The Real Dangers of Social Media Aiction

(MENAFN- Costa Rica News) 'Connecting to social media whenever possible'; 'Get
on-line as soon as possible'; 'Do it as soon as you get up and be the last
thing you do before bedtime'; 'Reduce the time spend on usual tasks, such as
eating, sleeping, meeting obligations'. All these affirmations are clear
signals of a 'Social Media Addict'!

Not knowing how to manage our use of social media
networks can lead to numerous negative consequences such as damaging our
relationships, our concentration or causing stress and anxiety.

That social networks have changed our lives is
obvious. Rarely, today people do not have a Twitter profile or a Facebook
account, especially among young people. Not only do we use networks to
communicate quickly and effectively, but now we long to be hooked on the need
to live continuously digitally connect.

Many people no longer conceive their life without
sharing absolutely everything they do or without displaying their photographs
through Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, which are the three most, used
networks in the world. In the long run, these types of attitudes may end up
being harmful.

Abusing these tools or making excessive use of them
can generate innumerable problems. For example, they can make us lose our
attention spam and neglect important tasks. If a thing goes further and we
develop dependence on the Internet, specifically social networks, we can find
many more problems. These are very serious as anxiety or extreme uncontrolled
sadness.

Social networks and messaging systems are attractive
to young people because their operating systems involve rapid response,
immediate rewards, and interactivity. The use, in principle, is positive as
long as they do not neglect the rest of the activities of a normal life to
study, work, play sports, practice hobbies, go out with friends or interact
with the family.

Another matter is when the abuse of social networks
causes distancing us from real life, inducing anxiety, low self-esteem, and
loss of self-control capacity.

The motivations of people to have an account on
Twitter, Facebook or Instagram are multiple, being visible to others,
reaffirming the identity between the group, being connected to friends or
exchanging photos, videos or music.

But one thing is the misuse of social networks and
another is an addiction. The term 'addiction to social networks' is
dubious because it does not appear as such at present times in psychiatric
classifications. However, beyond misuse, we can talk about addiction when its
use implies a loss of control, a mental level absorption and a serious
alteration in the daily functioning of the affected person.

The addict enjoys the benefits of immediate
gratification but does not notice the possible long-term negative consequences.
Therefore, the abuse of social networks can facilitate isolation, poor social
performance, disinterest in other issues and even behavioral changes such as
irritability as well as sedentary lifestyle or sleep disturbances.

Causes of 'addiction to social networks'.

The main causes of addiction to social networks are
the following:

Standardization.

A positive and creative experience that ceases to be
at the moment when the person no longer enjoys it but feels that their will is
subject to the constant need for interaction.

Loneliness.

The Internet is a social relationship window for
everyone. However, those who live a period of loneliness are more vulnerable to
the risk of dependence because they observe in this communication link a
substitute for those emptinesses and emotional deficiencies.

Ego feeding.

Projecting a universe in which vanity seems a constant
based on images starring the one that shows infinite smiles and a dream
lifestyle.

Lacking emotional intelligence.

Different factors, for example, barriers in the field
of social skills can make a person feel more comfortable when interacting
through the Internet and not in the 'real world'.

New technologies can help us in many aspects, but also
cause us problems. If we pay more attention to what happens on the screen than
to what happens in real life, the consequences can be disastrous. Interacting
with others and thinking about our health are much more important priorities
than the Internet, and that is something that we must keep in mind.

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