Top 11 Reasons Why You Should Stop Using Social Media

This is a blog post that I’ve always wanted to write. For so many years I have thought that using social media can be so overwhelming and finding a balance is so important.

I think it should be mandatory to know how using social media can affect you.

So here it is....Enjoy!

Top 11 Disadvantages Of Using Social Media

Programming Your Mind Unconsciously

Mindless scrolling through feeds, watching stories and random videos slowly programme your mind. A lot of things that you are not consciously aware of are being fed into your subconscious part of the mind.

I believe that this is actually programming us to think in the same way.

There have been many moments in my conversations where the person that I am speaking to states a belief, thought pattern, likes/dislikes as their own, or their behaviour has changed.

Usually that statement or type of behaviour has been a trending/popular choice and/or topic on Twitter and/or Instagram, so you would come across it constantly.

This leads me to questioning if they just picked up what they’re saying from social media and are unconsciously passing it off as their own thought or preference?

Of course, our belief systems, values and preferences are all influenced by external factors and it’s not always a bad thing. But this is exactly why it is important to be selective with what you are feeding into your mind so that you can differentiate between what is wrong and right.

Notice this with yourself and when speaking to others. What have you picked up from social media?

Bandwagon Fallacy

The level of conformity on social media is crazy. Seriously crazy.

It is very easy to be influenced by the majority’s opinion and take it seriously even if it’s a trivial matter.

For example, which way is correct, pouring milk or cereal first in your bowl?

This was, (not sure if it still is) a big topic at one point where all the meme pages, tweets etc were all about the “correct” way of having your cereal and if that’s not the way you have it, you’re cancelled.

It boggles me at how this is even something worth bringing up and spending your time feuding about.

I think this is where ‘cancel culture’ has stemmed from. Someone expresses an opinion about someone else then people jump on the bandwagon and start to post hateful comments etc. This is not cool.

There comes a sense of seeking validation and assuming that because this is what the majority is doing and saying-it must be the right thing!

There have been countless occasions where I’ve actually shared something that wasn’t correct; statistics- for instance.

Always check if what you are sharing is true. Look up the content and statistics that are being circulated everywhere, and then take part in sharing.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the time when Justin Bieber first became a household name. A talented young kid came into the scene and was shredded apart by the public because he sounded like a girl?

People really don’t realise that sparking hate can provoke someone to harm themselves. Then Justin Bieber had his moment where he lashed back at everyone. And invited in more hate.

If the mass judged you, spread rumours and hateful comments, isn’t it common sense that you would start behaving differently too?

I’ve noticed how people jump on the bandwagon when it’s the most popular, likeable thing to do and then switch up when everyone’s changed their mind.

This is extremely clear when someone commits suicide due to cyber-bullying and then after they die the same people start to comment about how wrongly the victim was treated and how sad it is.

I think this sheep mentality is tragic.

Unable To Speak Your Mind

Continuing from the point made above, those that actually oppose the things that are circulating or have a completely different point of view, could fear to speak their mind because of the backlash that would come with it.

Many users of social media have become so judgemental, if someone doesn’t like what you do or does something in a different way, you’re automatically weird.

I remember telling a friend that I don’t like Nandos and he dared me to tweet about it because he knew there would be tons of backlash.

Isn’t that crazy?

Algorithms

If you didn’t know already, algorithms are used to find similar content based on what you search for, like, follow or watch the most.

This is to make sure that you stay on social media apps- increasing ad views and screen time.

This is how social media platforms make their money.

It can be a positive thing because you find things you like but it’s very damaging when you become addicted to your phone; most of us are and if you disagree, try putting your phone away for a day and let me know how that went.

They want you to be addicted to social media, this is corrupting minds especially young children’s and causing a lot of students to achieve much lower grades than what they are capable of.

There are so many little tricks used to keep people on social apps such as, the streaks system on Snapchat.

Friendships have been ruined for real just because streaks have been broken. This is just another method to make sure that people keep using the app.

It has also caused low attention span and absolutely no patience. Everything needs to be done quick, every video and blog post needs to be short.

All for what, so you have more time to scroll through more bullshit?

In the Netflix documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’, social media platform technicians, managers etc speak about how they do not let their kids have social media. Let that sink in.

They know of all the horrible affects and for their children’s wellbeing and safety, they don’t want them to use their own companies’ services.

Superficial

The emphasis on the importance of looks has obvious negative impacts.

