Social media: stress generator or stress liberator

Social media: stress generator or stress liberator

Introduction:

The ill effects of social media has been pointed out from time to time by health gurus, psychologists, advisors and parents of youths being the most concerned ones. However, a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Centre's Internet Project brings news of relief to those who cannot imagine a day without social media. The study shows that stress and social media have no direct association and the later has just been over emphasised to brag about the ill effects. Social media has it advantages as well as disadvantages but the concern here is the stress factor associated with it.

Stress generator:

1. Getting addicted to social networking is one of the most crucial reasons why social media is blamed for generating stress. Overtly staying connected on social media becomes an addiction and unknowingly the user starts avoiding important tasks of life which should get priority. A housewife or student or a working person, for instance, postpones their important works just to stay online for an hour which turns into half of the day. When they revert to reality, undone tasks are sure to create stress.

2. Social media opens up ways to stay connected with friends and relatives. In the midst of staying updated and keeping the social media profile updated, we sometimes miss upon security precautions. Spying for fraudulence was never so easier unless the entire population decided to go online with all the basic information of their whereabouts. These information going into wrong hands generate unimaginable stress in people of all age group.

3. Fear of being caught or proved wrong comes from our being available most of the the time on social media. A recent study shows that while preparing for a job interview, a person has now to consider the details he has provided on his social networking profile. You are more likely to get caught it you bragged about your hobbies in your Facebook profile without knowing anything about it in reality.

4. Relationships have never been more complicated until some of our favourite social media techies decided to treat us with surprises like "last seen" and "location trackers." Complicating of relationships have produced greater cases of stress than any other factors and social media just makes it worse. Ignoring partners while clicking selfies for Facebook, fear of being caught cheating, fear of your partner finding out about your ex are the biggest stress generators ever.

5. To avoid stressful situation, most people think of social media as the ultimate rescue. However, shutting out the real world for a couple of hours recreating on social media is not a solution to come out of a problem. The problem stays where it began, all that happens is delay in finding a solution to it.

Stress liberator:

1. Loneliness is one of the basic reasons why one gets stressed and is unable to cope with it. Social media has only bridged the gap of distance and now our loved ones are just a click away whenever we need to talk to them or even see them. In old age when parents are left alone at home with children in different cities for work or studies, social media is blessing. A snap of me having full-fledged meals even when I am away from home is a stress reliever for my mother. I am sure it's the same for every mother.

2. Not everyone is an open book. Not every person can speak his heart out at times of stress. The inability to confide in someone leads to anxiety and even in depression of the most acute order. Social media makes it easier for taciturn people to speak about their problems to strangers or friends which relives stress to a great extent. A good friend can advice you on how to cope with circumstances and immediately there comes a feeling of being cared and the confidence to push out of the shell.

3. Listening to the problems that other people in your circle are experiencing can also contribute to stress liberation. Getting to know the problems that other people have to face, we get to assess our own circumstances and that can give courage to tackle them. Women are more emotionally connected, making them more prone to stress and depression. Social media is found to be a great stress reliever, especially for women, for they just know when something is not right.

4. A shy and reserved kind of person can discover a whole new world for them at the social networking sites. It can incur in them confidence and motivation to step ahead, leaving the old shell behind. It is not social media that builds in stress, it is people that give stress to each other by misusing information, blackmailing or intimidating them for their selfish motives. This is not the mistake of social media, but people for not being careful enough.

5. Social media might have created relationship issues but most of them were for good. Finding out that your partner cheats on you is not a bad thing after all, if you consider the fact that you got saved from spending more of your precious time with an undeserving person. People fall in and out of love and social media just made it easier for them to move on with their lives instead of stressing upon the past.

Conclusion:

Just like every other technology, social media has its pros and cons too. What is important is that we regulate our time and keep things balanced between recreation and work. Setting timer for social media is one of the means that could keep a check on your online activities. Those that find solace on social media must not forget that there is a real world too and that they should not cling too much to the virtual world. Too much of anything is harmful and the same is true for social media.