HERE ARE SOME WRONG ONLINE PRACTICES THAT CAN LEAD TO MENTAL OR PHYSICAL BREAKDOWN
One of the biggest differences between this generation and any other generation to even have lived on the internet. 100 years ago, it would have been impossible to visualize a world that is so webbed in its sorts. We have access to millions of people at once and it is just as inspiring as it is scary.
The intensity of the fact that we are all more or less controlled by what we see in our scenes cannot be underestimated. We live in a world that is more enlightened than it has ever been. The internet has made it very clear to us that all forms of discrimination and racism, sexism will not be tolerated. It has taught us that there are no ideal beauty stands and by all means, being a good person, in general, is trending on the internet.
Picture credit- memesocial
But is that all there is to the internet? Has the internet and especially social media been a win-win invention or are there other sides to it?
The most important thing to understand here is that the internet is not an entity separate from us. The internet and especially social media are built out of all of us. We, as the consumers and users are the fabric of the internet, and hence, it is not about the flaws of the internet, but the online practices that are affecting us drastically and negatively.
Some of these practices are-
1- DISPLAYING AN UNREAL LIFE- It is known that on the internet, we often fall prey to the unrealistic life expectations set by advertisers, influencers, and others. But we need to pay more attention to see when we stopped being merely a victim to this cycle and became a part of the game. Simple things like swiping on from one filter to the other, editing your body to look thinner or taller, uploading only the happy moments in your life. Curating your online presence to a point where it stops being fun and stops being you, is a stress for you to keep up within your real life. Not only that but by excessively curating your life you are becoming a part of this problem. Needless to say, everyone knows that social media isn’t completely real. But even then, it is getting more and more difficult every day to draw this line. So, just as slightly unreal as social media is meant to be, it will take us a long way to determine how far we can go.
Picture credit- Youtube.com
THE MOTIVATION- The Internet is blowing up with motivational and self-help content and may we are the ones to say this unpopular opinion on discourse- It is getting a bit much out there. The internet is flooding with tips to succeed, tips to focus, three ways to become the most successful person on this planet, 6 things you can say to impress rich men, 10 ways to lose weight with tomatoes and water and the list is endless. One might wonder why there is such a big problem with people trying to help other people. The problem is that this is not real motivation, but merely a loophole to feeling motivated. The keyword here is feeling. This content on the internet makes us believe that watching 18 videos about successful men will make us one of them and that is a toxic conviction. All that talk about hard work is making us feel as though we belong to a certain group of ambitious individuals, whereas in reality, we are just scrolling on the phone, chilling on our bed, munching on nuts. Not healthy.
Picture credit- youtube.com
3- MERCHANDISING ALL OUR HOBBIES- The internet is a tricky place. On one hand, it has given regular and young people a fair platform to showcase their talent, exhibit their marketplace, advertise their craft, write their poetry, and sing their songs. Many people have made an entire career out of the money they made from online consumers. But at the same time, it has convinced us that we cannot have a hobby merely for the joy of having it. We need some form of transactions for all our hobbies. This takes away from being able to find joy in small things in life.
Picture credits- New York times
“ THE QUALITY OF ANYTHING DEPENDS ON WHO IS USING IT”
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