Ever wondered why some people consistently share their life across social media platforms? These include their life updates, their possessions, their accessories, and an endless list of other intimate stuff.
Social media observers have over the past few years witnessed a rising trend in the popularity of social media trends which have surged due to the growing number of social media networks. Has anyone wondered what is the psychology behind these trends and the subsequent behavior of its users?
Many factors contribute to this behavior. While technology has given an unanswerable use of power to individuals, it has also revealed hidden parts of their psyche. Individual characteristics like narcissism, self-esteem, self-worth, and shyness contribute to the urge to the urge for self-presentation on the internet.
Psychologists suggest that oversharing on the internet is driven by an individual’s self-confidence. This is the primary reason why many people feel tied to the ‘comments’ or ‘likes’ on their posts and pictures. Their self-esteem makes them feel good as people judge them based on what they see, not on who they are.
Seeking approval is an innate feature but the risk of getting addicted to selfies and positive feedback is risky. Just in case they don’t get enough likes or the feedback they were expecting will shatter their confidence and leave a negative impact on their mental health. Everyone has heard the news of teenagers committing suicide due to the backlash they received on their posts or when their selfies didn’t turn out perfect.
Young women who value their self-worth based on their physical appearance share more pictures of themselves to seek attention. This is more often the case as they face tremendous pressure based on their physical appearance. Sharing, on one hand, is linked to narcissism, while on the other hand it is linked to low self-esteem.
According to new research by the Albright College in Pennsylvania, many young adults use social media to highlight their love life as their confidence is directly tied to the strength of their love life. Since their unhealthy self-esteem is tied to their love life so they use technology to express their love and happiness.
The same is the case for people who flaunt their luxurious material possessions on social media as their self-esteem is tied to material wealth. This condition is widely known as psychological ownership where individuals boost their confidence by sharing pictures to experience positive effects. Their motive is to seek attention and identity among like-minded individuals in their group. Today’s world is identified by material possessions and sharing pictures of these possessions enables individuals to identify themselves within a certain group or express their desire to be a part of that group.
One thing worth mentioning here is that not every individual is aware of the psyche behind showing off themselves online or how their personal information is interpreted. But the psychological effects or pleasures make it addictive for them. This whole phenomenon is complex with far-reaching implications and depends on individual preferences and psyches.
No one can invalidate the convenience and ease social media has brought for its users. This new level of connectivity has its fair share of benefits as multitasking has become easier. There are some pretty serious drawbacks as well.
Staring at devices for a pretty long time has its consequences which also come at a cost. Technology is a source of stress for an average American, the American Psychological Association says. The presence of so many electronic gadgets has reduced the attention span of an American to a mere 8 seconds from 12 seconds over the past decade which is less than that of a goldfish. Then there are consistent complaints of back pain, neck pain, elevated blood pressure, and wrinkles.
But is it easy to shut down their glaring screens? Neither is it easy nor is it practical. Experts have thankfully come to the rescue, as they tell that it’s not necessary to break up with the gadget, because all you need is relaxing your grip on it. Here are the 10 simple tips to stop wasting time on social media and to develop a saner relationship with technology.
1. Opt for power hours
2. Turn off Push notifications on your phone
3. Designate tech-free time for yourself
4. Put away your phone during mealtime
5. Tune your display settings to grey color
6. Make your bedroom tech-free
7. Delete as many social media accounts as you possibly can
8. Rediscover print media
9. Don’t hop between screens; focus on one at a time
10. Protect your health
1. Opt for power hours
One of the most viable ways to prevent your precious time from wastage on social media is to opt for power working hours. Identify which part of the day is highly productive in terms of output for you. Some are ‘am’ people while others function well during ‘pm’ hours. The next step is to turn off all distractions and lock them away during those hours. This can be for an hour or two depending on how long you can stay focused on your work. Increase the power hours as you move on.
2. Turn off notifications on your gadgets
It’s cool to stay updated on current affairs while getting notified on all the latest happenings but it can be distracting as well. If you are allowing your notifications to interrupt you several times during an hour, you weren’t focused in the first instance. For this reason, turn off all push notifications that you can do without.
3. Designate tech-free time for yourself
We are so used to spending time with our devices, it has become virtually impossible to sustain without them. Taking a break from them can do wonders. Designate a few hours daily to stay free of technology and its warps for a week. This can be your spare time as it doesn’t necessarily have to be tied with a gadget. Some people find this activity highly productive so they choose to extend the designated tech-free hours for themselves.
4. Put away your phone during mealtime
Having a phone beside you during meal times can be distracting even if the screen is off. It reduces the quality of interaction as the human brain waits for it to light up. This reduces mindfulness. The more attention we give to our devices reduces the attention we give to others present in the room with us.
5. Tune your display settings to grey color
The main reason our devices appear so alluring is because of their vibrancy. This isn’t a problem as many smartphones come with an option to go all-grey. You can go to the settings tab and turn off the colors and get retro with black, white, and grey.
6. Make your bedroom tech-free
Mobile phones have replaced traditional alarms clocks. But when you reach out for your phone to switch off the alarm, you tend to check your updates and messages across social platforms. It is, therefore, best to leave your phone outside your bedroom and get yourself an old-school alarm clock. If you feel cozy with your phone in bed, there are more chances you won’t be cozy with your partner then. Leave the phone outside to spend a good time with your partner and for better sleep as well.
7. Delete as many social media accounts as you possibly can
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter help you stay connected but in reality, this is not as gratifying as we feel. Rather the more time we spend across social platforms the more uneasy we feel. The main reason is the presence of the highly curated lives of celebrities and friends which lowers our self-esteem. So what can we do to stay healthy? It’s good to be proactive about who you choose to follow and why. Give weightage to whom and what makes you feel bad. Don’t hesitate to remove, block, delete or unfollow such accounts.
8. Rediscover print media
Print media offers fewer distractions; this is why you feel more relaxed while reading from a book in hand than on a tablet. When we read books or news on paper, our mind processesinformation more effectively.
9. Don’t hop between screens; focus on one at a time
The times when we are watching a movie and scroll to Instagram simultaneously, our brain works abruptly. If this is how you feel too, you are certainly not over-imagining. Multitasking isn’t as good as it seems because it makes you lose attention while working. This in turn will make it difficult for your brain to recalibrate back to the original task. To improve retention, focus on one screen at a time.
10. Protect your health
By spending too much time on screen, you are indirectly paying a price for your health. Headaches, blurred vision, and dryness are common symptoms of digital eye strain. To eliminate this problem follow the 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes you spend looking at a screen, take a 20-second break by looking at an object placed 20 feet away while not forgetting to blink.
Where there is a will, there is a way. Very informative!