Transcripts
1. Intro To Sam: Hello, my name is Cement the Carbon. Andi. I'm a psychotherapist. I work with adults and young people who were struggling with addictive behaviors such as alcohol, sex, drugs and gambling. Over the last few years, I've added to my reel it off Compulsive behaviors, technology addiction in particular, social media technology addiction has yet to be classified as a mental health condition, and it is largely used as an umbrella term to describe a variety off obsessive or compulsive online behaviors. It involves the inability to control use off various kinds of technology. In particular, smartphones, tablets, social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and instagram. Technology often enters the therapy room in many ways where clients talk about social network in gambling, online dating on the feelings and fantasies that are aroused by these exchanges. Many of us today are dependent on communicated via the tiny computers we carry with us. So it's no surprise that I'm beginning to see a rise in addictive tendencies that involve technology
2. Overview of the course: There are roughly 7.5 billion people on Earth currently and off those 7.5 billion people. Brand watch dot com estimates that 3.7 billion our Internet users 2.3 billion our social media users. One million are new active mobile social users, which are added every day, which is the equivalent to 12 people every second. Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp handle over 60 billion messages per day. Those statistics are astounding on illustrates the power and hold that the Internet and social media have on our everyday lives. The Internet has Bean heralded as the single most important development in the history off communication. It has revolutionized the way people communicate, socialize and disseminate information. The Internet is a positive force that has advanced humanity in nearly every way imaginable , but certainly in economic, social and cultural context is in which we live. But just like with any technology, there are positive and negative aspects of the Internet. We must be mindful and careful to avoid the pitfalls and traps that have the potential to adversely affect humanity. We can easily achieve this goal once the signs on road maps have be illuminated. This is the intent on ultimate goal off this course. In this course we will take a comprehensive look at the Internet and specifically social media's impact on our society. We will also delve into the connection between technology and its effects on our well being . Is it actually bringing us closer or making us more isolated? I think my research and findings will surprise. You will also explore the psychology behind social media and how it plays on the basic human desire to be connected to other human beings. In a lot of instances, social media can subtly wreck havoc in a person's life from Facebook or Twitter beefs to lose a job as a result of one social media post or gradually disassociating personally with friends and family, social media can have a tendency to dramatically change your life without knowing what hit you. In this course, I've created a simple and easy technique that you can use to detect whether or not social media has an unhealthy grasp over your life. A number of people who have used the technique are flabbergasted by the results on a usually very grateful to have been alerted to the warning signs and sneaky pitfalls off social media. We will also discover how to establish healthy boundaries around social media. Social media can be a major cause of anxiety on the dangers of social media. Addiction are very real. We will expose reasons why these conditions exist on how to deal with them in a healthy manner. I can't wait to present my findings, research and information to you, so let's dive in.
3. The Internet Social Media and our Well Being v2 062517: We hear much these days on the importance of the Internet and social media applications like Twitter and Facebook, and LinkedIn allows to stay connected with family and friends around the world. Whether it's your Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, we are all experts at self distraction, and we can often wonder where all the time goes. For most people, social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are harmless platforms that allow for social interaction on personal expression. For others, social media has become more than an entertaining form off engagement. It has on addictive quality on a compulsion to overuse. Society now has instant access to information, photos, videos, updates off different lives. The difficulty with this instant technology is that it has become completely integrated into our lives. Social media even has the power to quickly spread. Moods, change moods around the world. Social media sites provide places where people can create the face. They want the world to see the immediate see off the connection to people on the access of information can offer such euphoric and overwhelming emotions. For some, it may be difficult to turn away from more research has shown that too much social media and smartphone use is affecting our happiness, stunting development in Children and decrease in academic potential in students. Research indicates that high levels of prolonged usage are more common amongst the younger members, off society and among women. Social media never closes, so individuals that never need to feel alone. Some users may develop an emotional attachment online friends on activities they create on their computer screens. Psychologists today are actually concerned, but it's making us less sociable in real life, less likely to spend time with friends and family. We know in love constantly. Isolating ourselves isn't healthy either. And that's precisely what all that time on social media makes us feel like doing. It's possible that people who are depressed use social media to fill a void. So to what extent do you think technology affects our well being? I believe individuals who depend heavily on technology to connect our more isolated than ever in their non virtual lives, which for some have led to an increase in emotional anxiety on disconnection. Technology allows individuals to hide from each other as one client shared a face to face. Interaction can be more exposing and takes away a level of control. Some use the virtual fantasy world to connect with real people through the Internet as a substitution for real life human connection, which they are unable to chief