Overuse of social media is a hot topic right now and many leading experts in psychology and other areas of lifestyle like Steve Fisackerly have been speaking out about the dangers of social media overuse. This, coupled with the points made in the brilliant movie ‘Social Dilemma’ has been pushing people to rethink how they currently use their social media accounts. This year in particular has been especially difficult given the fact that so many of us have been at home and bored, which of course lends itself perfectly to wiling away the hours on social media. The dangers of overuse are real however and these are 5 signs that it may be time to give social media a break.
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If you ind yourself having to snap a shot of some food or something you see, before you can enjoy it, then you may find that you have been going a bit too hard on social media. There is nothing wrong with taking a snap of a beautiful dish every now and again, but if it is every meal time then you need to take a break.
Screen Time
The new measures we have on phones now which give you insights into your screen time are a great way to assess whether or not you have been on social media too long. If you start seeing figures of social media use such as 4 or 5 hours or more, then it is likely that you have been wasting too much of your day on this.
Buzzing for Likes
Social media is of course designed in such a way whereby users are seeking social acceptance, this is why the ‘like’ fear was added to so many channels. It feels good to have posted some content which people enjoy of course, but if you find yourself constantly going back to your content to see how popular it has become, then this is another sign that you need to take a break. This can very quickly become an obsession and it will result in problems away from the screen.
Depressed
Be conscious of how you feel before and after your social media use as this will also give you a good indication of whether or not it is time to stop. In most cases, people feel worse after social media use than before it, if this is happening to you then it is certainly time for you to take a break from it.
Worrying
Social media has given us a clearer picture of what is going on all over the world, and this has resorted in many people feeling burdened or worried by things which are completely out of their control. In the past we’d have heard news reports on wars in far away nations, now we can hear from the people on the ground and see exactly what is happening. Much like the past however, there is little for us to do, yet if you find yourself worrying about this, it may be that you have seen too much and it is time to step back for a little while.
