In the quest to find out what sociological dislocation or psychological or psychological condition could have given rise to the explosion of the use of status symbol in the social media, I found a few interesting reasons:
- the Internet as a platform for presenting the self.
- The sociological theories: functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionism-help us to think about how parts of society function in expected and unexpected ways to maintain existing social order. They also pay attention to how parts disrupt the existing order in expected and unexpected ways. (CliffNotes)
- Time spent on social media replaces time spent in face-to-face interaction particularly with friends and family thus reducing well-being
- Social media deprives us of self-control and ability to think independently, making us vulnerable to being tricked into joining groups on what serves their best interests and not necessarily truth or values based (ResearchGate)
- People who spend much time on social media are more likely to experience anxiety and depression! (Testbook.com)
The objective here is not to enter any fruitless debate, but a call to self-examination on how social media has affected your life as a believer.
Beyond what the causative factors may be, see the conclusions that the Research Gate reached from their study.
Researchers discovered that, in a sample group of teenage girls, excessive Face-book usage caused the sample group to be at a higher risk for depression and anxiety. A year later, the researchers re- evaluated the group for any signs of depression or anxiety. The study findings proved that users who frequently discussed their problems with friends, through social media, experienced higher levels of anxiety than those who did not. “Texting, instant messaging and social networking make it very easy for adolescents to become even more anxious, which can lead to depression. In doing this our more important relationships with our loved ones and close family members suffer because more of our time and effort is put into the illusion of social media.
MTV’s show, Catfish based off a documentary film, is a good example showcasing the illusion of social media connections. The term Catfish describes people who create fake social networking profiles, and “catfishing” is the process of befriending strangers online while using a fake or stolen identity. It is a deceptive act, and it has ruined marriages, relationships and the emotional well-being of many people. In one of the episodes on Catfish, the narrator of the current television show, Nev Schulman, went to meet his online love in person only to be shocked by the deception he discovered. The woman whose picture he had seen on social media was that of an entirely different person. In Nev’s mind if she could lie about something so basic as her appearance her whole character was called into question. After conversing with her he found that many other personal details of her life were false as well.
Social media has negative effects on peoples’ self-esteem and self-worth. People compare their own lives to the lives of their friends through their friends’ posts. People are motivated to portray themselves in a way that is appropriate to the situation and serves their best interest. Often the things posted online are the positive aspects of people’s lives, making other people question why their own lives are not as exciting or fulfilling. This can lead to depression and other self-esteem issues.
Girls generally show more emotion in their posts and more frequently change their profile pictures, which according to some psychologists can lead to self-objectification.
On the other hand, the Impact of social media on society, researchers found that boys prefer to portray themselves as strong, independent, and powerful. While boys or men often post pictures of objects and not themselves, Girls and women generally post more images that include themselves, friends and things.
- One of the negative effects of social media or networking is it leads to addiction. Spending countless hours on social sites can divert the focus and attention from a particular task. It lowers the motivational level of the people,
- Kids can be greatly affected by these social networking sites if they are allowed to use them.
- Another downside of the social media is that the user shares too much information which may
- pose threats to them.
- Social media has a negative impact on our lives because the combination of isolation and global reach.
- We prefer texting to phone conversations, online chat to a face-to-face meeting, and many have replaced human interaction with convenient platforms such as Face-book, Twitter, and Instagram.
Conclusion: –
To summarize, despite the positive benefit of rapid information sharing, social media enables people to create false identities and superficial connections, causing depression. In this research, I have explored the harms posed by this uncensored and unmonitored new medium of communication which exposes us all to a gradual breakdown of social cohesion and the destruction of our traditional value systems, unless we take responsibility to ensure that our understanding of social media and its impacts”—ResearchGate
Wow, would you think on what you have read and take positive steps to deliver yourself from this innocuous and distractive trap? Selah
Pastor Afolabi Oladele
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