Is it time to stop scrolling your life away?
Bethany Hutchison explores the darker side of popular social media platforms.
Social media is everywhere. In fact, according to Smart Insight’s 2022 global social media research, 4.62 billion people use social media. That’s over half the global population! So, it can’t be that harmful, can it? As a population, we are becoming increasingly addicted to our devices. With our average time spent on social media being 2 hours 27 minutes everyday, it’s time to draw attention to the darker side of social media.
With 30.6 million people using Instagram in the UK alone, the social media app owned by Meta is one of the most successful of its kind. Instagram allows people to share and post photos and videos to their friends or ‘followers’. Whilst on the surface this seems harmless it is important that individuals take into consideration just how curated and posed these posts can be.
A staggering 95 million photos and videos are uploaded and shared on Instagram daily. This volume of new content (alongside an infinite scrolling feature) means that it is easy for us to become sucked into our devices. Although most people post on Instagram as a bit of harmless fun, it is important to note that many of the images you see are false. Many influential users edit their facial features and bodies to fit in with unrealistic beauty standards and ideals. This perpetuates the idea that you need to conform to these standards in order to be seen as worthy and valuable within society. Not only this but there have been some worrying cases of people who create accounts glorifying and encouraging the development of mental illnesses such as eating disorders and depression. This is extremely dangerous considering that many Instagram users are young and therefore more impressionable to the content they consume.
So, how can this be avoided? In order to escape falling into a damaging or unhealthy mindset it is important to make a conscious effort to unfollow people who negatively impact your self-esteem when you view their posts on social media. It is also important to think critically and consider whether you really like the content that you’re subscribing to or if you just want to become the person highlighted on your screen. To a certain extent there is no problem with finding someone admirable and using them as a springboard to your own personal growth and development. However, when you find yourself constantly checking their page or agonising for hours over the content that they post, then it’s time to step down and take action.
Moreover, infinite scrolling features on social media apps such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok can be incredibly addictive and stop you from being productive. In particular, the video sharing app TikTok (formerly known as Musical.ly) is a key example of the dangers of infinite scrolling. TikTok appeals to its audience as it provides individuals with short, funny videos which are watched and then immediately replenished with another video. This fast flow of content is designed to be addictive, meaning that, even if you only intend to spend twenty-minutes on TikTok, more often than not, you will end up spending far longer. This takes away valuable time which could be used much more productively such as exploring nature, talking to those around you, reading, being creative or doing homework/revision.
In order to avoid this vicious cycle, you can set controls on your device which can help you control and limit the time you spend on addictive and time-consuming apps. This can be found in your device’s settings and is an excellent way to regain control of your screen time. Instead of telling yourself ‘just five more minutes’ the app will close completely, and you will be unable to use it.
There are many ways in which social media is a really positive tool; it can be used to connect with friends, find inspiration and share your own ideas and images. However, it is also incredibly important that we as individuals realise when our screen time is becoming out of hand. Making conscious decisions to change your social media habits will help you to achieve a happier and much more productive lifestyle. Although it is true that spending time unwinding and relaxing is important, there are so many different ways to do that without social media. Do we really need to be spending upwards of two hours a day just scrolling mindlessly, or is it time to step away from the screen?
Bethany Hutchison, Y12
Social media is everywhere. In fact, according to Smart Insight’s 2022 global social media research, 4.62 billion people use social media. That’s over half the global population! So, it can’t be that harmful, can it? As a population, we are becoming increasingly addicted to our devices. With our average time spent on social media being 2 hours 27 minutes everyday, it’s time to draw attention to the darker side of social media.
With 30.6 million people using Instagram in the UK alone, the social media app owned by Meta is one of the most successful of its kind. Instagram allows people to share and post photos and videos to their friends or ‘followers’. Whilst on the surface this seems harmless it is important that individuals take into consideration just how curated and posed these posts can be.
A staggering 95 million photos and videos are uploaded and shared on Instagram daily. This volume of new content (alongside an infinite scrolling feature) means that it is easy for us to become sucked into our devices. Although most people post on Instagram as a bit of harmless fun, it is important to note that many of the images you see are false. Many influential users edit their facial features and bodies to fit in with unrealistic beauty standards and ideals. This perpetuates the idea that you need to conform to these standards in order to be seen as worthy and valuable within society. Not only this but there have been some worrying cases of people who create accounts glorifying and encouraging the development of mental illnesses such as eating disorders and depression. This is extremely dangerous considering that many Instagram users are young and therefore more impressionable to the content they consume.
So, how can this be avoided? In order to escape falling into a damaging or unhealthy mindset it is important to make a conscious effort to unfollow people who negatively impact your self-esteem when you view their posts on social media. It is also important to think critically and consider whether you really like the content that you’re subscribing to or if you just want to become the person highlighted on your screen. To a certain extent there is no problem with finding someone admirable and using them as a springboard to your own personal growth and development. However, when you find yourself constantly checking their page or agonising for hours over the content that they post, then it’s time to step down and take action.
Moreover, infinite scrolling features on social media apps such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok can be incredibly addictive and stop you from being productive. In particular, the video sharing app TikTok (formerly known as Musical.ly) is a key example of the dangers of infinite scrolling. TikTok appeals to its audience as it provides individuals with short, funny videos which are watched and then immediately replenished with another video. This fast flow of content is designed to be addictive, meaning that, even if you only intend to spend twenty-minutes on TikTok, more often than not, you will end up spending far longer. This takes away valuable time which could be used much more productively such as exploring nature, talking to those around you, reading, being creative or doing homework/revision.
In order to avoid this vicious cycle, you can set controls on your device which can help you control and limit the time you spend on addictive and time-consuming apps. This can be found in your device’s settings and is an excellent way to regain control of your screen time. Instead of telling yourself ‘just five more minutes’ the app will close completely, and you will be unable to use it.
There are many ways in which social media is a really positive tool; it can be used to connect with friends, find inspiration and share your own ideas and images. However, it is also incredibly important that we as individuals realise when our screen time is becoming out of hand. Making conscious decisions to change your social media habits will help you to achieve a happier and much more productive lifestyle. Although it is true that spending time unwinding and relaxing is important, there are so many different ways to do that without social media. Do we really need to be spending upwards of two hours a day just scrolling mindlessly, or is it time to step away from the screen?
Bethany Hutchison, Y12