Social media stress: are you feeling the pressure?
( 6 -7 minute read)
author: katherine heath
Social media has quickly become a big part of our lives since its humble beginnings. The list of benefits, from connecting like-minded communities to growing international businesses, is long. However, even with its numerous benefits, it can be overwhelming and cause for stress for many of us.
Close to half the world’s population (approximately 3.03 billion people) are on social media and it looks like that figure is only set to increase. But, if something is used by so many, isn’t it important that we are aware of the dangers it poses to our well-being?
Among the common negative effects of social media use are stress, anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, hacking, scams, cheating and relationship problems, drug abuse and even death. Social media can also become addictive – Facebook users who find using Facebook stressful are at higher risk of becoming addicted to the site, according to research.
The fact that social media is addictive can make it hard to make changes but even more important that we do.
Technology has changed the way we do just about everything these days. From food shopping to dating, we’re using our devices to find the things we need and connect with the people we care about, but does our love for tech come at a cost?
The pressure to document our every movement has been turned up to ten. And for those born into a world where social media is the norm its easy to think there is no alternative.
We are at a stage now where children are being born into a world where social media is just a part of life, but should it be that way?
Will there be huge consequences further down the line?
What are the dangers of social media?
Validation
Likes, comments, shares, they all play into our desire to be liked and accepted in our societies. Seeking validation online is dangerous because it adds more external validators to our self worth. When we post a photo, we assume it’s only a ‘good’ photo if others ‘like’ it, but what about what we like? Seeking validation online does not make us happy, in fact it can lead to feelings of confusion about who we really are.
Comparison
Social media channels are a curated version of our lives – the best bits that we want people to see. This means when we start comparing ourselves to others, we’re comparing ourselves only to their highlights without thinking about the fact that they’re potentially hiding the worst from us.
Those whose self confidence is already low can become more anxious or depressed when they start comparing themselves to others online.
Confused reality
Similar to comparison and validation, social media has us thinking that what we see online is reality. With the increase in fake influencers and fake news it’s hard to suss out for ourselves what’s real and what’s not. This can lead to confusion in the real world.
Once social media becomes our reality we start to care more about a photo opportunity than simply enjoying the view or event itself.
Wasted time
Social media channels are designed to keep you on them for as long as possible. This means it’s easy to scroll away the hours without realising how much time you’re wasting looking at things you’re not even particularly interested in. Time is precious, as they say, and each hour spent scrolling is an hour not spent building your dream business, enjoying time with family or simply looking after yourself.
Isolation
Whilst social media is great at bringing people together – there’s no denying it’s fantastic that we can connect with like-minded individuals across the globe at the click of a button – it’s easy to think that social media connections are all we need.
It’s easy to get lost in an online world and forget about the importance of offline connections.
Sleep
Whilst the science behind the link between social media and sleep is complex there’s a strong correlation between social media usage and disrupted sleep. A lack of sleep can lead to other physical and mental health problems.
Confirmation bias
Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that affirms one's prior beliefs or hypotheses. It is a type of cognitive bias and a systematic error of inductive reasoning.
We follow the people we agree with and we like the content that resonates with us, the social platforms see this and start showing us more of the ‘same’ content that they believe we’ll like. This quickly gets us into our own online content bubble which very rarely shows us opposing arguments for the things we believe to be true.
Most things in life have their negatives – too much of anything is usually a bad thing – but it’s not usually the thing itself that’s to blame, it’s the way we use it. This theory, I would say, is even more important when it comes to social media.
The platforms aren’t going anywhere so we need to find a way of living with them that doesn’t impact our physical or mental health.
How to reduce social media stress
There are plenty of ways to avoid stress caused by social media and its all about developing a good relationship with the platforms.
If you’re struggling with stress when it comes to social media, try putting some of these changes in place and measure how you feel once you do. A great way to help yourself commit is to take these changes on with a friend or colleague who wants to do the same.
Set specific times to check social media each day or week. This helps you to avoid distraction and reduces worrying about the fact you should be doing other things. It also means you can keep control of how much time you are spending on the platforms.
Avoid using your phone at lunchtimes. Get away from your screens at lunchtime, get outside if you can and leave your phone behind to avoid temptation.
Bring a book to read on your commute or when travelling.
Ask your employer to run a mental health workshop on the dangers of social media
Reduce the channels you use and the accounts you follow. One of the best things I’ve ever done is cut down the number of accounts I follow and platforms I use. I pretty much stick to Instagram and LinkedIn for personal use and only follow accounts that add value for me.
Plan meetings with friends and leave your phone in your bag
Take a disposable camera on holiday – for those of you feeling brave this is a big move that will help you feel free from the constant need to update those back home on what you’re doing
Read a newspaper that you wouldn’t normally read. This keeps you away from your screen and encourages you to think differently about things.
The possibilities and opportunities social media creates are indispensable but we must be aware that there are real dangers that come with using the platforms in the wrong way. Feeling confident and happy in ourselves does not come from online connections, it comes from real connections with real people that we genuinely care about.
Finding balance is key.
We must find ways of using social media for its pros without succumbing to its stress-inducing cons.
