How Social Media Is Ruining Peoples Lives

Many people are beginning to postulate that the effects of social media on society is doing irreversible damage. Many people are becoming isolated and narcissistic and some are even becoming addicted. In this coaching session we asked our clients their thoughts on the negative effects of social media on peoples lives:

I blame the declining mental health more-so on capitalism ie income inequality. People are working longer and harder (more productivity) in unfulfilling jobs and earning less each year (due to inflation.) we are just overworked under appreciated replaceable cogs in a machine. That will do a number to your mental health, and self worth.

Social media has given me more anxiety than any other anxiety inducing activity. It's on par with the anxiety I feel when I can't sleep and I know I have to get up early for an appointment or some other thing. I love YouTube, but I spend way too much time video hopping. I'm more isolated now than before owning a smartphone and I put off getting one until 2014 because I just thought I didn't really need it, but the GPS comes in very handy when traveling to a new destination I've never been to. Most apps are just time-wasters.

Social media doesn't make any sense because it doesn't primarily connect people. People get to stay in touch with their friends from high school and whatever, but do they actually talk to them? Chances are they just like their posts and keep on scrolling. Social media feeds are a new kind of anti-social, where you only see things posted by people within your circle of friends. You aren't exposed to new people, and since you have that constant feed and reserve of friends to always fall back on you don't go into real-life situations with the possibility of meeting new people. No wonder people can't actually have a conversation anymore.

Social media is okay until you start comparing your life to others. Especially when your life isn't going well. It makes it seem like everyone has their life figured out.

Mark Zuckerberg has contributed more than any other human being to the stupidifacation of the human race. He unleashed a scourge on us that I don't think we can ever defeat, it's a djinn out of it's bottle and it won't go back in, ever. Between facebook and smartphones, I don't think there's any hope for humanity. The damage is done. We're a lost cause.

It's very telling when I went to my local grocery store and said "hi" to one of the young cashiers there and was ignored vs an older worker who was more responsive and polite. It's a generational thing i guess. Many kids are socially awkward and emotionally unstable. Kids are growing up in dark rooms playing video games and surfing the internet nowadays. I grew up skating outside with my buddies and playing basketball. I feel lucky.

Tools are great, and that's all smartphones are. It's the stupid, irresponsible, abusive user that's the problem.... As humans we tend to blame too many things for our problems when we are literally the root of our problems. we're always trying to find external reasons for why we aren't happy inside when really it's because we're irresponsible and lack self control and discipline. We have a stupid people problem not a social media problem.

It's terrible in America. The people here have no social skills whatsoever. It's so hard to talk to a civilized human being. I for once have a hard time making friends because most people out there have the very narrow interests outside social media and what's going on in the lives of celebrities. No one gives a shit who Gigi Hadid is dating. I for once would like to acquaint myself with people who actually read a book every now and then.

I love how people want to be socially connected through their phones, but can't hold a conversation with another living being or even look someone in the eye anymore. it's all text messaging and virtual friends. glad i grew up without the internet.

The problem with these devices and these apps is that it makes things way too easy, and when things are too comfortable, people don't grow.  Nobody calls me anymore to ask how I am, nobody gives a shit about each other, I tried reaching out but it's like dealing with robots. We don't have to wait for the Matrix to happen, it's already here. It's just not authentic.

20 years ago I called this. Back when buying things online began to normalize, we began to see hours of time wasted by "customers" with salespeople, only to have them buy online. Of course people think nothing of this today, just like drunks think nothing of drinking a bottle of Jack every night. Point is anti-social behavior becomes normalized as more people do it. This is the internet. I think we can all agree that it makes things simpler, and people dumber and more resistant to relationships.

People live in a simulated world where how many pictures you have of you smiling on instagram, or facebook defines who you are in the sense that it really doesn't because no one knows who you are. Because you have not met the people that are looking at you in the social media simulation. It's not helping people because everybody's reality is different. And if you are not producing happy moments. Nobody wants to know, people are afraid of human feelings and expressions. Especially on facebook, or any platform like it. If you have different thoughts or expressions than the norm, your an outsider. I realized facebook was a rather unsavory platform for attention seekers a long time ago. Iv'e seen people become addicted to to page scrolling. It's fucking horrible. How can you just sit there and scroll down some cunt of a page looking for god knows what, something you can like. We our losing our selfs as humans. We are not evolving properly.