Social Media: Does Social Media Control How Some People Feel?

There are some people who use social media from time to time and then there are others, who use it practically all the time. If one only uses it on the odd occasion, it is not going to be seen as a big part of their life.
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A Big Difference

Therefore, if it was no longer possible for them to go online or if social media suddenly disappeared, it might not bother them. Their life would carry on as normal, and they might soon forget all about it.

However, when one spends a lot of their time using social media, it could be seen as an extension of them. It can be something that is just as important as their arm or leg, for instance.

A Massive Loss

Thus, if it was not possible for them to go online, it would probably cause them to experience a lot of pain. And if social media suddenly disappeared, they might not know what do to with themselves.

Their life will continue, but it can be as if their life has suddenly come to an end. A big part of their life will have disappeared, and they are likely to experience withdrawal symptoms.

Looking Back

What can play a part here is if one has grown up with social media, and as it has been around for quite some time now, there will be people who don’t know any different.  As soon as they as they had the ability to use a device, they would have been able to use social media.

For others, they will know what it is like to live in a world without social media. Even so, this doesn’t mean that it would be easier for them to handle life without it; they could experience the same problems as the people who have always had it.

Part of Life

This shows how easy it is to get hooked on social media, and the kinds of devices that are available play a part in this. If one has a Smartphone or tablet, for instance, they can go online no matter where they are.

It is then easy to see why soemone would see social media as being another part of them. If, on the other hand, one had to sit down to a computer whenever they needed to use it, it wouldn’t be the same.

A Number of Uses

When one uses social media, there are a number of things that they can do, and it won’t matter how often they use it either. For example, one could one go on their once a week and still share their whole life on their wall, or they could go on there a few times a day and do the same thing.

Alternatively, one could go on there once a week and only send people messages, and one could do the same thing even if they use it every day. And when it comes to what other people find out about them, it could be said that one has a lot of control.

Privacy

The approach that one takes will all depend on how comfortable they feel with sharing their life online. If they don’t feel comfortable sharing their life online, they might prefer to send messages to people.

When it comes to what they share on their wall, it might relate to things that are impersonal. But if one is not bothered about their privacy, they can end up sharing practically everyone online.

A Different Level of Attachment

It could be said that the more someone uses social media, the more attached they will be to it, and what will also play a part is what they share with others. If one doesn’t hold back and they share their whole life, they are likely to have a strong attachment to it.

Along with this, if one doesn’t have many close friends in the real world, they could also be just as attached to it. It then won’t matter if they share their life online, as it will play a big part in their life.

Not the Same

Clearly, talking to someone online is not the same as talking to them in person, but it could be said that it is better than nothing. Simply talking to another person over a screen can make it easier for one to handle life.
Nevertheless, talking to people over a screen is not the only thing that can have an effect on them when they use social media. There are a number of ways in which one’s emotional state can be affected when they go online.

Up and Down

When one shares something on their wall, the amount of comments and ‘likes’ they get can have a big effect on how they feel. For example, one could share something and not receive as many ‘likes’ as they wanted, and they could then end up feeling down and even worthless.

Or, one could find out that one of their ‘friends’ has deleted them, and this could cause them to feel rejected. This could even make them question their value, and they could wonder if they are good enough.

Another Factor

If one was to spend time looking at what their ‘friends’ have been doing, they could also notice how their inner world starts to change. The problem here is that it is not uncommon for people to only share the good moments in their life, and how they look in a picture might not actually reflect what was taking place.

One can then see another person having a good time or perhaps they have just started a new relationship, and this could cause them to feel as though they are missing out. When this takes place, it could be said that one will be comparing their life with others.

Conclusion

These are just some of the ways in which ones emotional state can be affected when they use social media. So although there are things on social media that will have a positive effect on how one feels, there are also things that won’t.

If one can relate to this and they want to take back control of how they feel, they might need to spend less time on social media. Another option would be for them to use it, but to no longer allow themselves to be as emotionally invested in what happens online.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk