The Need For Friendship And Community
While social media has been one of the greatest innovations in modern life, it is not an entirely positive development. It has become difficult to meet your friends in person these days as people are frequently too busy and don't want to risk wasting time on a potentially fruitless activity. As a result, many people have found solace in social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These platforms have also created an illusion of "connection" with strangers who actually mean nothing to us- for example, when you post about how happy you are after buying that new iPhone or visiting your best friend's wedding posting hundreds of snaps at once- only for them to disappear from your feed without any interaction from them later on. This phenomenon has become known as "ghosting." Ghosting is becoming more and more common, affecting all kinds of people from all walks of life. The anonymity and ease with which you can ghost on these sites makes it difficult to get back on your feet after a break up. The problem with Facebook is that a lot of users don't really know about it's privacy settings and have different definitions for the word "private" or "friends only." For example, some people think that it's okay to post their exes' name on Facebook, while others think they can't post their location (like when they meet up with friends in person). Everyone should be aware of how important privacy and limiting who sees your information is. As a result, people are less likely to go out and experience the world around them. Social media gives people the impression that there is always a better party than the one they are at or a more interesting friend group than the one they already have. Again, showing the importance of getting to know your friends and how it can help you grow as an individual. The psychological benefit of these platforms is also questionable. There has been research indicating that social media promotes narcissism and depression because it keeps you in a state of constant comparison with others' lives. It is easy to get jealous of your followers on Instagram or your Facebook friends who get more likes on their status posts than you do, which can lead to feelings of exclusion and loneliness.
The psychological benefit of these platforms is also questionable. There has been research indicating that social media promotes narcissism and depression because it keeps you in a state of constant comparison with others' lives. It is easy to get jealous of your followers on Instagram or your Facebook friends who get more likes on their status posts than you do, which can lead to feelings of exclusion and loneliness. This may be because it is so difficult to change someone's mood on Facebook; for example, if someone posts about how depressed they are after a breakup, there's nothing that the rest of their friends can do about it. This is different from in real life where friends can encourage the sadsack to see a therapist or just spend time with them. This inadequacy of social media may be why some people are choosing to delete their Facebook accounts. While social media can be great for staying in touch with faraway friends, it is important to remember the importance of in-person interaction as well as the potential harm that social media can have on your mental state.
According to "Psychology Today", "social networks are now replacing neighborhoods and communities as primary places where people meet, form friendships and find meaningful connection. As such, there is growing evidence that social networking is taking a toll on individuals' mental health." The most common reasons for one to delete their Facebook account are boredom or loneliness. Social media sites are becoming more difficult to navigate for many of us these days due to the rise of apps like Snapchat that have the capability to add in-app purchases and the weirdness of what is considered "social interaction" on websites like Facebook where 40% of users report feeling at least one or two negative emotions like anger, sadness or fear as they use the application. It is important to spend time with friends and family offline because it helps keep you out of depression and make you more productive when out in public. People who rely on social media do not know how to have face-to-face conversations or have meaningful interactions with their friends. To further demonstrate the point of why it is better to interact with people in person and that "likes" on Facebook can't compare to real relationships, researchers decided to track the physiological reactions of two groups of people for a week. One group interacted via computer or phone, another in person. The results showed that those who interacted in person had a more positive reaction after interacting than those who did so online. "It's about creating contexts for meaningful interactions," says Dr. Michael Kraus, lead author and associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health. "We tend to focus on the message and what we're communicating and the information that we're sharing, but social media has minimal value when it comes to ones' health."
It's difficult enough figuring out how to delete your Facebook account without any guidance from us! At least though, here are some quick tips on how to stop your friends from knowing you deleted your account.
For starters, here are some ways you can still be a part of life online:
1. Add people as personal contacts on Facebook or email them an address so they can contact you with ease. This is especially useful if you've been ghosted by someone (because they don't know what happened).
2. Get disconnected from other people's newsfeeds. There is a setting on Facebook where you can limit who sees your posts. You can also set up a "do not share" list on Facebook -- this allows you to keep certain posts off your newsfeed and sends them directly to the people in your address book. This is especially useful if someone has spread gossip about you that isn't true, like sharing information about a breakup that isn't yours.
3. Make sure you're active on other social media sites besides Facebook if you feel drained by it or don't like it anymore. Many people have found success in this on Instagram, where you can choose to be an "unfollowee" from the people in your feed. You can also follow a few people who you feel are interesting to see updates from and filter your feed to see only photos.
4. Get rid of your Facebook app completely for a time period before deleting it specifically for the day so that you're not tempted to log back on when you feel like it.
5. Reach out to your friends and see if they'd be willing to hang out with you in real life or if they're able to host you at their place. This can help you feel more connected to the people in your life, as well as give them a break from ghosting people on Facebook. Many people state that hanging out in person with friends is one of the best ways to get over a breakup.
6. If you need someone to text about your feelings after a breakup, reach out to one of your therapist's pages on Facebook instead of messaging them directly because it might make it look like you're trying too hard to get over someone that currently doesn't want anything to do with you.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there are many reasons why you might want to delete your Facebook account. For fans of social media, this is a fun time where you can stay connected with friends and family but it's important to realize that the rise of social media has led to both the good and bad of the internet. As these sites gain popularity, there will be an increase in cyberbullying and issues such as mental health. Also, when you spend hours upon hours scrolling through people's comments on Facebook or reading their posts about what they're eating for dinner, it can be easy for your mood to turn sour if you read something negative. Like in real life there are some people who are enjoyable to know and others who are not.