How Excessive Media Consumption Impacts our lives

what is social media ?

Social Media is a networking website to communicate through different websites and applications. It allows user to create content & participate in social networking. Most widely used apps like facebook, Twitter, you-tube, instagram and whatsapp today’s youth is active on these platform. As of 2024 around 40% of the world population uses Facebook and this is based on the number of active monthly users (MAU). As of 2024, facebook had over 3 billion MAU.

How social-media work?

1. Feel a sense of accomplishment by getting, more likes and comments.
2. Algorithms identify the material that users see in their feeds.
3. Engagement share feature increase the likelihood that a piece of content will be displayed.
   
   

Media is designed to keep you engaged-which is why it is too hard to look away…

Have you ever opened an app just to “look for something important” but kept back after spending one or more than one hour using distracting apps. Every time you look at your phone, do you find yourself going through the “app cycle”—the tendency of looking at one app after another?

Here is the reason why ?

1. Simply because app and platform technologies are made to be engaging, utilising a particular app can create a sense of flow.
   
2. Distraction and Attention Switching: Easily switching between different kinds of material, pop-ups, and frequent notifications can all take focus away from keeping track of time.
   
3. Algorithmic Design: Personalised algorithms on social networking platforms are made to keep users interested by constantly displaying fresh, relatable content, making it difficult to stop scrolling.
   
4. Time value : Because social media is such an engaging tool i.e people frequently underestimate the amount of time they spend on it.
   
   

Here are few tips to maintain a Healthy Balance b/w our distractions and focus on the right stuff

1. Keeping a track
   A daily track of all your social activities can help you in reducing data consumption for this instagram has also launched his feature of “Time Spent” which tracks your average time used.
   
2. Knowing what to consume
   It is important to know what kind of content you are consuming. Because what we consume it becomes our thought process our brain is encouraged to focus on that type of activities.
   
3. Setting your Goal in life
   There are enormous of videos whether its education, sports, tech or skill based form.
   Selecting media that supports your objectives & passions is a key component of being thoughtful about the information you consume. You actively choose what will improve your learning rather than consuming whatever is presented to you.
   
   
4. Get engaged Off-Screen
   We have plenty of things to make better our lives but we don’t want to do. for e.g doing yoga, exercise adding a new skill. It’s just we have to take that step and be aware about certain things to live a quality life.
   
   

Conclusion

In addition to mental health concerns like stress and worry, excessive media use can cause physical problems including eye strain and disturbed sleep. It may also lessen social contacts in the actual world. Maintaining general wellbeing and wholesome relationships requires media use that is balanced.