Social media is a relatively new phenomenon in our society. It’s weird to think, but social media has only been around since the early 2000s.
While social media has its benefits, plenty of issues come from it. In particular, social media can be hard on mothers. You might struggle seeing other mothers seemingly succeeding at everything they do while you’re struggling to keep yourself together.
For mothers, it’s important to go through a digital detox and unplug from social media. Here are several reasons why it’s important for mothers to take some time off social media.
Social media hogs our attention
One of the most critical problems social media has created is an “attention economy” where you constantly work for people’s attention and approval.
In the attention economy, you continuously give away your attention to things that are unimportant. This creates an environment where you are constantly focused on getting “likes” or approving comments while neglecting the important things in life, like spending time with friends and family.
FOMO
Another serious problem is FOMO (fear of missing out). When you constantly check social media, you typically see posts from having lavish vacations, fancy dinners, or relaxing spa days. This leads you to worry about what you are missing out on and can lead to serious feelings of inadequacy or envy.
However, these posts only show the highlights of someone’s life. They generally neglect the hard times or struggles someone goes through and focus on the good times. You don’t know if someone is struggling with relationship issues or having a tough time parenting.
Addicting
Social media can be pretty addictive. When you go on Facebook or Instagram at the end of a long day, you might end up spending hours scrolling through everyone else’s highlight reel or feed. It can get to the point where you can’t stop, and you have to engage with social media on a regular basis.
Additionally, when you get a like or someone comments on our post, you get instant gratification. These interactions can trigger a dopamine rush and give you a feeling of joy and happiness. However, this feeling can become addictive, where you crave to get likes to feel good about yourself consistently. This addiction can lead to bad habits and serious health problems, including depression and anxiety.
Leave you feeling lonely
It’s important to recognize social media can leave you feeling lonely and isolated.
On social media, you feel like you are more popular and well-liked than you really are. When you’re constantly getting likes on your pictures and comments on your statuses, it feels like everyone loves you. However, these likes and comments aren’t the same as genuine human interactions. Real friendships and relationships require work.
This lack of genuine human connection can leave you feeling isolated and depressed. It can make you feel like nobody loves you and you don’t have anyone you can rely on.
It can be tiring
When you constantly check social media, it can be tiring trying to figure out the best outfit for your selfie or what caption to use. Facebook and Instagram are always changing their algorithms, so it’s hard to keep up with the latest trends.
It can feel you’re working at an additional job when you’re trying to keep up with social media, and it defeats the fun of it all. It can be draining and leave you more exhausted than you already were.
Social media can be fun and useful for spreading information to our family and friends. However, it’s important to take some time off social media every once in a while because it can be harmful to your mental health.
Fortunately, it’s not too complicated to get unplugged from social media. All you need is a little self-control and determination. Try reducing your time on social media or giving up social media for an entire month. Once the month is over, you can reevaluate how things went and see if reducing your use further would be beneficial.