Normally, certainly a sense off authentic community is not achieved when there is a lack of eye contact. Voice tone, body language technology such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram often gives the illusion off friendship on intimacy. However, the reality is, many individuals are unsure off the nature off their connections or commitment to others, and vice versa. There is a voyeuristic tendency none of us realized would be so high. Hence why there are 500 million users spine on one another. We have become a society interested in what others are doing. Social media is our go to place. When we are curious. We want to complain. Flag event and praise. I believe individuals who experience the symptoms off anxiety around social media to the extent it causes them discomfort Unlikely to have deeper issues way. Use it social media multiple times each day, relying on it as a primary source of information. Social media teach the world to take a reactive stance. Just log on to Facebook or Twitter on the information streams in. Everybody is doing it from presidents, celebrities, royalty, sports people. A report from Infirm eight Mobile Intelligence found that people in the U. S. Checked their social media accounts 17 times a day. That's at least once every waking hour, and Americans are not even close to the biggest culprit. Smartphone users in Asia and South America check their social media at least 40 times. It's very unsettling in some situations. Teenagers in the U. S. Have been known to check their social media feeds more than 100 times a day. In some countries, there are rehab programs being set up for social media. I believe we can avoid going to rehab by implement in some simple but necessary practices into our daily lives. This course is about being proactive about curb in our social media use
4. The Thing About Connection: by their very nature. Human beings possessed a strong feeling to be connected to others on constantly have a sense of needing to belong somewhere. Social media has offered people a way to accomplish this like never before. You could be connected to the world around you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is extremely accessible to anyone anywhere. We are replaced in other forms of communication, such as face to face interactions. One positive. It gives individuals in the avenue of expressing their opinion where they may not have had the opportunity in the past. But the negative is these opinions could be hurtful unless constructive than ever. Face to face conversation took place. Another positive is people are able to acquire new skills, relearn old ones and find and expand on information separate from the guidance off their immediate families. However, social factors may also play a negative role as to why person might turn to virtual reality mawr and more often in order to escape negative situations in everyday life. Individuals suffering from anxiety have been known to spend more time in solitary seclusion , spending less time with real people in their lives. They use the Internet to seek Solis and escapism. As the popularity and usage off social media increases. It changed the way we communicate with one another social network and has become not only a vehicle to communicate, but a reason to communicate and share personal thoughts and ideas. Having an online personality is easier for people. For some people on their social and emotional needs are quickly fulfilled. Even those who have low self esteem can constantly search to fulfill their urge to connect without fear of being rejected.
5. The Psychology Behind Social Media: the psychology behind social media. Social media is the new cool cultural hang out where individuals explore, express experiment and engage with their identity, allowing their fingers to do their talking. All of the above can be achieved in the comfort and privacy off the bedroom or home. Social media can have a seductive and addictive power. By always. Being plugged in can propel individuals into another world, where a faceless audience is always ready to listen and give advice, especially when we feel emotionally vulnerable and alone. It is often considered to be easier to communicate through social media and email sites. Then it is to communicate face to face or on the telephone. The same applies to work space environments where often people communicate by email rather than physically walk over to talk face to face.
6. Do You Have A Problem With Social Media Quiz:
7. The Social Media Warning Signs:
8. Interesting Social Media Facts (U of MAryland Research): research from the University of Maryland shows approximately four out of five students experience negative side effects from disconnecting from technology for a day. I have noticed in my practice, when individuals are constantly online, their sleep, their stress levels on relationships suffer, they find it difficult to have worried getting sucked into the proverbial black hole because we need the Internet to connect. A recent study published last year in the Science Translational Medicine Journal found that the amount off caffeine that you'd get in a double expressing has a smaller effect on your sleep schedule than the display light on smartphones and laptops. So while you may not be drinking coffee in the evenings anymore, it turns out your sleep is far worse because you are using your smartphone in the evenings . This means it takes us longer to fall asleep on by not getting enough sleep or only getting poor quality sleep. This can have an impact on our mental and physical health. Many individuals who attempt to quit the Internet use experience withdrawal, including anger, depression, relief, mood swings, anxiety, fear, boredom, restlessness and loneliness.
9. On The Safe Side: Questions To Ask Yourself About Social Media: so I'd like you to consider some questions. As you progress through this course on social media anxiety. Have you worried about a member of your family or friends? Excessive use of social media? Have you ever felt let down? Were not enough people have liked one of your posts? Do you use social media to killed time or to forget about your problems? Lastly, does what people post on social media ever imp actual mood? These questions are often explored, addressed and pondered in my private practice with clients. They may sound trivial, but as human beings, we are relational beings. Instant gratification is often sort after by many individuals on those dependent on social media search, often for the social thumbs up.
