Social Media - Are we really all in this together?

by Sophie Andrews

When attempting to justify the ramifications of social media, one of our go-to’s is most frequently “I use this to message people”, whether that be Instagram, Snapchat, Whatsapp etc, this generation in particular cannot comprehend a method of talking to people without the tools that are practically handed to us.

I don’t want to confuse social media with technology in this article, I feel very simple and traditional ways of communicating such as SMS or texting can be so beneficial in reaching out to others, particularly those considerably far away. This method of technological communication can be life-changing for some, but detrimental to others. Through the first lockdown of this seemingly endless pandemic, our reliance on social media skyrocketed, and I feel, changed our online habits long-term. Since we were literally unable to socialise with anyone other than our own household for at least 2 months, it’s understandable as to why this striking increase on time on social media drastically increased. In 2020, the annual TikTok user growth rate was around 85.5%, with most members of society’s youth unable to cope with the boredom the pandemic presented us with, sprinkled with a side of FOMO.

With our social media usage becoming more like a daily vitamin, young people began to question normality, assuming we would one day be released from lockdown, and witnessed from the statistics below, there was a huge increase in mental health disorders, with anxiety becoming the highest, seen by the 76.2 million increase of cases worldwide, and particularly in young females…

In our current covid situation, socialising is not longer restricted, yet I tend to now feel more lonely than ever when I’m at home and on social media, as I’m sure many others do. If you’re feeling the same, I urge you to embrace your own company, and strengthen your independence in your free time, using the following steps…

• When you become self conscious of negative feelings of loneliness, take action by shutting down social media apps for a few hours

• Dive into activities you’ve always enjoyed, particularly anything creative, such as: painting, photography, writing, reading, journaling, or perhaps even giving crocheting a go

• Indulge yourself in self-care: have a bubble bath, pamper yourself with a face mask and organise your environment, such as your wardrobe or bedroom; make your heart happy by immersing yourself in a gently-paced outdoor walk - family members could also engage with this :)

Last, but certainly not least, EMBRACE IT! Independence is absolutely crucial to your personal development and truly accepting that loneliness is okay is one of the first steps to getting there. I believe social media can make you more lonely, both due to its mental health ramifications, and the surge in overall usage following lockdown. However, you are never truly alone in any case, but treating the symptoms of FOMO ultimately starts with you.