The Dark Side of Social Media

0
631
D:\Projects\Zakir Projects\Social Media

Table of Contents

Social Media is the ‘in’ thing now with most of us. We are influenced by these platforms and try to run our lives by following these platforms. You have seen the positive of these platforms but are you aware that these platforms can be ‘dark’ and ‘negative’. Before giving you an insight to this dark side, why not yourself ask on how you were leading your life before all this madness took over. Life was definitely much more simple and easy. To give you a better understanding of this here we go.

Whatsapp

This app, ‘Whatsapp’ has managed to get popularity as it allows you to stay connected with family and friends. Let us see the negative impact on your mental health. The ‘good mornings’ and ‘happy birthdays’ are fine but what about all the gossiping about the different members of a specific group. I have noticed that people in these groups can induce anxiety if you are not able to reach up to their standards. There is a lot of flaunting and showing off among people and this can give you an inferiority complex.

Why not just stay away from these and lead the life you were leading before this app came into being.

Besides gossiping, you also have many people getting into rumors and fake news. This can definitely cause panic and anxiety.

Whatsapp can also lead to distancing yourself from immediate family. You get so engrossed in making sure that you have answered all your messages that you do not realize how you are distancing from the immediate family present right there in front of you..

The Dark Side of Social Media

Facebook

Facebook is another platform that can be the culprit for your misery. Scrolling through all those posts, commenting and liking is definitely time consuming.

You can feel be-littled by all those pictures posted by a friend who has visited exotic places and has ensured that everyone knows about this. You might feel inferior and strive for that level of outing.

With ‘Facebook’ you can also connect with strangers. This can be dangerous. The internet is full of scammers, fraudsters and pedophiles. They can be termed as ‘predators’ that are on a constant watch for their preys. There is a lot of temptation to connect with these people as you feel you need to make new friends or spice-up your life. It might be a bit too late when you realize that you have been taken for a ride.

Instagram

Instagram leads to addiction and as known, any type of addiction is a big ‘NO’ for everybody. This platform serves content continuously and the users keep on going back to their feeds. This platform is designed to be ‘bottomless’ and you tend to scroll constantly. The manner in which you interact with this app is harmful to your mental health.

At one time, with that excessive dose of ‘Instagram’ you start evaluating yourself and compare yourself to others. No two people are similar and most of us tend to forget this when you are involved with this platform. This platform blurs the set boundaries between peers and celebrities. This is dangerous.

Those who use this platform are prone to consistently socially compare and this leads to problems like self-esteem, social anxiety and also mood.

Twitter

Twitter is another social media platform that can be termed as ‘dangerous’. You are not too sure about what is being written on this platform as nothing can be clarified or justified. This platform has limitations. You cannot exceed a certain number of characters when you wish to post. This means no explanations are offered and there is a lot of misunderstanding harbored.

Another negative of this platform is the trolling carried out. Trolling can bring down the morale of an individual. You lose self-confidence and are not sure of yourself. There is no way you can progress if you are active on this platform.

Before you get addicted to any of the social media platforms it is advisable to take a step back and recollect and introspect how this has affected you.

It is not all ‘negative’ if you have the knowledge of keeping a good balance. You can devote an hour or so in a day to these platforms and make sure you do not respond to any negativity. You can have a good laugh at all those people out there with all their stupidities. You know how foolish a human being can get just to get some attention with some ‘likes’.

You need to plan out outdoor activities and personal meetings with family and friends instead of connecting on the social media platform.