10. Basic Social Media Rules : What should you do if heavy social media is causing you to feel more depressed? Basic social media rules. No laptops for mobile phones in the bedroom. Move the charger to another room and avoid charge in the phone beside your bed. This will stop you from checking Facebook instagram or Twitter as mentioned before the light on the screen. To be precise, prevents up brains from releasing melatonin. A Homer tells us, tells our brain that it's time for bed. So by an alarm clock, do not use your smartphone alarm clock. Create a morning ritual by going for a walk. Going to the plank. Meditate, workout. Walk your dog. Do all of the above without using your smartphone all of the above. All free your mind from other things, and it's a much better way to start the day. Why not include the practical tits any time throughout the day. So, for example, you might decide you want to read a book at lunchtime for 30 minutes. Leave your smartphone at your desk. Social time means no social media. This could be applied when meeting up with friends and family. We're watching sports. Surprise yourselves with what happens out of sight out of mind after you have checked your social profiles and have caught up on e mails setting for 15 minutes and then turn your phone off by increasing your tech break by five minutes every week or so, you'll be able to not check in for an hour or more without getting anxious about what you may have missed. I don't want sap your friends. Call them. Consider keeping a journal to clearly see how much time you do spend online. Remove applications from your smartphone or any other handheld devices. Keep the computer in a common area off the house, especially for families with Children. Find a buddy you can call to help keep you accountable. Spark up conversations and make a commitment toe. Have at least one meal a day without a device. Questions I ask. Individuals who are sensitive around social media are the following Are you looking for validation? Is that something you could do to validate yourself? Is it necessary to share? Does it add value to your life or to other people? When you overshare, are you avoiding something you need to do instead of addressing why you don't want to do it . Are you feeling bored? Is there something else you could do to feel more purposeful and engaged in your day? Are you feeling lonely? Have you created opportunities for meaningful connection in your day?
11. Addiction Or Seduction : When I think of addictions, I consider the compelling urge on one of the greatest human urges is the yearning to feel connected and to be part off something larger? In some cases, nothing satisfies this particular urge, like logging on on being social with the masses at any hour of the day. The reality is that the seduction to social media can be marked with many of the same symptoms as an addiction to drugs or alcohol or other behaviors, including feelings of anxiety. When you don't have access to your social media tablets on inability to step away from social media for set period of time, for example, choose in time online over actual face time with immediate friends or family. Or let him work slip because you're spending too much time. Online addictions are about fulfilling something. Some people are drawn to addictive substances or behaviours because of the way they make them feel. Because of the easy access availability, the desire for social media can be difficult to control on. This social urge seems far less harmful than given into drugs or nicotine. Like any activity, there is a need to find balance in what we do. The key is to be able to balance the use off this exciting form off interaction with all the other aspects of our lives. How is it for some social media is the normal mode of communication.
12. Social Media And Anxiety: when it comes to the things that take up most of our time every day, like work and personal relationships, we sometimes feel like we stand no chance against anxiety. And though we may not always realise it, social media plays a huge role in our daily life, and it's certainly something that influences our mental health as well. Individuals have been known to spend three hours a day just on their smartphones. Texan video chatting, browsing the Web. It seems our lives could be basically divided up into sleeping, eating and social media. It doesn't come as a surprise, then, that people with anxiety disorders react so strongly to social media. Folks with anxiety should keep an eye out for the detrimental effects off social media. If what you are seeing upset you or makes you feel bad about yourself, it's time to step away for a little while. Here are several negative impacts that social media can have on people with anxiety. When you hope onto your laptop on a Sunday morning and see all the fun, upbeat things people have been up to, you can suddenly feel crappy about your Loki knighting. Social media has people comparing themselves. As we fall into that trap, our anxiety levels shoot up and weaken suddenly feel wildly insecure about our lifestyle. It's important to remember that everyone on social media intentionally puts the best version off themselves. So what you see isn't necessarily the whole picture. Don't let yourself get worried that your life is a complete ball while your friends is impossibly spontaneous. Those with lower self esteem cared more about what others had posted about them on Facebook . On were more likely to remove certain posts to ensure their profile remained a reflection off the image they wanted to portray. Conversely, those with high self esteem spent time creating their own profile, adding pictures and information about themselves to show the world their ultimate persona. Anxiety sufferers tell themselves that there are so many things they're failing at in life . They question their social skills and how others appear so much more witty and friendly, and how they see themselves as tiring and trying to deconstruct what it means when someone has liked one of their tweets or posts. Spending more time on social media increases the exposure to cyber bullion, thus causing feelings off depression. I believe communicating and relating in cyberspace permits a level off safety on desire, ability for some personality types. Cyberspace can provide endless opportunities to engage of others and provide recognition in bite sized pieces to recognize it's a validate, acknowledge except empathize, tolerates and appreciate, even if these are achieved by a social media from a developmental angle. The mirror is not off recognition that an infant life's experience is the equivalent to the like. Button the share button, the tag butter the retweet button. Along with the comments. Individuals are often hungry for recognition, and social media can provide this.
