Selfies and self hatred:

,

) you were given 1 300 hours to do anything you wanted, what would you do?

Given that this is such a long period of time, you might not have a clear idea.

Your first idea probably wouldn’t be to spend all that time on social media, but according to an article by Forbes, Americans spent more than an aver age of 1 300 hours on social media last year.

To break it down a little better, 1 300 hours per year is about three and a half hours per day. On average, Americans check their phones 262 times a day, with a great deal of that time spent on social media.

In my opinion, spending that much time scrolling through Instagram or Facebook is unhealthy and unneces sary. To see how those numbers com pared to people in my social circle, I placed a poll on my Instagram story asking all my followers how much time they spend on social media each day.

HIGHEST

Out of 73 respondents, 36 (49 per cent) said that they spend about two or three hours on social media. The next highest vote was for an hour and a half or less, with 21 (29 per cent) respond ents. Both four to five hours and more than six hours received votes from eight (11 per cent) respondents.

Although many consider social media a fun way to stay in the know and connected with friends, it can be a breeding ground for cyberbully ing, and induce feelings of anxiety and depression. Research shows that young people who spend two or more hours a day on social media are more likely to report mental health issues and psychological distress.

If this is the case, then why are so many teens addicted to social media? One big contribution to this problem is that social media apps are pro grammed to be addictive and keep users on the platform engaged. For example, the infinite scroll feature was created so that when you open Instagram and continue looking at posts, you never reach the end. You are recommended thousands upon thousands of posts that are meant to grab your attention and keep you on the app for as long as possible.

VALIDATION

Another way apps keep people hooked is through likes. It is a way of validation; more likes mean more people are interested in what you have to say. By sending a notification to your phone when you receive a like on a post, social media apps continue to suck people into their platforms. Many big companies like Facebook have admitted to changing their app design to increase user engagement, because the longer people are on the app, the more money they make.

According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 81 per cent of teens ages 13 17 say social media helps them feel more connected to their friends. That survey also found that 71 per cent of teens say social media makes them feel more in cluded, with only 25 per cent saying they feel more excluded.

than a knife can ever do but there comes a point where you have to let go of all the grudges and move on.

I don’t know if here in Eswatini we do have love specialists but im sure they would agree with me on this one. I once watched

soapie

anamed

‘Till the end of time’.

So, let me share with you a bit of what transpired. A lady( Maya) had an obsession with another guy from work (Arjun) and Maya loved Arjun a lot and ended up luring him with her

While this definitely paints social media in a more posi tive light, it doesn’t tell the full story. A study conducted by Sa rah Coyne, the Associate Direc tor of the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University, found that girls who started using social media at age thir teen used social media for two or three hours a day, and then increased that use over time, had the highest levels of suicide risk in emerging adulthood.

HARMFUL

Though this pattern was not found among boys, the study shows how the dangerous ef fects of social media can affect teenagers. Another example of how harmful social media is for our health is found in a study published by the Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Center. The study followed young adults in the US who frequently used social media 30 minutes before going to bed, and

money. There was this one time she decided to outpure her feeling to him. Time went by and they dated and got married, and ever since marriage, her obsession got stronger such that Arjun learned about her obsession with her.

He divorced her and got married to his childhood friend and Maya ought to murder the new lady of Arjun. Her love for Arjun overpowered her and the di vorce part really hurt Maya.

CONTROL

She decided to stalk them but in the end, she pushed Arjun to kill her and he did. Before she died, she confessed that her love for Arjun was too much for her to control hence she got Arjun to shoot her with a gun be cause seeing him being married to someone else devas tated her that she had to die.

It was a sad story. I learned that you should walk away the minute you get hurt. Don’t wait till it gets all packed up because it’ll kill you one day. Move on with life, there are plenty of fishes in the lake. A successful life brings so much those who rarely or very rarely used social media 30 minutes before going to bed. The study found that there is a clear connection between those who experienced sleep disturbances and had used social media 30 minutes prior to going to bed.

Additionally, a 2014 study found that women who spent 10 minutes scrolling through their Facebook feed were in a more negative mood and felt worse about their bodies than those who looked at a magazine web site or an appearance neutral control website.

The extensive research on social media clearly shows that social me dia is exceedingly detrimental to mental health, harmful to healthy sleep patterns, and can cause users to view their bodies in a damaging and very negative light.

After taking time to research the effects of social media I have found that the cons heavily outweigh the pros. I encourage you to look at your social media usage and find ways to cut back on it.

As a community, we can all try to be better. The next time you find your self mindlessly scrolling through In stagram, try to find something more productive and healthy to do. You could bake something, write a letter, or go outside.

DIFFICULT

If you are someone who communi cates with friends solely through so cial media, consider setting up a time to hang out, where you all put away your phones and have a conversation. It may sound difficult, but this can really help you connect with people and take a break from the constant stress of social media.

Lastly, taking a break from social media altogether is very therapeutic. You might find that everything you felt like you were missing out on wasn’t really that important.

While social media can be a great way to stay connected and share pic tures with friends, unrestrained use gives way to feelings of anxiety, body dysmorphia, and loneliness

Teenagers are spending too much time on social media without real ising the harmful effects. Having an online presence is becoming valued more highly than in person interac tions.

Based on the research of numerous studies and articles, social media is severely harming our youth.

peace that you never thought you’d ever have. Such things happen in life but we get up and chase our dreams.

Accomplish what you promised yourself when you were young. Let me tell you about what I dreamt of when I was a kid. A beautiful imagi nation it was! I wanted to be a chief executive officer (CEO), sit in my own office, live in a mansion, drive an expensive, luxurious car, and have maids in my fort.

That is what keeps me going, my dreams pursue me every day. You see that it a lot so it requires my full at tention hence I don’t have the time to go around revenging people who have hurt me.

PURPOSE

It’s a waste of energy so cut your self that crap and let go. It’s also vi tal that you discover your purpose for this generation. Have you ever thought about why you were born at such a time? Why weren’t you born in the 1800s or 1900s?

Maybe it’s because you have what this generation needs. Maybe this generation needs more of your skills.

The big question that stands out is WHAT ARE YOUR SKILLS? That is a question I’m leaving you with to think deeply about.

Till next week my lovely readers! For comments or feedback PNKDE HODQDPKOD#JPDLO FRP