For days I have been noticing that some acquaintances or friends, mainly on Facebook, announced that, for a time, they are going to disconnect from social networks.Just reading about the subject, I found a Spanish newspaper that mentioned that, although they had already returned, celebrities like Selena Gómez, Justin Bieber or Ed Sheeran, among others, are some of the stars who decided to disconnect from these social platforms, at some point in time. their lives because they felt saturated.
The American Psychological Association since 2017 said that the main mental problems associated with the use of uncontrolled networks are stress and depression. Apparently, mainly, due to the constant comparison with others who, in theory, have more interesting and happy lives.
Overwhelmed by social media?
Given the large amount of information that surrounds us daily, and I think this was greatly aggravated by the pandemic that forced us to connect digitally for longer than we were used to, digital detox has been growing.
It is a movement through which more and more people feel the need to give themselves space, for a certain time, to reconnect with the 1.0 world. They move away from social digital platforms and electronic devices.
In this way they are able to concentrate more on their work and daily life, as well as on their relationships with family, acquaintances and friends in a physical and non-virtual way. All this to reduce the stress and anxiety that so much information saturation is causing them.
Another article pointed out that, in a study by the Happiness Research Institute, it was found that those who temporarily distanced themselves from Facebook – seven days – felt happier than those who stayed hooked. Of the latter, 34% admitted feeling sad and 25%, lonely.
Balance may be the definitive answer
Although digital disconnection can have positive effects, it is also important to find a healthy balance.Social networks, despite their negative side and the advancement of technologies, have also allowed us to establish social relationships with people from all over the world, known or unknown, close or far.They can also be tools of great value for education, social changes, etc. Hence the importance of balance.
Maybe these 3 tips could be useful for those who have felt overwhelmed:
- Establish periods during the day to review social networks, avoiding overexposure.
- Follow accounts and people that generate knowledge and value, focusing on positive aspects.
- And finally: dedicate moments in life, they can be at night or weekends, to do what we like most and interact with the people we value most.
