Social Media

 We all know social media is a double edged sword right? Even though many of us are aware of the positive and negative sides, it still affects us in many different ways we may not be aware of. Social media has a huge impact on society, controlling the way we live life on the daily. Social media is a beautiful way to connect with people, express yourself, share a passion, etc. Social media is also filled with people saying mean things, false information/drama, comparison, knowing what everyone is doing all the time/who they are with, diets you shouldn't try, people living “perfect lives”, etc. It can affect our mental health in many ways and capacities, even when we are not fully aware of it. 
I recently watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix and it opened my eyes to some of the harmful parts of social media and how it is affecting society as a whole. The documentary is by Jeff Orlowski, mainly talking about “how addiction and privacy breaches are features, not bugs, of social media platforms.” Social media is addictive and it is made that way on purpose. There is always more to see, notice how you can always load more, for endless tweets to read, pictures, and videos to see. After watching the film I turned all of my notifications for every app off besides text messages and phone calls. Notifications play the biggest role in addictive factors. It also talks about comparison with teenagers and how dangerous that is especially for young people, and young girls in particular, according to statistics. The film also touches on how it feeds you more information you want to see, such as politics, personal interests, people, etc. There is more of a divide in society than ever. I think it was an important conversation to bring up in the name of peoples lives and the future. 
Even if one has a good relationship with social media it can occasionally negatively affect one's mental health. I think it is very important to go on social media breaks every now and then because it can help someone realize how detached they are from reality, which is what and who is physically surrounding you. Whenever I spend less time on social media it makes me realize how much I actually look at it because it feels weird without it. It is refreshing to put it away for some time even if it is just one day, and realize that life is everything around you, not what’s on your phone. I think then you are able to separate it better when you do go back on it and have a better relationship with it. To me that means separating it from my real life and only using it for the positive, learning not to compare myself to the way someone looks or the life they live  (everyone struggles), and not getting caught up in any part of it. I would say my relationship with social media has gotten better from growing up, maturing, conversations about it, knowing what is important, learning how to expand my knowledge properly, what is real and what is not, and putting in effort to learn how to use it positively. However, it is always a battle of being able to recognize when it is rubbing off on you the wrong way and being able to remind yourself that you might need a break, or not to get caught in whatever aspect it is that is affecting you negatively. For example, if I catch myself comparing my bad day to someone’s “perfect” life, I am able to give myself a pep talk and remind myself that social media is mostly a highlight reel. The scary part is not everyone is able to remind themself, which is why the conversation about social media and how it affects mental health is so important. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/movies/the-social-dilemma-review.html