Social media is now common place in our society. The issue is with the misuse of this media. The amount of misinformation being doled out is ridiculous. Deciphering between facts and opinions is a full time job. Add to this the introduction of AI intruding into everything we see online, and you can become very misguided. Plus, the social media phenomenon has also reached addiction status–especially for those of us who suffer.
I won’t say that I think social media should be banned–there is some usefulness to it. But, there should be some limits put in place. I am a firm believer in age restrictions on ALL platforms. There are things which our children simply should not be subjected to. Let alone all of the online bullying and shaming that goes around. And even in adults, it has become a way of spreading falsehoods, either for self gratification or a means of advancing oneself–sometimes to make yourself feel better about your own insecurities.
Limits, in my opinion, can help bring our society back to normalcy. If everyone could just put their phones down and pay attention to REAL life, we could become a much better society. Spending so much time immersed in this fantasy world gives a false sense of reality. As I mentioned before, this can be dangerous for those with addiction issues. If you delve into these fantasies, you begin for believe what you are seeing as real and become lulled into false hope. I understand most people think this could be a good thing.
The problem is, just like any other addiction, it makes you forget about your realities. You begin to put other’s needs on hold, you forget to take meds, you stay up too late–which makes you late the next day, you skip meals. What happens is you begin to take what you see and read as advice and believe that you can apply these to your own life. Not everything that works for someone will work for everyone. When we distribute information about weight loss, or reaching financial goals, or being a better person; these methods do not work for all.
We, as a society, need to get back to social interaction. We need to be able to discuss face to face with people whom we actually know what our problems are. From there we can begin to find methods for healing, grieving, moving on, accepting, and so on. We have been spending way too much time hiding behind screens and not interacting. Human connection is essential to growth. It’s a necessity–everything which you feel from social media is just fantasy.
If the government or the social media giants will not institute any regulations, then we must do this on our own. Make your kids put their phones down and go outside to play. Do not allow them to have any such accounts until they reach a proper age. When you see someone online reaching out for advice, tell them to seek professional help. Invite people to physical gatherings. Just get people off of these platforms for extended periods of time. Again, I know there is some benefit to it–it helps keep contact with loved ones and long lost friends. Yet, there need to be limits–we do not need to advertise our entire lives to the whole world.