Recently I did something that not many millennials could have done. I quit social media cold turkey. This got me thinking about how social media has impacted my generation. But, even more importantly how it will affect those to come. 

Ever since the advent of pioneer social media sites like Myspace and Hi5 (for those who know and remember), it's been an ongoing trend to post the daily ins and outs of our life for everyone to see and read. 

I began to realize that these posts were far from genuine and lead to people (myself included) casting unrealistic goals and expectations on themselves based on a perceived notion of what we think other's lives are like.  The recent decision prompted me to look inwardly at the overall negative effects of these sites and how we can be more mindful of these phenomenons. 

So I decided to share my thoughts with you.

Depreciation of your Mental Health

One thing that we can count on seeing once we browse through our newsfeeds, whether it's on Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram is unrealistic photos and body images. Don't get me wrong: it's interesting to see beautiful people in beautiful fashion, but it's important to not take everything at face value. At first glance, you might just have a mere appreciation for these photos. But, after some time you start a downward spiral which results in you inevitably comparing yourself to these unnatural ideals.  This can cause a chain reaction that can lead to unhappiness, self-esteem issues, sleep deprivation and eventually depression. 

It's crucial for you to be able to separate what's real from what's simply being posted for likes and comments. Don't fall into the trap that so many (including myself) have been so badly hurt by. These platforms can be used as a weapon to fight against social injustice and prejudice or it can be used as a weapon aiming for your mental health. It's up to you to effectively handle how it impacts you.   

General Addiction

For me, I think social media can be more addicting than cigarettes, alcohol or even marijuana (I'm a Jamaican so I had to mention this one ). How long can you go without checking Facebook or Instagram? Be honest! If your answer to that question is less than eight (8) hours, you might have a problem. I chose eight (8) hours because that's generally the time allotted for a workday.

How do you know you're addicted? You may find yourself staying up until late at night just browsing, or even waking up in the middle of the night to reach for your phone. I'm not a professional but I'm guessing that these are not good signs. 

My opinion is that this takes away from you enjoying each moment. I remember going out with some friends who I hadn't seen in so long. But, instead of us enjoying each other's company and catching up, we were busy taking pictures and videos to show we were out having fun, rather than actually having fun.  

Can Cause a Distortion Between Reality and Fantasy

After some time the line between what's real and what's being done for social media likes becomes a bit blurry. This is one of the main factors that might lead to mental health issues. When we are no longer able to decipher the lies on social media whether it's being told by others or ourselves.

I think this, in turn, affects our memory of certain events and how we experience things in our day to day life. A lot of times we are so busy trying to take the perfect photo of a visual marvel than trying to experience or absorbing it firsthand.

We end up creating a perceive memory or vision of something that actually never happened. This also rolls over into public relationships where the ideas of what we think a relationship should be is forced on us by “couple’s goals” post. We end up disappointed and lacking the necessary drive to work and create a meaningful relationship.

My advice

As with most things social media has its positives and negatives. Although I made the drastic decision to boycott it all together this is not necessarily my advice here. My advice is to do a self-evaluation. Be honest with yourself about how the usage of social media is affecting you. From there decide whether it would be best for your overall health to take a hiatus from it. 

Everything in life is best in moderation, keep track of your usage and try to be conscious of what you're viewing. If something is making you feel negative emotions towards yourself scroll away. It’s within your right to do just that.

Also, it’s very important not to abuse social media. Do not use it as a medium to bully anyone. Cyberbullying is real! A Lot of the times we use the internet as an excuse to be mean to others. Know that like you, the recipient on the other end is a living, breathing person, so be kind!