“Don’t use social media to impress people; use it to impact people

“Don’t use social media to impress people; use it to impact people”

“Social Media can be Dangerous. Be Careful”

What is “Social Media” ???

Social media is something where users are enabled to create and share content or to participate in social marketing at different websites. At social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc you can create your account and talk to different people across the world. Here you talk to different people you may seem to have fun but you will be getting addicted to the social media’s which may cause a lot of harm like you may go through depression.

Impact of Social Media on Mental Health:-

Researches say that there is a strong link between Mental Health and Social Media.

Bad effects of social media can lead to Depression, Anxiety, Loneliness, Self-harm. It may also lead to suicidal thoughts or even suicide.

1. Fear of Missing Out:- Social Media accounts like Facebook, Instagram seems to exacerbate feelings such as others are having more fun in their life or living a better life than yours. The idea of missing out on certain things may lead to anxiety, low self-esteem. You may check your phone every few minutes for any updates. Checking updates while driving can be a risk. Due to social media, you miss out sleep at night.

2. Depression and Anxiety:- People need face to face contact to be mentally healthy. Nothing can reduce your stress and boost up your mood faster than eye to eye contact with the person you love or care about. The more you prioritize social media interaction, the more you are at risk in developing mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

3. Self-absorption:- Sharing selfies and all your innermost thoughts on social media can create unhealthy self-centeredness and can distance you from a real relationship. You may always exist in the reel world only.

4. Inadequacy about your life:- Images we view on social are manipulated, it can make you feel insecure or you may judge yourself by thinking that how you look or what’s going on in your life. We see that people tend to share their highlights of life but they don’t share their low points. But it doesn’t mean that the feelings of envy and dissatisfaction when you scroll through a friend’s photo.

5. Negative Comments:- When we post things on social media, we get comments and there is a possibility of getting negative comments also. As there comes negative Comments we start judging yourself on our looks and many more things. Therefore we lose our self-esteem and have low self-confidence.

The good impact of Social Media:

1. Direct connection with the audience:- Social Media is one of the marketing strategies which allows you to connect directly with your audience. You can know who is interested in your business as they choose to follow you. You would be able to make content.

● You can make content which is more personalized to their interests which leads to more engagement with your business.

● You can provide better customer service. You can address them personally and deal with their issues.

2. Build your Brand:– One advantage of Social Media Marketing is that it has the ability to build your own brand. The ability to post organic content for free allows you to build brand recognization repeatedly with your audience.

3. Evaluate your performance:- Social Media has the ability to access your performance. Social Media platforms make it easy for you to track your own can campaign to see if you’re driving valuable results. You can also check out that how many people liked, shared or commented on your post. When you can evaluate your performance, you can optimize and improve it to better results.

4. Create Organic Content:– Social Media benefits us with the ability to post Organic Content for free for business. You can post as much as content you want to engage your audience too. This opens many opportunities for your company to connect with valuable leads.

 

Perceptions of Social Media:-

Virtual life is shiny and bright. It’s where you can post your prettiest pictures and tell all your best news. At Facebook, Instagram you think that you will be presenting yourself, but our profile ends up as somebody else – often the fantasy we want to be. When you start being like this, you compare yourself with others and then you start developing feelings of jealousy. But we should understand that the world on social media sites is a lot different from the real world we see and live in.

You say that you want to brand yourself but you can sometimes get so lost in branding yourself the way you want to be perceived, that what you present online isn’t who you are really. In a virtual world where it is understood that everyone exaggerates and reality is always slightly distorted, the temptation to lie or stretch the truth is more than ever.

 

Minimize the negative effects:-

● Move social apps off your home screen. Having this extra step to open them can reduce your urge to check Social Media

● Set a alarm that you must use social media between specific timings only. May be 20 to 30 minutes

● Put your phone on silent mode so that when you don’t hear a tone or vibration you won’t be distracted or disturbed.

● Limit the number of apps you use and try and stick to apps that you use the most to communicate

Try to be busy so that you don’t often use social media

 

Maximize the positive effects:-

● Use socail media as a way to plan face to face meetings. It makes you feel more good when you meet a person in actual than virtual

● Follow the people and brands which makes you feel good and unfollow people and brands which doesn’t make you feel good

● Look and follow those pages which posts memes and inspirational quotes to help ease stress

● Be mindful and intentional of your social media use

 

Conclusion:-

You have to control yourself from using Social Media. You have to pay attention on what you feel and what makes you happy. If social media doesn’t make you happy then stop using it . Don’t compare yourself with others as everyone has different personalities and different priorities and characteristics.

Don’t get addicted to Social Media. Once you get addicted to get it’s difficult for you to come through it. If you think that you are getting addicted then try less using social media. Social Media can be a useful addition to your social life, but only a flesh and blood person sitting across you can fulfill the basic human need for connection and belonging.