Social media is a very important part of our lives, if not almost the most important. We have to constantly tell everyone where we are, where we are going, what we are eating and who we are out with. If it’s nice on one side—although we are forced to keep up with the quick advancing trends—it’s bad on the other, as not only it can ruin our outings, but it can ruin relationships with people in general as well.
Nowadays there is not a single place where people don’t have their phone in their hands. I understand that technology is the future, but are we so obsessed with it that we’ve lost interest in interacting with other human beings?
It’s bad for our health
Having our eyes constantly fixed on our phone screen to check emails or Twitter can be bad for our sight. As reported in an article for the BBC, “Opticians say people are so addicted to smartphones they may be increasing their risk of eye damage.” Also, extensive exposure to the smartphone blue-violet light can cause headaches, sore necks and affect moods.
It affects our eating habits
We are so addicted to social media that it can also damage our eating habits. We spend more time ordering take-away—so we can take pictures of our food—rather than take the time to cook a healthy meal.
Keeping up with all the social media outlets out there can be very stressful, and a high level of stress can lead to carb cravings, gaining us weight. And it’s not a good example for children either.
It ruins our relationships
Believe it or not, it does. I don’t mean that it comes to broken friendships, but it goes really close. I’ve unfortunately experienced this first hand and, let me tell you, it’s not nice.
Having someone constantly with their head down on their phone while you’re talking is unnerving, even more when the only sound coming out of them is vague “mmhh”—clear sign that they’re not listening. Especially if there are more than two people at the table, it makes for a very awkward silence and uncomfortable situation.
Now, I’m not saying that we should completely ban social media from our lives—how would I otherwise know what Calum Best is up to or if they’re changing the TV schedule for my favourite shows? Technology is our immediate future, but maybe give it a break every now and then. We can tell our co-workers what we had for dinner the next day instead of tweeting them a picture, and our emails are safely stored in the web server for us to check when we get to the office or home. I too, of course – always have my phone with me but, unless it’s somebody calling, I do as I’ve left it at home and I keep it in my bag like it doesn’t exist.
We should enjoy life as it is, now, with our friends and family. Tomorrow is another day, and social media can wait.
Have you had any negative experiences with friends and social media? Tell us your thoughts below!
