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Get Off Your Phone For A Second

Human interaction has become defined by liking Facebook posts, commenting on tweets and chatting on WhatsApp. We are all so consumed by our devices, spending hours looking at funny videos on Tiktok and watching DIY videos on Youtube that we don’t have time for anything else. It’s like we all live on the internet, occasionally checking out to attend to things we need for our survival. Even babies know their way around a phone; the world has come that far. While technology is great and I don’t have to wait eight months to receive a reply to the letter I sent my friend or call them when I could send an instant message, it also has its downsides. We are sinking more into a virtual space and ignoring the physical ,the internet is replacing real life.

This has been shown to breed terrible consequences as more people are becoming more self-conscious basing their worth on Instagram likes, desiring to look like their favourite influencers, willing to go to extremes to achieve a perfect look and having self-esteem issues when the desired results are not fulfilled.

Also, the cyberbullying that goes on is detrimental to one’s health. When you are targeted by individuals referred to as trolls on the internet for how you look, what you say or just your overall existence, it could do a number on your mental health. Many people have self-harmed even committed suicide because of harsh comments on the internet. Constantly going on the internet could also trigger depression; you may see people your age doing well and flaunting things you could only dream of, causing you to invalidate your achievements without realizing everyone is different. You don’t know how long it took them to be at the point they are or what it took them.

It can also be quite addicting and get in the way of your productivity, most people these days wake up, and the first thing they do is scroll through their phone before proceeding to do anything else, wasting time that could be used to finish little tasks. The addiction also spills into your social life, you hang out with friends, and you’re all on your phones ignoring each other until it’s time to go home with no actual exchange or connection.
Constantly being on social media could also influence you to tailor your personal choices according to what you think is cool, increasing your anxiety or fear of being ridiculed for being yourself. You could find yourself engaging in impulse buying to keep up with the trends/your favourite influencers. Everyone wants to look their best on the internet, so it wouldn’t be strange if you desire to do the same, but it could also burn a hole in your pocket.Comparing yourself to people you consider attractive would heighten your feelings of jealousy and self-hate for not looking the way they look. It could cause you to go to extreme lengths to look the way they do or make you a hater that leaves nasty comments on their posts because you don’t have what they have, which is unhealthy.

Furthermore, studies have shown that having many followers on social media doesn’t compensate or make up for having actual friends who know you outside of a screen and support you. You may get a thrill out of having a thousand liked posts, but if you don’t have actual loving relationships in real life, it would be hard to cope on days when you are under attack for a mistake you made on the internet. The internet is great as it could be a source of entertainment and information like with everything it should be used in moderation.Schedule time away from your phone if it is hard for you to put it down; make it a routine until you get used to it so you can focus on being productive. Deactivate your social media accounts when you start to feel like your achievements pale compared to the ones of strangers online or that you are not good enough because you don’t look a certain way and have more real-life experiences. Go out, hang with friends and be in the moment without looking at your phone every three seconds.