It is a question I’ve been asking this year, really is social media a mug’s game? Is really healthy for us? So many questions really.
I can’t help wondering if it is on the way out. I don’t mean all of it, but places like Facebook or Instagram. When we are all concerned about our mental health do platforms like that really help?
So many questions?
It is something I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. I have talked about social media on this site in the past, looking at the benefits, perhaps. Now, I’m not so sure. This year I have spent almost no time on Facebook or Instagram. Do I feel like I am missing anything?
No, I don’t.
There was a time I felt trapped with Instagram. I had to do this and I had to do that. If I didn’t keep up with the liking of other people’s posts then they would stop liking and following me. There was so much pressure to keep going. Everyone wants to be liked and so we all just keep doing what we have to.
Between Facebook and Instagram, I was spending hours every day on them. I wasn’t getting much else done. There was the belief that if I did more then I would eventually get somewhere and find success.
I didn’t.
What I realise now
It didn’t make me happy. It was ruling my life and I think I became burnt out by it all.
Now, you will rarely find me on Facebook. If you want to tag me in something, not much point because I won’t see it. Facebook is getting a lot of flack now with the type of person who is using it. I am not going to suggest anything here, but I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about.
Instagram is just the same ole same ole. The same people taking the same photos everywhere around the world. It made me feel inferior. Seriously it did. There was always the constant worry that my photos weren’t good enough. Then there are the hubs that share photos, they really made me feel like crap. I was rarely chosen, so what was wrong with my photos? I felt abandoned, or lonely maybe. It was my childhood all over again where I wasn’t good enough.
The other problem too was that it made me feel like I needed to travel to take great photos. I don’t want to travel.
It is hard to believe, but it isn’t something I really like doing. So I found all the photos confusing in many ways. What did I really want?
Mental Health
This leads to the question of how good is social media for our mental health? Is it a mug’s game? Should we stay away from it?
If you look on the internet there are so many articles with titles like the following.
6 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health
Is social media bad for your mental health?
A two year study confirms the more you use Facebook the worse you feel
SIX WAYS SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECTS YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
It seems many studies are showing that it really isn’t good for us.
Since deciding to step away from the business of photography I have hardly used social media. I just can’t seem to find the motivation to spend all that time on it when I have things I need to bake, or a garden I need to work in. I love writing the blog, but not much else really.
In many ways, I feel like my mental health is healthier now that it has ever been.
How about yours?
Is Social Media a mug’s game
What happens on The Internet every second? Content will shock you!
https://trendz11.com/what-happens-on-the-internet-every-second-content-will-shock-you/
It is quite amazing. I am backing off, and have to say I don’t miss it too much.
Love this!
That’s fantastic, thank you Amy.
Social media is so toxic,instead of spending quality time outthere u just spend hours and hours in front of a screen watching other’s lives( or what they choose to show of their lives) ,rumors,bad news and miscommunication, it’s very toxic
I have to say I agree with you. I am doing so much more since I have given up most of it. I am loving life again. Thank you.
No its crap, and broken when it comes to people interacting.
Everyone is more disconnected by being connected online. And there are reasons for that ehcij I dont have the time for my fingers to type while sitting on the john.
Anyways, only thing I can point to you is our article to touch up about it.
Video is coming next.
But social media is not helping people feel more connected and there are reasons why to that. https://www.lukayans.com/why-your-using-social-media-wrong/
Really, I prefer to see my friends in person or on the phone. I hate typing to communicate, it can take so long.
Thank you.
Not sure if you’ve watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix but it talks about the scary negative impacts of social media. After watching it, I turned off most of my notifications and even deleted some apps. Highly recommend!
Yes, I just did a blog post on it, quite an amazing and eye opening doco. I turned off all my social media notifications a few years ago, I hated all the interruptions I was getting from them. Thank you.
The mug is probably full of coffee, Dark yet endearingly sweet ! Loved your take.
If you could can you also check out my blog? I’m fairly new and would love advice from an experienced and wonderful blogger like you! Thank you so much!
https://inthethinker.wordpress.com/2020/10/05/oh-my-god-or-the-time-that-got-lost/
Yes, probably.
Sorry, I get asked to do this all the time.
