Top Five Drawbacks of Social Media

I am not a psychologist or a sociologist. All I know is that, as an ordinary person who grew up at a time before Nokia became everyone’s cellphone or when typewriters are still valuable, this world we live in- where social media is king, is not as wonderful to me as others find it. Of course, I still get into it like most people do. But I choose not to swim in it or make it my life knowing I could be missing out on the real things around me. So here- I simply count the Top Five Drawbacks of this Phenomenon Called Social Media.

1. Not everything you see or hear on social media is true

I guess this is the best truth about social media. That everything on it is not outright true, Sometimes you hear of these so-called health gurus explaining the lifestyle you need to adopt or these so-called historians who talk about history as if they were alive that time. Most of the time, believe it or not, creators just spill out content that they’re passionate about- or have an experience or two on the subject/s they tackle. But it does not make them experts. Or does not make them right.

2. Social media is distractive

Instead of you focusing on the things you need to accomplish for the hour like cooking or getting everything spick and span inside the house, these end up to be your least priorities because there’s always something new to watch, read or listen to on social. Just because content seems to be limitless, does not mean you can’t put a limit to the time you spend on social.

3. Social media tends to make you feel down

Whether you admit it or not, looking at other people’s feed with them shopping, traveling, hanging out with friends and family or simply looking fit tend to make you look at your own life- and compare. If you’re pretty content with what you have and don’t give a darn about how others’ lives are faring compared to yours, then you’re very fortunate. However, many still tend to feel insecure or envious about others’ successes or happiness even if most of the time, we know that those posts are often staged or concocted. (you know, image is everything?). That’s why it’s best to limit time spent on social media- specially when you know it doesn’t help you feel good about yourself or your life.

4. Social media entertains you – to a fault

Because of too much content out there, your patience is limited. You find yourself swiping too much and too soon, sometimes to the point of not finishing what you started. While it’s fun to be in control of what you watch and when, the whole experience of sitting back and relaxing for a full, in depth entertainment experience becomes alien to you.

5. Social media makes you less social in person

Those who spend too much time on social media become less sociable in person. I guess spending much time just sitting there, with the headset on, locking off the rest of the world, viewing or reading content from others, lessens the time they actually interact with others. It’s uncommon to even be with someone nowadays who can converse with you without checking their phone to see what’s the latest in social.