Low self-esteem, feeling as if you don’t fit in and judging someone solely on their physical appearance.

I think it’s stupid to say that “looks don’t matter”, they do. But how relevant do you want to make that?

There's no problem in seeking someone that is attractive; which varies from person to person because we feel and see things differently.

But take other qualities into consideration, some examples being:

- Is that person kind?

- Is he/she ambitious?

- Is he/she family-oriented?

- What do they value?

The problem lies with the fact that a lot of people are becoming even more superficial and less accepting and neglectful of other qualities.

Many girls feel the need to use filters and wear make-up to look a certain way.

It can seem really strange how some girls announce the fact that they are not using a filter or are not wearing make up in their selfies.

This is like an indirect message saying, “look at me, I look good bare face” or “look at me, I am not using a filter” and that they should get applauded for it.

If you think about it, because of the beauty standards (that are always changing) portrayed on social media, it really isn’t strange for girls to feel so insecure and want to seek validation.

Keeping up with the constant changing beauty standards is not possible or realistic and can lead to causing body dysmorphia.

Cannot Sense Emotion

Communicating on social media is great but one big disadvantage about this is that you cannot sense emotion or tone!

Honestly, for me this has caused so many misunderstandings in the past. It’s so hard to tell when someone’s being serious, sarcastic etc.

I sometimes text and put my tone such as, “being serious” in brackets to make sure that the conversation flows (LOL).

Comparison

Remember: People post what they want you to see.

Repeat: People post what they want you to see.

Seriously, people only post what they want you to see!

I’ve caught myself thinking about how much of a great day someone is having because of a 10 second story that they’ve posted.

Only to find that, in fact it’s not always true.

Common comparisons made between users of social media:

How people are living
Possessions
The amount of followers
The amount of likes
The amount of views

All of these unnecessary judgments lead to questioning and assessing self-image, worthiness and popularity.

Examples being:

“That person gets more like than me, am I not pretty enough?”

“They spent such a grand Christmas; I wish my circle was that big.”

“He owns a car that I always wanted, am I not good enough?”

Every like, every view, every comment is like an adrenaline shot, which our bodies are not made for!

Feel Disconnected In Real Life

The addiction to social media apps and phones make it really hard to connect in real life.

It’s very common to find the person you are speaking to, to look down at their phone while you are talking to them and receive no attention.

Some people even struggle to convey emotion or express themselves openly because they are so used to texting.

The irony is quite funny, social media is supposed to make you feel connected to everyone but has only drifted people apart in real life.

Cyber Bullying

Quite an obvious disadvantage.

A lot of screen warriors use their platform to post and send hateful messages.

This has caused many negative consequences.

Criminals On Socials

Social media platforms has also given a platform to many criminals, sexist, racist, child groomers, hate advocates to speak and initiate more hate and violence.

By the time owners (or whoever is in charge) of social media platforms get to blocking people from using their platform- the damage is done.

Some terrorists groups and criminals have used these platforms to connect to like-minded people, recruit them and plan their next moves e.g. ISIS.

The Mind’s Wellbeing

Most of you must have experienced a time when social media has just been, “too much.”

You might have felt overwhelmed, you noticed you’ve been checking your socials a lot or you’ve just felt kind of stuck.

It’s very common to feel this way and knowing when to take a break can help by giving you some peace of mind.

Bad news is always circulating on social media which can lead to causing panic attacks or depression.

Social media is one of the top reasons for having a mental health disorder, particularly, anxiety disorder.

Every reason in this blog aids to poor mental health wellbeing.

This does not mean that you will get a mental health disorder!

Although, finding a balance will help you remain healthy.

Your Next Steps:

1) Taking breaks from using social media will allow you to connect to yourself and the world around you.

I like to log out of my accounts, instead of de-activating them so that my profile still exists just in case anyone wants to reach out.

2) Start by setting timers to remind you when to stop using an app and reduce screen time.

3) Mute, delete, block and unfollow everything and anyone that makes you feel any negative emotion e.g. jealousy, unworthiness.

Notice how you feel before and after spending less time on social media.

Like I said at the start of the blog post there are things that using social media is really good for.

Personally, I use it mostly as a marketing tool and to watch videos.

4) I'll recommend keeping social media for business, educational and entertainment purposes, as this is an effective way to spend your time.

5) Don’t be too hard on yourself! It’s definitely a process.

Read, share, comment and let me know what you think!