How Social Media Has Outrageously Effected The World?

A smartphone is no less than an addiction and no longer just a cellular device tethering us to the outside world—is almost like an essential tech extension that counts our steps, checks blood pressure, monitors our water intake, and our payments. People who are staring at screens excessively are losing the most precious time.

After knowing that nothing and no one makes them feel like drowning but a gadget glued to their hands. So, it comes as little surprise that instances of phone anxiety have been at the peak, with many avoiding calls or checking their messages for fear of having a text from their boss camped out in the notifications.

All of this changed when a global outage plunged our digital lives into darkness. On the night of October 4, an internal routing mistake to an internet domain caused a six-hour outage in the services of a trio of social media apps—WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. Some restarted their phones, others uninstalled apps in search of a solution before news spread that the apps’ services had been disrupted across the globe (of course, Twitter users were having a field day). After battling through the initial impulsiveness to keep refreshing the feed, a glorious catharsis settled in as the beeps and blips of notifications were replaced by a far superior alternative: the sound of silence.

As technology took shape, human lives changed. A global outage plunged our digital lives into darkness. Three most popular and powerful social apps—WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. “For some, the phone acts as a lifeline and having their connection to the outside world suddenly taken away proved alarming, spinning off conspiracy theories about how the internet would come to an end. For others, it was a legitimate reprieve from the constant bombardment of work texts. While earlier we could shut down our screens and clock out at a designated hour, work-from-home has blurred those lines.

"An unexpected disruption in services offered many of us a valid excuse to not have to respond to messages and get a breather from the breakneck pace of life.” The psychologist also believes that the outage occurring on a global scale tapped into our baser instincts of FOMO “There was an initial level of paranoia but once everybody realised that it was a global occurrence, they became more comfortable with it because it meant that everyone else was missing out as well.

How to reduce phone addiction in everyday life?

While dialling back our screen time is a common goal for most people, We should “Live in the moment instead of capturing the moment. “A handy first step would be to swap virtual activities in favour of spending time with real people and real activities. In today’s life, we are constantly scouting for the next best photo or the next best video to share online. Instead, try being present at the moment to build memories that can stay with you for a lifetime”.

As for those who feel the chronic need to constantly check their phone, Narang believes it might be a sign of repressed pain. “Addiction always happens for a reason. You need to figure out what you are running away from or which thoughts you are trying to avoid. When you put your phone away, the thoughts and emotions that come to mind might be distressing, but it is always helpful to work through them with a professional or spend some time reflecting on yourself to understand them better.