I only started with IG to stay in touch with you and another friend whenever a photo was posted, or comment on a photo I like. Of the photos I have posted, the last one was in June. The other social media – Twitter and FB – I don’t do. Occasionally, I will look at a Twitter feed if the topic of the moment interests me. They say you need social media if you have a business, to attract some potential customers … I’m not so sure it is necessary.
I guess you have noticed that I have almost stopped posting on Instagram. I’m trying to decide if I really want to keep it up, but at this stage I just want to concentrate here on this. I have done Twitter, but more for commenting on the politics here and how stupid things are. FB, I’m so over. I can’t be bothered with it anymore. I don’t know that social media helped my business at all. I might have got a couple of customers, but that is it. I am enjoying being a housewife and blogging about it so much more. No stress. Well except to work out what is eating my plants in my mini greenhouse. Thank you David.
Yes, it is! 🙂
Glad you agree 😀
A measure of averages in statistics is the modal value: if you dipped your hand in a jar, what would you be most likely come up with. The modal value for most photos or posts is zero. It doesn’t look like that because recommendation engines like to present things which have already been liked more often than usual. As a result, they get even more likes, and get pushed even further up the rankings. Taking the best few as a measure of average is wrong. But any mass media pushes that at you until you begin to believe that the best is the norm; like movie star looks. Social media is mass media written larger: all production costs pushed on to the consumer.
If you get one like on a photo or post you are definitely up there with the stars.
That all sounds complicated, but I think you are so right. Thank you.
It helps me connect with my friends and share my art. I object to data mining done by social media platforms.
I do too Sherry. I was doing it for similar reasons, but I was spending too much time on it, I want to live my life, I think, experience the real world rather than experiencing it through a screen.
Yes. Good to social network in moderation.
Yes, in moderation.
Leanne – I totally agree with your points on social media and am glad you brought them out on your blog.
You might want to watch a Netflix docudrama called “Social Dilemma”. It explains exactly how social media
is constantly attempting to manipulate what people think, what they buy, etc. Let me know what you think of it.
Sheila Macdonald
OMG, I’m watching it now, it is so scary, I’m going to blog about it.
I let go of my business when social media marketing came on the scene. I was 70 years and didn’t like the way I needed to write for social media. I’m only on Facebook to post my images and blog posts. It’s sad that I also keep up with family there too. I think it’s what you make of it.
Social media is a whole other beast, and they say people can make money from it, but I never really did. I use Messenger a lot for catching up with people, but not FB, if a friend tells me they posted some photos there I have to go and specifically look. We should catch up there one day Anne. Thank you.
I couldn’t agree more! I still enjoy blogging and as long as it remains my creative outlet, I will continue blogging, but IG and FB are another story. I can relate to your feelings of not feeling good enough via social media. If I spend much time on either IG or FB, I usually walk away feeling down or even depressed … definitely not healthy. Thanks for the thought-provoking post!
I am loving blogging again Ingrid, it is great. I am with you on that. They can really make you feel like crap, I can understand how people get depressed. You’re welcome, good to hear others think along the same lines.
I went on Instagram to share. Though it is handy to be able to use it to put short videos on my blog! I do find the ‘likes’ business and even ‘following’ does tend to have a negative effect. I feel that I ought to want to have lots of followers and to have lots of likes like other people but don’t feel I want to put in the effort to achieve it as it’s not what I am there for. It does tend to feed self doubt though, of which I have a fair amount. As someone who never quite came up to their parent’s expectations, I sympathise with your experiences in childhood. In actuality, I went away to visit my daughter for the weekend, came back with low energy (ME/CFS) and haven’t been near Instagram since, though the constant messages make me feel a bit guilty. 🙁
Yes, the likes and follows seem to end up being what drives us and then determines what we post. Can’t post something our followers won’t like. I’m sorry to hear you were feeling down RJ, that isn’t good. I turned off all notifications from Social Media, so I never know what people have liked, or said. It was very freeing when I did that. You shouldn’t feel guilty for living your life. Thanks for your thoughts RJ.
Ahora que veo y leo este artículo da mucho que pensar y reflexionar. Una de las cosas que la gente no se da de cuenta es que son empresas y tienen sus intereses económicos.
Muy cierto, están buscando ganancias financieras, y nosotros somos los conejitos que les estamos ayudando a conseguirlo. Gracias.
I used Google translate, so I hope that makes sense.
Not sure about a mug, but most of it is a storm in a teacup
🙂
LOve it, lol