Social Media: An addiction we can't get rid of...

So by now you're probably fed up of the older generation or even your parents having a go at you for spending too much time on your phone and checking it at every opportunity you get (even at the dinner table sometimes!) But have you ever thought that even though this is now seen as a standard practise amongst society that in fact it is an addiction, even though you don't see it as one! Definitively an addiction is classed as a condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity; so even the slightest form or a repeated practice everyday can slowly form itself into one even if you don't see it. With spending on average 2 hours a day on our phones, 5 years of our lifetime on social media, it is fair to say that this is in fact an addiction taking over our lives.

If anyone is finding it hard to understand how someone can spend so much time on social media well all you have to do is look at the array of Apps on offer. From Facebook to Twitter, Instagram to Pinterest, Flickr to Vimeo, Snapchat to WhatsApp, Tumblr to Reddit, Youtube to... well... the list goes on. So with the use of a smart phone, or should I just say a phone nowadays, it is so easy to understand why we as a nation are always being distracted by them as it is a whole new world at our fingertips with every App offering something different. Being able to customise our phones and social media feeds with content that appeals directly to us, allows us to create a whole new world to live in in which we are surrounded by only content we want to see and are interested in (in some sense this is more real than living in the everyday). This furthermore allows us to be more connected to the world, a more direct and immediate relationship if you like. Social media provides one of the main purposes as to why we seem to be so addicted to it, communication. These sites allows users to share content with anyone that follows them or are friends with, like other peoples pages or pictures/videos, and to also directly talk to them by a messenger service. To some extent you could argue that social media provides more communication than ever... but on the flip side has taken away actual physical communication isolating us from each other in the real world.

So why is it we struggle to even go a few hours without it? My answer in short, withdrawal.... Just like an addiction to drugs or alcohol, the moment we get detached from it we struggle to function properly and start to behave differently. I don't think people truly understand the effect social media has on them and why the sad truth of the matter is if some people tried to stop using their phones as much as they do they would suffer... mentally. With the exposure of the online world creating a reality that seems to be perfect it is clear to understand why people thrive to fit into this virtual world. In my personal experience there have been times that I have struggled with mental health, 1 in 4 of us have, to the point that we feel like we don't belong even within a group of people that love us. I feel that this type of anxiety and feeling as if people are looking at you and judging you stems from feeling accepted and not being judged for who you are as well as the pressure from social media to participate and not feel left out. This form of approval can be reflected in both the real world and online I feel. In particular, the need to seek approval from others online is far greater as we are stuck in a world where we constantly crave attention and to voice our opinions to a larger community. Sites like Instagram specifically use to be about sharing what you're up to and sharing memories or everyday activities with people. Whereas now it has evolved into a platform where people not only want to do this but also do it with the need to seek more followers, wanting to gain more likes from people, more comments and reblogs. Yes I understand this isn't everyone but I do feel that anyone who uses social media daily to this degree would struggle without this form of communication without knowing how many people liked their post or who liked it, whether this be your best friend you haven't seen in a while or like number 67 from "stantheman270" from Italy. Yes you might be reading this and totally disagree with certain things and use social media as simply sharing amongst friends to keep in touch, but at the same time I feel that the impact social media has on our mental health has developed over the years and it is an underlying truth people are yet to see. So even if you use it for keeping in touch with people I still find it hard to believe that if you had to resist using your phone for a period of time you'd struggle to do so. And if you are trying to make your way as a top Youtube Vlogger or the next big Instagram star I wish you luck, but please don't forget the world in which we actually live in and do things for the sake of yourself, be yourself, and don't worry if you lose a few followers along the way its really not a big deal!

#addiction #SocialMedia