13. Comparison: we can get so caught up in what other people appear like online that it sends us into a cloud off doubt about who we are and what we're passionate about. We second guess all the things about ourselves we once knew to be true. When we start to compare ourselves to what we see on social media, we undermine our trust in ourselves. We fret about how we look in pictures on how are comments may sound. We worry that other people are having more fun and doing more things. Highly idealized representation off piers on social media can elicit feelings off envy on the distorted belief that others lead happier and more successful lives. Creating a profile allows a person decide exactly what image to present to others. They are able to alter their identities and pretend to be someone other than himself or herself. For some people, this could lead to a near obsession. Whether we experience envy, jealousy or insecurity, it becomes much more challenging. For someone who experiences anxiety, there is a strong correlation between anxiety, depression and negative body image. If you think about it, you're probably spending most of your time on other people's profiles When you're mucking about on social media platforms, that means you're devote in most of your time on effort all their interests and their hobbies on their lives in general and leaving yourself out. So it's advised to keep your time online to a minimum and try not to like in yourself and your social skills to anyone else's. There's nobody you have to keep up with. It's not uncommon for anxiety sufferers to worry negatively about what their body looks like or whether they're thin enough to be accepted by society. We only heighten these insecurities by constantly flipping through pictures off attractive people on social media who have probably used some kind of filter to put forth the absolute best image off themselves. If you spend too much time glued to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook who are likely to become anxious, anxious people feel less than which is never a good thing. So try not to stare at other people's bodies so much, especially if it's going to make you harshly judge. The best way for anyone to take advantage of the benefits of these sites while minimizing the downside is to moderate his or her use and maintain a level off detachment. When the behaviors are acknowledged by a therapist or other mental health professional, it can help an individual to take steps to dress the compulsive behaviors and regain the ability to use the Internet.
14. Socialising: socializing, A team of researchers performed an experiment to see whether reviewing a person's Facebook or linked in profile before picking a person out off a picture would decrease anxiety levels. The researchers found that the participants, who were first exposed to another student via Facebook and then had to meet them in person , had increased psychological arousal, which means that they were more anxious. The participants may also have felt safer at first, but then became nervous, knowing they had to meet the person in real life because there was already a basis off knowledge about the person. The researchers found that when the participants increased their Facebook use, their state of well being declined, while those who increased the amount of time they spent with people face to face had an increased sense of well being. Although there are many benefits, it is important to remember the possible downsides off social media sites and their use in order to help people who are vulnerable to mental health problems such as anxiety disorder or depression, to not develop or exasperate existing problems due to use. The best way for anyone to take advantage of the benefits off the science while minimizing the downsides is to moderate his or her use and maintain a level off detachment
15. Wrap Up and Farewell: social media is like a moving target, and with that comes the his and expectations that we need to respond to people's comments straight away on remains. Plant Dean, You do have a choice. Start small by blocking out 15 minutes a day to catch up on your community. To make comments and to feel connected without feeling overwhelmed and stressed, give yourself permission to not exit everyone on anyone who wants to be your friend on Facebook or Instagram. Remember, 800 friends are privy to your personal facts. Would you invite all 800 into your home? It's important to keep your mental health in mind at all times when using social media, life could be much more for feeling When you limit your use of social media on, experiences are more valuable when individuals are able to be more present in the moment. My hope is individuals find a way off seeing social media not as a replacement to socially connecting, but to see as a bridge. The Internet and social media are vital components in our lives now that you have the tools and techniques and mechanisms to use social media in a productive and healthy way. I am hopeful that your online experiences will enrich you and those around you and allow you to utilize the technology in its highest and best form. I had so much fun presenting his information to you. I hope that it serves you well.
Sam Carbon, Social Media Anxiety
