Social networks are a reality and have changed the way we communicate with each other. Not only do we pay great attention to our presence on these networks, but we also delegate to them the channel of communication with friends that we do not see often.
Social media has also changed the travel experience. It’s no longer just the incipient (and annoying) presence of selfie sticks alone. The experience of traveling, always associated with seeing monuments, cultures and cities with your own eyes, seems to be obsolete: Now many tourists limit themselves to seeing reality through smartphone screens Immortalizing the moment through a gadget seems to be more important than discovering it for yourself, with the senses that Mother Nature has endowed us with. They are trips 2.0, and I’m not talking about walking down Google Street.
It’s a real shame and many psychologists warn that living life through constant exposure to social networks can lead to quite a few problems in terms of the way we relate to other people. And not only because of the obvious difficulty of establishing conversations and “friendships” through the networks, but also due to the self-esteem problems associated with this dependence on the mobile phone Dependency that, by the way, is called nomophobia.
We spend more time thinking about how other people perceive us than living our own adventures and experiences. We spend the entire day checking if we have new notifications on social networks, instead of doing activities that we like and that allow us to meet other people with whom we can fulfill ourselves in real life. We need to feel connected to other people, because it is one of the necessary elements to feel happy, be healthy and live longer, but… are we doing it right?
The 3 ways social media destroys our relationships
We must regain the ability to relate without the need to have a screen in between. Social networks can help us keep in touch with friends who live far away, but it should only be that: support.
Let’s check some ways that new technologies and social networks can reduce the quality of our personal relationships in real life… and some tips to improve the situation.
1. Do you feel like you are missing something? The FOMO syndrome
What really attracts us to social networks? Share moments. In the form of photography, video, status, joke… but sharing moments with others. But although this sounds very nice, the truth is that many people live so focused on social networks that they end up missing those unique moments, in the desire to take a photo or explain it to their contacts.
We are denying ourselves the possibility of experiencing happiness and special moments just because of the narcissistic need to show the public how happy we are or the interesting life we have. Furthermore, we live subject to positive reinforcement, in the form of likes and comments, which aggravates the problem.
This is one of the problems, but it is not the only one. In fact, people are already beginning to talk about the existence of the FOMO syndrome, whose sufferers have the bad feeling of “missing something.” It is a situation of permanent anguish, which does not allow us to enjoy day-to-day life and personal relationships in the flesh.
More about FOMO syndrome: “FOMO syndrome: feeling that other people’s lives are more interesting”
2. Addiction and self-absorption: Nomophobia
There is a fine line between pleasure and addictive behavior. When we start using social networks, unconsciously, we may use it as a way to get validation from our contacts and this can make us enter a negative dynamic.
The brain regions that regulate the sensation of pleasure reward us positively when faced with novelty, and it goes without saying that social networks bombard us with thousands of news of pure relevance: new posts, new images, new news, with every second that passes.
It is ironic that a tool that has been designed to connect us with other people makes us feel isolated and obsessed for the image we are offering. Addiction to social networks also comes hand in hand with anxiety and, in serious cases, depressive symptoms.
When we spend a few days on vacation on the beach, our main motivation should be to enjoy those moments of relaxation, and not be aware of the source of pleasure that social networks generate for us through the photos and comments that we publish.
3. Social networks and happy social relationships: can they coexist?
Recent research showed that The mere presence of a smartphone in the context of a conversation between two people (face to face) interferes with the feeling of intimacy, connection and quality of communication. Almost nothing.
We are social beings and we need to be in contact with other people. When we interact with someone in real life, we understand their emotions and feelings and exchange other information beyond what is strictly verbal. If technological devices interfere with our conversations, it is likely that we will become desensitized and our ability to empathize with other people will gradually diminish, and thus our ability to genuinely connect with others. Although social networks were designed to connect us with each other, they may be distancing us from perceiving the needs and thoughts of the people around us, and this endangers the quality of communication and, ultimately, social relationships. and relatives.
In reality, we should try to make a very simple reflection: does being permanently connected to social networks make us live magical moments? Your answer will probably be negative. You have to learn to live in the moment without the mediation of public exposure. Let’s not make our life a kind of Truman Show.
