Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok-must have heard about it, right? It’s no surprise that the modern world is surrounded by social media platforms like this. The evolution of various sites has successfully manipulated the world to be around it. These platforms result in paradigm changes in how people interact with and communicate with one another and also how they express and exchange ideas. During the past 10 years, social media has skyrocketed in popularity and had a significant impact on younger generations. People’s self-esteem has decreased as a result of the upward comparisons made on social networking sites. Particularly among teenagers and young people, image and video-based social networking sites for likes and comments have grown in significance. The question arises, why is the sudden obsession with social networking sites?
This decade’s COVID-19 era has greatly encouraged the young generation to use social media platforms. Advances in technology and social media provide opportunities to keep people safe, informed, and connected. The same tool, however, is being used to exacerbate and amplify the current infodemic. The sudden rise of various websites and apps has made the social media world more interesting, resulting in an increase in participation by everybody, including the older generation. Although, for a time, it appeared to be quite entertaining for the rest of the world because everyone was isolated. However, as time passed, the blessings turned into a disaster. It is now common to observe Gen Z and the millennial generation becoming fixated on the attention they receive on social media. The present generation is being influenced to join that side by the evident demand for likes and followers on Facebook and Instagram.
So do you wonder what could be the cause? Here we go.
Causes of addiction toward social media followers :
Social media sites give you a physical high and are a feedback loop that encourages users to return and obsess over how many likes they receive.
Teens’ ability to swiftly and easily communicate with their pals, no matter where any of them is, is another factor that may contribute to their addiction to social media. The main aspect sustaining this addiction, aside from those other things, is attention.
The use of social media might serve as an escape from reality. Teenagers today frequently maintain a false sense of security. They anticipate being content because they obsess over people’s posts, which highlight how active and joyful everyone’s life is. This results in depression and anxiety. As a result, teenagers use social media sites even more to avoid it. The problem is that they are attempting to calm themselves with the same tool that is causing them harm.
Lastly, boredom can be a reason too. Today’s world is so fast and unsteady. This generation of teenagers is less likely to spend time reading a book or going out to dinner with their families. They would much rather relax by viewing movies or browsing arbitrary video content. Time is crucial to them, yet it is also the thing they value the least. The dependence on mobile phones has grown more than was anticipated in the early years of technology development.
You must be thinking of ways to reduce this addiction. Here it is.
Apps should be kept hidden from view to avoid being forgotten.
Reduce your time spent on social media by using applications.
A weekly hour should be devoted to a hobby without a screen.
Eat dinner without using a phone.
Go outside the bedroom without your phone.
Although it’s amusing to joke that teenagers are addicted to Instagram, Snapchat, and possibly a slew of other applications we might not be aware of, there’s new research that suggests otherwise. According to neuroscientists, young minds may find it extremely addictive to see so many likes on a social media post. Teenagers see popularity as being associated with having a high number of likes and followers, whereas getting a low number of likes and followers, in teenagers’ minds equates to low status, especially in a school environment.
Social media has countless advantages, but they must also be weighed against its drawbacks. It is unfunny and a serious matter of concern to make people dependent on followers and reactions. All of the priceless moments are being stolen by the pointless application that is supposed to provide a time of relaxation. The obsession with likes and followers that many members of the younger generation have on social media has posed a risk to their mental health. This must be taken seriously.
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Writer,
Sheikh Prome Akther
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE