Social media is something which has completely changed our lives and millions of people around the world use it to connect with friends, promote their business, find recommendations and share what is going on in their lives. Whilst social media is a wonderful tool to use in our daily lives it is also something that is wrought with danger. I spoke to psychologist Dayanna Volitich about the perils of over-using social media and why it is important to take a break from time to time.

False Representation

We have probably all been guilty from time to time of painting an image of ourselves on social media that probably isn’t very honest. This is rife when it comes to social channels like Facebook and Instagram, where people want to portray themselves as someone that they are not. This is all well and good for a short period of time but constant exposure to it can leave us feeling insignificant and that we have a far worse life than the people that we are watching on social media. It is important to remember that the picture or post doesn’t tell the whole story, and once you start feeling this way it is time to take a break.

Depressing

Human nature suggests that we have far more ease focus on negative things than positive and this can be seen across social media. The world can be a very ugly place and whilst not too much has changed in this regard, we are far more exposed to it that ever before. This repeated information overload about all of the problems that the world is facing can lead many to feel very depressed about the state of the world in general, despite the fact that in most cases there is very little that we can do to change it. Taking a break from social media is about giving you back the control, and not simply ingesting whatever is being shared.

Mental Bandwidth

There is only so much mental bandwidth that humans can take on so having social media bombard you with information and calls to action can leave you in a position whereby physical interaction with other humans is no longer something that you enjoy, or something that you are good at. Human connections will never be replaced by social media interaction and this is why it is necessary that from time to time you step away from social media and invest in people instead.

Addiction

Becoming addicted to checking your social media can happen very easily and once you are hooked you will find yourself scrolling page upon page of people’s lives, many you may not even know. This could have happen to you already, how long can you survive without checking? Many of us find ourselves on social media with no motive whatsoever, simply waiting for something new to happen, when this occurs, it is time to take a break.