Social media and quality of life do not get along. Social media plays a big part in human lives as a connection tool. However, it is similar to chocolate. Too much is a headache; taking a little bit: you want more of it. Do you like it? Can you see a difference between what you were a few decades ago and now?
How much time do you spend using social media?
The company I learned about Internet Marketing advises half an hour daily for social media. For die-hard fans of Facebook and Instagram, that is a big NO. Why? It is not easy to stay away from social media.
It is too much temptation, and I always feel unhappy when I see how much time I have wasted searching for various topics. It is like a swamp.
Do you remember the movie Lord of the Rings, where Frodo looked into the swamp water? He felt mesmerized, or maybe better would be hypnotized by images in the water.
Happily, Sam saved him from drowning in cold water with lurking creatures. Sometimes I feel the same way.
Additionally, the time spent on social media is similar to kissing through the glass. It looks fascinating, but you are lost and empty-handed in the end.
Of course, it is different when you use social media platforms to earn money or spread a piece of news about your activities, contacting your friends or team, or family.
Why does social media attract so many people?
Previously I thought that content and news feed keep constant excitement and enable me to return again and again.
Finally, I got the answer after reading Jaron Lanier’s book Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts.
He described everything so perfectly because of being at the center of the creation of algorithms.
These ten arguments are:
- People lose free will
- Algorithms make it difficult for people to correct themselves
- People easily become assholes using social media
- The truth in social media is undermined
- Nobody hears what you say on social media if you do not shout loudly and behave in a reckless way
- The empathy evaporates using social media
- People lose joy
- Profits on social media do not occur in an honest way
- Social media mixes up politics
- Social media does not care about your soul
Does social media care about your emotional being and soul?
There are two different things: emotions and soul. Social media uses algorithms to explore human weaknesses and, later on, its uses for their excellent. You see ads after visiting a website and other similar topics jumping into your social media feed.
Do you think that somebody cares about your feelings? Yes, family or friends, but not random commenters and acquaintances who are attracted by algorithms.
Besides, social media is full of fake accounts that make a mess and can interfere with serious things such as forming opinions.
Knowing that machines regulate our emotions and influence us makes me unhappy about virtual friends and various topics.
The previous year and this one differ immensely. Social media did not add any easiness or explanation of what was going on. Thankfully, alternative press shows up. It does not push you in the direction picked by algorithms, at least for now.
Jaron Lanier was right that giving up on social media would free from misery, emptiness in the soul, and waste of time.
A good book can make a difference that will serve as a tool for human evolution, not degradation.