The Impact of Social Media
Have you ever been studying for a test, opened your phone for “just a couple minutes”, and found yourself sitting on your phone for over an hour? It is like our phones have us in a hypnosis. While it isn’t a literal hypnosis, it can get us into a trance-like state. This causes time distortion which makes us so focused on our phone, that we do not realize how much time is passing by. Think about it, a notification pops up on your phone. An immediate instinct in your body makes you pick up the phone to check it out. Time distortion can be heavily found in social media apps where we are endlessly scrolling for hours on end. It feeds us with bursts of information that trigger something in our brain to seek more. Our phones have lured us into this rabbit-hole where we have no control over ourselves. When you really think about it, our phones control us and our every move. Remember the time you reached for your phone without deciding to? This is an instance where our reflexes took over. We pick up and use our phone so often, that it grew into reflexes that makes it harder to gain control over. This isn’t just a “hypnotic” state, it's an addiction.
Social media has created a negative impact not only towards adults, but to students. These apps have made it incredibly difficult for students to remain focused when studying and completing homework. Not only this, but it has created distractions in the classroom. During a discussion with a fellow teacher at my school, he stated how there was a time a student pulled out their phone during a lesson. Instead of asking that student to put their phone away, he asked why. The student was not sure why. The teacher then explained how it was a reflex. He had no control over this reflex. With having no control, it makes it even harder to focus on our learning. Once we pick up that phone and start scrolling, our focus disappears.
To get rid of this addiction, we must engage in activities offline. It is best that way so we can train our minds and bodies to have a life outside of our phones and social media. If you tend to find yourself in a state where your phone has taken control over you, attempt to pull yourself away. Take that control and distract yourself with something else. This can include exercising and engaging in any offline personal interests you may have (drawing, skateboarding, singing, dancing, sports, etc.). By doing this, you will be able to have control over yourself again.
Not only this, but you get to enjoy more time in the day. Honestly, there is so much wasted time spent on social media. It is time we put a stop to these devices. The next time you feel your phone pulling you in, pause and choose focus instead. Your future self will thank you.
-Shaylynn (High School Student)
