There has been an increase in depression, anxiety, vanity, big egos, narcissism, hate towards women and men and so much more ailments that has skyrocketed in both the young and the middle aged. I can’t speak for the old because I personally don’t see too many people of the age of 55 and over online and if there are – I’m not familiar with that sector so I will not speak on them.
To me, I feel that there is no need for television anymore and there are many people online especially on youtube would certainly agree with that statement. You have more control over who and what you watch and in most cases it is more entertaining. Subscribing to channels of all sorts, being able to chat with the hosts of the channels, interacting with people through the chat and potentially building new relationships all wrapped in one. It’s like back in the day when you watch television, you and your friends, or loved one you would interact with each other, share your opinions and would wish that the person who is performing can at least see or hear what you have to say so it can more entertaining.
These social networks allow you to do so and in most cases it can end up being bad……..like really bad. Now there are different levels to how bad things are when it comes to social media so lets tackle a few of these levels that a number of people online have brought up:
Trolling
Now, there are a few definitions of trolling. According to wikipedia an internet troll is someone who posts inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous and off-topic messages in an online community. According to the urban dictionary, trolling is a deliberate act of someone making random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke a reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument.
These tactics are 9 times out of 10 made by faceless non-descripts, “anonymous” pieces of shits that hide behind their devices in hopes that based off of the things that they say would be safe because they are in a distant land. We all know that the things that these faceless non-descripts would say online would never be said to people up close and personal.
These anonymous dirtbags have caused a lot of grief, anxiety, self-hate, suicide and an uprising in more herbs that have destroyed a lot of people on social media. I heard someone say on their show that trolling is therapeutic and everyone should be doing it. This message alone to me is considered harmful and needs to be stopped. There have been instances where I’ve witnessed on certain channels especially on youtube where individuals have actually went out hunting for the trollers and actually beat them up or have shot them.
Children who have minimal supervision online are being affected strongly. They can’t eat, sleep and because most of their following may be even their peers from their school, it would have a stronger destructive effect on their character and has shaped them into potential killers, anti-social, low spirited, feeling embarrassed, low self-esteem and in most cases dealing with their problems by themselves which again is destructive….its like suffering in silence.
Vanity
Can you take a step back and take a look at your social media account honestly, self evaluate yourself and verify if you fall victim of vanity? Is 90-100% of your feed just images of yourself? LOL! The people have spoken and they say that probably….just probably you may have a problem. It’s one thing to love yourself, but on that level where all you see is images of yourself? To some they may say no and that it’s none of your business regarding what is posted on their own feed which is an actual fact. No one has the right to tell you how to run your account so in your own very mind it doesn’t matter what others have to say. Just keep in mind that people looking from the outside in will see this illness and would say otherwise – probably along the lines of that individual is attempting to provoke jealousy and make onlookers feel as if you have it all, that you are more beautiful than others, luckier and living better than anyone else.
Vanity is not considered a deadly sin for no reason. I saw someone say the following
“VANITY is a sin, because it places the self first (before anyone or anything else). Since all human beings (product of two parents through the natural method) are equal in how they enter the world. There’s no basis for ‘vanity’ to be validated. We’re all equal, in being and in value. Depending upon your religious leanings, to place oneself ahead of your god is dangerous. To place oneself ahead of anyone else is irrational.”
Anxiety
This phobia is a regular part of adolescence. Social media is to blame for the uprising of this and there is no stopping it at all. These symptoms include the lack of desire to socialize, withdrawal from society, embarrassment, fear of social scrutiny and nervous habits like squirming and much more. I have noticed nowadays that if you speak to people that people avoid eye contact and reveal very little about themselves to their peers. Going as far as trying to engage in a conversation with someone whom you find interest in by going on dates or just a simple conversation comes with fear or they may thing that you’re weird for even approaching someone. Back in the days it was normal to spark a conversation with a rando. There was no fear in stepping to a woman and letting her know how you feel, asking her out and having a discussion face to face. Nowadays they have apps and sites where that has been eliminated. Instead of a phone call, people would rather text.
Ever called someone and instead of them picking up the phone they send you a text? Or how about you send them a text and they don’t hit you back up until a few days later? I’ve heard people say they don’t FEEL like talking and would rather keep to themselves and if they were to go out with someone it would be more comfortable for them to do so via dating sites or social stalking. People have become way more occupied with online relationships rather than real life relationships and unfortunately responsibilities have declined and entitlement has arisen.
Take a break from social media. We all need to get off and look back to the old days of going outside and talking face to face or at least practice talking on the phone. This can be looked as treatment for social anxiety disorders. They have this group called Internet Screen Addicts Anonymous where it offers a 12-step realization and recovery program. They help uncover triggers and issues with self-confidence, feelings of being distracted and fear of being negatively judged in social settings. It is a form of healing and can help prevent self-destruction. Trust me, it is very important to take care of this issue in social media addiction and that it is not left untreated.
Ultimately the main goal in preventing further destruction of the effects that social media has on the people nowadays is so that we can avoid these ailments. Negative body images, people having sleeping problems and cyberbullying is rising at an all time high. The use of social media has become common in the lives of not only young people but adults of today as well. For the young these things will stay with them into their adulthood and if there is no practicing to break these habits people who have these mental health issues will be affected negatively.
Edmund DaGeneral | None Other 