Addiction of Social Media and Celebrity Culture

Likes decide the number of friends;

Comments determine their worth;

Welcome to an era where-

Low battery stresses out people more than global warming.

Staying “online” has lately transformed into a constant “state of being”. We, ordinary people, are growing accustomed to not just watching but also being watched continuously. After all the unwatched life is not worth living. The scale of our ambitions may vary, but the craving for attention is the same.

As per the data of 2019, 260 million Indians are active social media users and are found to spend 70% of their time on smartphones purely for entertainment. Converted to numbers, probably a million are nose-deep into their phones at this very moment.

The addiction to social media is a huge problem looming over today’s youth. Of course, it creates a “feel good” factor, youngsters feel involved and up to date. But in the years of innocence and discovering themselves and their goals in life, they are spending the majority of their time looking into the picture-perfect lives of celebrities. Hobbies have become non-existent, self-development is getting hampered, and the mind is tuned to spending hours in front of the screen.

Following celebrities often lead to a life of comparison. The problem begins when youngsters fail to understand the lifestyle of a celebrity is a lot different than what is portrayed- they too have their struggles, weaknesses and days when they do not look their best but their social media is structured in a way that it represents only the brighter side.

This feeling of ‘not good enough’ or ‘not content’ eventually leads to depression, lack of communication skills, increased sleep deprivation etc. among young people. Though social media is not inherently bad, it is when it gets out of balance. So how to balance it?

1. Check your social media accounts and ask yourself-

• What do I do when I’m on this app?

• Does it add value to my life? How?

• Does it bring me any joy or stress?

Social media account should be a place where you find connections, relief and feel uplifted. If you find that you are missing the mark, consider getting rid of them.

2. Hit unfollow: It’s essential to know who you’re following and why? Ask yourself-

• Am I seeing the posts that make me feel unhappy or put me in a bad mood?

• Am I comparing my life, my body or my success with others?

• Does it make me feel like I need to be someone I’m not?

If your answer is yes to any one of these questions, it’s time to UNFOLLOW.

3. Pause before you post: ask yourself- How will posting this impact my life or the life of other people?

If your answer is negative, skip the share button.

4. Take a vacation from social media-

Disconnect from the virtual world and spend some time with the people around.

Social media has the potential to make society a better place to live in. But it is equally essential to log off from the virtual world and reconnect with the actual reality to strike the much-needed healthy balance between life online and offline.