Final words
In a nutshell, the internet is both a boon and a bane to mankind. And the effects of the internet on individuals largely depend on the age, culture, beliefs and overall personality of individuals. You might have seen that some individuals are more affected by the internet than others, this is because of their distinct online activities and their personalities. Of course, with rational thinking and the right kind of support, healthy social media usage can be easily promoted.