Oh, social media. One of the most common things you will find on anyone’s phone. As we know, social media can be used for both good and bad. But, have we ever stop to consider how social media can affect us, even in ways we don’t realize?

This past week, I discovered a TedTalk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czg_9C7gw0o that discussed how social media can affect us in a negative way. The speaker, Bailey Parnell, discusses ideas that are extremely relatable such as F.O.M.O. What is F.O.M.O? Well, it stands for fear of missing out.

We may not realize it but social media is the number one way people are connected in the 21st century. So, if our number one way of staying in the loop is taken away from us then we automatically feel like we are missing out. One quote she said that stuck with me was, “micro moments become macro problems.”

So even if we don’t realize it, a small problem, fixating on it over time could lead it to become very noticeable, evolving into a large issue or emotion. Take stress for example. We may not know we stress when we don’t have access to any social media platforms, but a stressful habit that develops is checking our followers or how many likes we received. We even try to post at a specific time of day so the post will do well. That can cause a form of stress that evolves into a form of addiction.

It’s annoying for us as teens to hear, but it’s true. We rely on social media for information, for trends, and for communication. So, can you see the problem? How do we fix it? Bailey suggested a clean out of who you follow and becoming self aware. Just think, why are you checking your phone, and why are you looking at how many likes you got on your last post?

This type of behavior is so unhealthy for us. Slowly becoming self aware and developing healthy habits when it comes to social media is the beginning of fixing this problem. Social media is a stresser, whether you realize it or not.