by Lisa Washington

Have you ever thought about how social media can affect your self-esteem? Just as there are some friends with annoying status updates, there are others who can’t stop bragging about themselves. 

Have you ever thought about some of the convincing reasons to take a break from social media? There are millions of people who can’t even fathom the thought of not updating their Facebook status, checking up with friends on Twitter or posting photos on Instagram. As fun and useful as social media is, it can also be quite addicting. If you’ve ever thought about taking a break from it all, consider some of these reasons to take a break from social media to help you decide.

1. IT’S A TIME WASTER

One of the major reasons to take a break from social media is that it sucks up so much of your time! I can’t even count the number of times when I got on Instagram or Twitter and I’m still scrolling an hour later! It’s easy to get sucked into the cutesy pictures of pets, celebrity rants or outfit and diet inspo. It’s just too good to put down sometimes. If you find that your social media habits are impinging on your time at work, school or with family, it might be time for a break.

2. IT GETS ANNOYING

It’s funny how we’re so into Facebook and Twitter, but so many times we come away from it feeling so annoyed! How many times can you read about your friend’s workouts, their meals, their relationship drama or grammatically incorrect quotes on life? If you log on to your social media accounts anticipating feeling irritated about meaningless or exaggerated status updates, why not take a break?!

3. IT’S HARMFUL TO YOUR SELF-ESTEEM

Have you ever thought about how social media can affect your self-esteem? Just as there are some friends with annoying status updates, there are others who can’t stop bragging about themselves. If you’re constantly reading about the fabulous lives of your friends, it can start making you feel inadequate. Do you ever find yourself comparing yourself to others and not measuring up? Is it really worth the blow to your self-esteem?

4. PRIVACY CONCERNS

As with anything these days, there are concerns with privacy. However, when it comes to social media, this is something you have control over! It’s too easy to overshare online because it feels secure and everyone is doing it. But the truth is, the more you share with others online, the more you’re putting yourself at risk. Once something is online, it can be stuck there forever. Don’t let a Twitter rant or silly Facebook photo affect your personal or professional life!

5. IT FOSTERS SUPERFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS

Another valid reason to take a break from social media is that it encourages artificial relationships. Do you personally know all of your Facebook friends? Doesn’t the constant stream of status updates and photos from friends make you feel closer to them than you really are? You get to decide what you’re sharing online, so what you’re reading about on social media may very well not be what’s going on in your friends’ lives. Why not really connect with friends through a phone call or visit instead of relying on 140 character updates and statements?

6. IT CAN NEGLECT RELATIONSHIPS

While social media certainly has value in helping you stay in touch with people who are far away, I can’t help but think of how it can lead to neglecting the relationships you have in the here and now. How many times have you made plans with friends or family, only to spend the majority of your time looking at social media and updating your statuses? That’s not healthy! Remember to value and take time out for the people in your life!

7. IT CAN CAUSE DRAMA

In my personal opinion, one of the worst things about social media is that it can cause drama. We always run the risk of our statements being misconstrued when they’re written. Also, it’s too easy for Twitter wars and Facebook drama to unfold because it’s so impersonal. People get really brave online when they would never say or do any of those things in reality. Don’t get sucked into unnecessary drama!

As previously mentioned, social media can be a really useful tool to help stay in touch with people, communicate with companies and so on. The problem arises when we spend more time online than we do in real life or it starts messing with our happiness. Be smart about your social media use! What’s the longest break you ever took from social media? Do you think you could ever quit it for good?

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Read this article in All Women Stalk

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.