Social media has become ubiquitous. The mind-blowing global statistics of social media users, for me, does not really matter much; instead, I am particularly concerned about the level of addiction that seems to be on the rise.
In contrast, however, no digital marketer, communication executive or brand manager will vehemently oppose social media because it plays significant positive roles in creating awareness, building brands, boosting reputation and sales, among others..
The success stories of many multinationals in some departments could be attributed to the role of social media. These communication tools have, however, been bastardised in many ways than one.
People are becoming social media addicts, without being mindful of it and this is probably due to the capacity of our brain to possess a major system that is predisposed to getting us ready to be social in our spare moments.
A study from Nottingham Trent University revealed that, “People who are over-dependent on digital devices, report feelings of anxiety when they are stopped from using them, but now, we can see that actual physiological changes accompany these psychological effects.”
From a psychological standpoint, some of us seem to be ignorant of the disease box inflicted on us by social media in general. It takes some level of self-discipline and much more, to overcome the inner pressure associated with the hunger for social acceptance, a burning psychological issue that is more worrisome than the awful social media posts that we see every day.
The scramble for social media attention and acceptance has indeed proven to be more of a negative psychological consequence of social media. It is no longer bewildering to see a lot of people develop the drive and desire to go the extra mile by doing the wrong things or living fake lives for them to be socially accepted.
I do not know yet, if some Nigerians have gone extreme like some ladies in Thailand. These folks, according to one of my buddies who is a personal branding strategist in Thailand, were going crazy and are ready to do things, just for them to be socially accepted and recognised on Facebook.
He said, “Here in Thailand, almost every single Thai woman I know has resorted to plastic surgery. Most of them even take loans and some of them borrow more than they can manage, just to ensure that they look ‘attractive’ or ‘beautiful’.
“The shocking thing is that despite the fact that they look beautiful, they try very hard to look even more beautiful because — Finish Reading on the Punch
