Many of us use Facebook and Instagram, but do you think we know when to stop? The notification comes and we just get lost in our phones
There is a special strategy behind this addiction to social media and more than 40 states in the US have sued Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, alleging this. How can you avoid the harm of this addiction?
The addiction to social media and the pressure created by its use has affected people mentally
How much these apps are used in our lives and how can we avoid the negative impact of these apps
Why do people use social media more in Pakistan?
We use social media apps a lot in Pakistan, one of the reasons is that the economic condition of Pakistan is very bad, every person is under stress, so every person uses social media to get rid of stress. He relieves himself from stress by watching entertainment, dramas, movies, and such
A person opens an app and thinks that he will use it for a while, but the content that is in it, the person uses it after such a long time, then the person does not even know the time. It takes three hours to use
By using it too much, the person sleeps late at night and wakes up late in the morning. Happens So when he goes to the Office or goes to his work, the servant is not fresh there and the work of the servant is also disturbed in the Office.
Now social media which is carrying so many ideas like the rails has come on the rails, so the person remains lost like this, it disturbs the whole circle. would find
It also has a very negative effect on the health of the person with its excessive use, especially when the eyes start to burn, pain occurs, the brain shrinks, and due to lack of sleep, fatigue is felt like a failure.
How difficult has it become to get rid of these apps?
And these apps are difficult to get rid of because they have a complex system of social media algorithms behind them.
It decides what you see on these apps and what prompts you to watch one thing the next, forcing you to keep looking at it.
There is a system behind the system of these apps that if you have listened to a song by a singer, you will be shown more songs by the same singer over and over again so that you can get lost in it and keep watching.
How these apps force you Social media platforms use algorithms to learn what your behavior and preferences are.
And now you and users like you are sent content accordingly to your feed
But critics of the system say that it limits people’s thinking and locks them into a kind of echo chamber.
You must also have noticed that when you open your mobile phone, the content according to your political, social, and religious orientations starts appearing in front of you. This is the process that makes us addicted to certain types of content on social media
This system of algorithm is not illegal but the discussion on its ethical aspects has started
Apps like Facebook and Instagram are accused of having algorithms designed in such a way that constant notifications and targeted content drive people to adopt them.
What effect can Facebook and Instagram addiction have on our lives?
Talking about addiction to these apps, even adults are not taking seriously, how much we use their screens, children are also going through the same condition.
See, when parents and older siblings are using mobile phones so much, it becomes a role model for children.
In this, the most complicated thing in children and adults is irritability, anger, fighting, keeping oneself separate from family members and adults, and keeping a mobile phone in one’s hand at any time. Instead of listening to the talk, it already enters the mobile
Among completely childish children, I have seen that there is addiction in them too, if they want to watch cartoons, boys will also take mobile phones from their parents, they will cry if they are watching if they take mobile phones from them. So they start crying, start shouting, and forcefully parents ask them to watch this cartoon to make them shut up.
This situation has become a problem for people all over the world and more than 40 US states have filed a case in a federal court against the company Meta which owns Facebook and Instagram.
He has accused Meta that the company has made the youth addicted to its platforms and has contributed to mental health problems
Meta is also accused of repeatedly misleading the public about the risks associated with its social platform.
And what is the exploitation of the young generation for the sake of profit?
New York Attorney General James, one of the states suing, says Meta has built its platforms with harmful features.
They aim to get kids to spend more time on these platforms compared to their peers and are constantly bombarded with notifications that keep them awake. And they have difficulty concentrating in school
Meta says it has introduced about 30 tools that children and families can use to determine their path. Including parental control etc
In America, action is being taken at the state level. In other countries, people may have to think about how to protect themselves, but do people realize that it is becoming addictive?
Almost everyone we talk to in our circles often brings up the fact that children are glued to screens
Our friends and relatives themselves often use these social apps a lot and all of us need to understand how to avoid their negative effects.
How to avoid the negative effects of social apps
The number one most important thing to avoid is understanding the value of your time
So the second thing is that the most important goals are the more goal-oriented, the more mindful the tours are, and the more realistic they are.
The third thing is your health. You should play games. You should walk. You should read books. There are small tasks at home. So that you scroll less mobile and avoid app addiction
The fourth thing is if you are a media person who has to go to these apps more and more to collect information, you should keep a little gap in them.
Social platforms are a reality and we may find it difficult to cut them out of our lives
They have their advantages but it is clear that they have many disadvantages as well
Actions are being taken at the state level in the US. It may be a long legal battle and maybe some change, but you and I will have to make a few changes in our lives to combat the harms of social apps.
The use of these apps has to be controlled otherwise they will continue to control our lives