WHY ARE PEOPLE SO OBSESSED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?

I find social media very perplexing and I can’t understand why people need to post about everything they do, say and experience.

I also find it strange that other people find it wonderful to read about the lives of others and slavishly follow their Instagram and Facebook posts, among others.

Aren’t there enough things to do other than watching the lives of other people online? Puzzled, email

Most people find lifestyle management very difficult. Lifestyle management refers to the ability to plan your life and build into your life interesting activities, moments and projects at work, etc. If you do this, life can be very fulfilling, but it takes time and effort and most people are too lazy even though it is important for their mental health.

So gossiping becomes a way of looking in to other people’s lives and criticising it. The problem however is that gossipers mostly do not know the true facts, do not know the person who they are gossiping about well and often are envious of that person.

Social media can be dangerous and posting what is happening in your life for all to see is not advisable. My experience doing forensic psychology is that people get into serious trouble because of their openness about their lifestyles and life events.

Hackers find it very rewarding to cruise media platforms to see how they can make money from people by blackmailing them. Once something is in the cloud it’s difficult to erase.

‘BEHIND EVERY SMALL BUSINESS THERE IS A STORY WORTH KNOWING. ALL THE CORNER SHOPS IN OUR TOWNS AND CITIES, THE RESTAURANTS, THE CLEANERS, THE GYMS, HAIR SALONS, HARDWARE STORES – THEY DID NOT COME OUT OF NOTHING!’–

PAUL RYAN, AMERICAN POLITICIAN