Social media has become a validation platform where everyone is flaunting made-up images about their lives. We dress up and plaster ourselves with makeup to click a picture which we can then post on Instagram. The moment we check into a new place, the update has to go up on Facebook. We talk on Snapchat or make a TikTok video at any given free time. Self-worth is now derived from the number of likes and comments that our posts generate. We know too much about each other, which restaurant we’re at, where we went for our last vacation, our latest fitness regime, our promotion at work, our new car, or the interior décor of our home. These images from our lives just show a part of the story, but not the whole reality. We show people the happy bits while hiding the sadness. And, this raises the bar of superficiality.We have become hyper-connected, and as a result, we’re getting disconnected from ourselves and from others. We underestimate the different kinds of influences we have from social media. When we see our favorite actors endorse some products it makes us want to have those products. We assume that if we also flaunt those same products on social media it will get us followers and subscribers. Each of us is trying to up our living standard to keep up with others. These days, relationships and friendships ean nothing as compared to the need to show off.
A lot of content on the internet promotes bullying and body shaming. From standup comedies to independent videos to social media posts, these platforms are filled with vicious people who troll others mercilessly. These anonymous internet trolls have no moral barriers, and they say hurtful things about content creators to insult and incite. Things which were once thought of as culturally inappropriate have come out into the open and into our living rooms. Victims of cyberbullying are humiliated and shamed in front of the entire world. Our concept of fitness, beauty, health, success, happiness has become completely distorted, thanks to all the edited photos doing the rounds on the internet. This has led to an increased rate of depression all over the world. A research has revealed that more that 95% of us use technology in the hour before going to bed. This makes it tougher for us to fall asleep. Overuse of technology has become the leading cause of poor sleep which has severe consequences like weight gain, depression, anxiety, and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Those who are incapable of using technology are also prone to anxiety because a lot of work in the world is now done solely through technological means. But the people who are compulsively overusing technology are more prone to anxiety than those who don’t use it at all. This concludes that we all need to know how to use technology, but we shouldn’t submit to it like slaves.
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