While the internet makes the world more connected and information more accessible, interpersonal relationships for some individuals are at a deficit. People who grew up during the Covid pandemic were forced to stay inside. Social media was an outlet for many people who used this resource to connect with others. This became the new norm.
Now that people consume social media daily, this only raises more revenue for social media companies. The massive increase in usage and heightened engagement online only transform these companies to compete to make the users the next big thing. This makes people more attentive to bigger brands, making people more addicted to social media.
Through social media, people get an insight into other people’s lives. Remember, people online only show people what they want them to see. Not everything people share online is true. This creates false perception and false ideals. Ultimately, this can damage a viewer’s mental health as they are misguided by the false ideals influencers create. No one’s situation is the same and there is no perfect world.
Attention spans only get worse because of social media too. When viewers don’t find exactly what they are looking for, it’s easy to switch to different media. In the real world this is not the case.
In particular teens sit inside a class room and are told they need to pay attention. These are the same kids who have grown up on social media and are used to constant task switching on social media.
Article by Gloria Mark, PhD, explains why attention spans are shrinking with the use of social media. Although people can connect with millions of people through the internet, people, especially during the adolescence stage, need face to face interaction. Now that connecting with people mainly through social media has become the new norm, younger people do not know how to properly communicate in peer groups or participate in basic day to day interactions.
People only know what they are taught and this is not good for new generations.
