The True Distraction of Social Media .

    The True Distraction of Social Media                 

Time speeds by in the blink of an eye and each passing minute can either be a step towards one’s goals or away from it. At any given moment, there are a large amount of distractions jumping around within our mind. If these distractions aren’t properly managed or prioritized, they can begin to impede on development. In this day in age, social media is an ever more distraction plaguing in the lives of humanity. Users of social media generally seek in displaying a false identity, trying to keep up with the latest trends, or desire to follow the lives of others. Those whose lives are centralized in this social media induced coma, rarely comprehend the negative impact is has on their ability to grow spiritually and intellectually. Not only does it diminish growth, but it severely damages the perception of the user and promotes unhealthy behavior. Social media is now robbing the minds and spirits of children by exposing them to graphic, vulgar, unhealthy, and sinful material and ways of living. In teens and adults, it creates a double-sided life allowing users to proclaim and tailor an identity behind a screen opening the possibility to severe consequences. Social media cannot and should not be looked at as a form of connection with others since there already exists methods such as texting. There is nothing remotely social about relinquishing the freedom to physical interact for a purely virtual experience. To truly focus on the significance of life, one must detach from social media and all its distractions and learn to live without the need to follow or be followed.

To grasp the meaning or purpose of life and what it truly means to be alive, once must have their hearts and mind opened to the truth. Social media is the opposite of this experience and instead absorbs the mind and heart into a screen of impending and inevitable destruction. In order to live a happy stable life, one’s relationship with God, family and friends should be built on a solid foundation. However, it’s impossible to have a connection with God or one’s family if our time and energy are spent primarily on things such as social media. Trying to keep up with the ever-changing trends of the world is exhausting and can lead to frustration when what is sought after cannot be attained. It strongly impedes on one’s education, development, and ability to function normally; producing poor performance. We are all filled with ambitions that require some type of commitment whether its practicing a certain skill, exercising to maintain physique, or studying to receive a degree. Having various forms of social media and spending a majority of the time immersed in them, either results in never achieving those goals or lacking the motivation to take-action. In the spiritual aspect of existence, it can get in the way of experiencing peace and the capacity to love oneself because the media is full of judgmental perspectives, materialism, and subliminal advertising.

 The effects of social media are readily seen by the decline of our society especially in teens where there has been a rise in mental, emotional, and physical imbalances, deterioration, and stereotypical labeling. Teenage girl’s obsessed with social media, tend to compare themselves with celebrities that are often photo shopped and possess unhealthy figures. As they observe other people that appear to be thinner, wealthier and prettier it creates an affliction with their self-esteem driving them to mimic what they see in hopes of being accepted by society. These teens are robbed of their youth as they try to imitate what they see by striving at all costs to gain material items or by simply starving themselves to achieve these self-destructive images and lifestyles, with the desire and perceived necessity to look like specific people. People use social media to determine their worthiness judging by how many “likes” or comments they receive, lacking the proper self-control for how much they utilize these platforms. According to an article from the New York Post, “a study by global tech protection and support company Asurion found that the average person struggles to go little more than 10 minutes without having to check their phone. Of 2,000 people surveyed, one in 10 check their phones on average once every four minutes”(Americans Check their Phones...). This exemplifies the absence self-restraint and the dependence on technology and social media interaction. While some users of social media aim at being thinner, some are unconsciously gaining weight through binge eating as they spend endless time across social media platforms. In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, it found that “people who are heavy users of Facebook, are tied to increased binge eating, unhealthy snacking, have a higher body mass index and a higher amount of credit card debt”(Egan). Heavy social media users neglect to participate in any form of physical activity due to the excessive amounts of time spent on virtual interaction, creating a pattern for health issues. In addition, the ability to view all the events that occur in media leaves users to experience social isolation as they observe all the activities they are incapable of participating in, creating dangerous self-loathing. Moreover, sleep deprivation is major negative effect often caused by people on their phones before heading to bed. Some get caught up with what’s occurring online, passing endless hours strolling through feeds and mindless data. This attributes to the length, quality, and even lack of sleep users of social media experience. Lastly, a harmful effect from the usage of social media is online bullying. It occurs through threatening emails, aggressive private messages, violent and hateful public comments or even posting manipulative photos of the person being targeted. This is prevalent among teens and young children however, it is not uncommon with adults.