Hypocritical Instagram - perfect time killing

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Time. Most valuable resource. “Killing” time is a very popular activity, especially among young people. At a young age, it seems that youth and life itself will last, if not forever, then at least for a very long time. But while we are "killing" time, time is killing us.

And time, as well as attention, is the most valuable resource today. However, between these concepts it is possible, to some extent, to put an equal sign. Time spent on something is some amount of attention that we have given to this or that phenomenon in our life. Advertising is fighting for our attention, people around us are fighting for our attention, one way or another. But the trend is that we are giving more and more attention to social networks.

You can argue endlessly about the dangers or benefits of social networks. Someone will say that this is social and technical progress, which made life much easier. Someone will say that this is a real "graveyard of time." Both will be right in their own way. Going out into the street with your laces untied, you can stumble and break your nose, but this is not a reason to declare laces a universal evil and prohibit them all over the world. Everything that exists in our world can be used for good. Even alcohol, which today has already mowed down almost half of the country, can be used as a disinfectant and nothing more. The problem is not that there are destructive things, the problem is that we do not know how to use them.

"Instragram" - the source of depression and the "graveyard" of time

According to the research results of the charity organization The Royal Society for Public Health, Instragram among all popular social networks has the most detrimental effect on the psyche of users. In February – May 2017, representatives of this organization conducted surveys of users of various social networks. The number of respondents was 1479 people, and the age was from 14 to 24 years old. The essence of the survey was that participants had to answer a series of questions regarding five popular social networks. According to the results of the survey, it turned out that the social networks YouTube and Twitter have the least negative impact on the psyche, while Instagram brings the greatest harm to mental health.

We also found out that it is precisely its use that often causes fixation on one's own appearance and often - dissatisfaction with one's appearance, as a result - depression. In addition, regular use of Instragram causes a strong dependence on the gadget associated with the fear of missing important events and news published in Instragram. This is a determining factor in the development of insomnia, general anxiety, restlessness, and so on.

According to the survey results, it was found that the majority of Instragram users have addictive behaviors like obsessive-compulsive disorder. Simply put, a constant compulsive urge to perform the same actions, which temporarily relieve anxiety and anxiety. The dependence on viewing the news and the need to upload your own news, write posts, publish photos and so on is formed.

Instragram spoils character

The very system of the device of the social network "Instragram", where one of the main functions is to upload photos and display your life for other users, leads to the formation of negative tendencies in the psyche, such as fixation on one's own appearance, constant comparing oneself with others in terms of appearance, lifestyle, income level and so on.

Considering the fact that most users strive to show themselves in their best light, viewing such news can lead to feelings of inferiority and depression. Another distinctive feature of Instragram is its particular popularity among stars, celebrities and other public figures. This, in turn, has a detrimental effect on the psyche of users - observing the life of public people in all details can lead to envy, attempts to imitate, live someone else's life, and so on.

Excessive use of social networks and, in particular, "Instragram" leads to social isolation. Instead of just meeting a friend, it’s much easier to chat with him or her. Research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2017 showed that people who spend a lot of time on social media become more withdrawn and lose social skills. The study participants were 7000 people aged 19–32 years. This experiment showed that the increase in the amount of time spent on social networks is directly proportional to the increase in depression, feelings of loneliness, uselessness, inferiority and isolation from society.

One of the main tendencies of using Instragram is to constantly flaunt your life to others. Sometimes it takes on completely monstrous forms - up to photographing every moment of your life. In addition, a kind of "arms race" arises among users - everyone seeks to show themselves to be more successful, happier, and so on. And here the effect arises, which is called "not to be, but to seem." Using Instragram forces the user to create a kind of illusion of a happy and successful life for other users. The pursuit of "likes" leads to an obsession with the idea of showing oneself in the best possible light at any cost. And this leads to the fact that a person begins to live in a world of his own illusions.

Court against Instragram

In May 2017, a Russian company filed a complaint with Roskomnadzor demanding a ban on the Instragram social network. The claim was sent to the Moskovskiy District Court; as arguments, the plaintiff argued that the use of this social network has an extremely destructive effect on the user's psyche. According to the plaintiff, Instragram's focus on posting photographs leads to the formation of inferiority, feelings of depression and loneliness, when users living ordinary life see the “colorful” life of celebrities. Conversely, displaying their lives on the part of users who live richer lives leads to the formation of a sense of arrogance, belonging to the elite, and so on. Also, according to the plaintiff, Instragram promotes non-traditional sexual orientation and leads to the decay of the moral foundations of society. The plaintiff presented arguments that this social network is addicted to "likes" and, according to him, some users even buy subscribers for themselves in order to gain the maximum number of "likes". In addition, the plaintiff pointed out that regular use of Instragram leads to a decrease in intelligence, problems with perception, hyperexcitability and stress. The statement also states that there are statistics on how users are injured or even killed when trying to take an impressive selfie. So far, nothing is known about the further fate of this lawsuit, but, as you can see, the danger of excessive use of Instragram is noticed by many.

Instragram as a tool for disseminating information

It is important to understand that everything can be used as a tool. According to statistics, a kitchen knife is in the first place in police reports as an instrument of crime. However, it is foolish to argue that people should be prohibited from using kitchen knives. It's the same with social media. Social networks are a convenient tool for disseminating information. The only problem is that most of the disseminated information is destructive. However, it is within our power to fix everything. The biggest mistake is blaming the imperfection of the world and being inactive. And social networks can be used both for your development and for changing the world. As you know, this is an opportunity to disseminate information among thousands of people at the same time.

Instead of posting another photo at a beautiful post, you can post a recipe for a vegetarian dish. And this will allow your subscribers to think about, perhaps, changing the type of food, because most traditionally eating people are subject to the stereotype that on vegetarianism there is nothing else to eat besides buckwheat and pasta.

It is thanks to social networks that global creative projects are operating today, such as Teach Good, Think for Yourself / Think Now, Common Cause, and so on. These projects make full use of the modern possibilities of social networks. There is a good Eastern wisdom: "Learn to benefit from evil." And social networks, the use of which today is mostly aimed at degradation, can be used with the same efficiency and with the same speed for creation.

And Instragram is an excellent tool for promoting healthy lifestyles. In the same way that some users advertise an idle lifestyle, stupid entertainment, alcohol, yoga, vegetarianism, altruism and so on can be promoted. At first, such posts may not be particularly popular, but the road, as you know, will be mastered by the one walking. And if more sensible and adequate posts flash before the eyes of users more and more often, this will inevitably change the consciousness of the whole society. And it is important to understand that the construction of a huge city begins from the first stone. Also, from the first post, a change in the information space of a particular social network begins. And each of us can contribute to this. There are many more sane people in the world than we think. And if the information environment of the same Instragram begins to change in a healthier and more constructive direction, this will make it possible to radically influence society with the help of such a seemingly destructive phenomenon as social networks. And most importantly, the use of this tool is available to almost everyone. Without leaving your home, you can share useful information with thousands of people. And with such a scale, even one post on the topic of a healthy lifestyle will definitely change the life of at least one user.