We have to admit the fact that majority of us check our Facebook accounts and other social media platforms before we even brush our teeth in the morning. Most of us are even wondering, “How can someone live without using the internet?” Is that really possible?
Source:asapScience
In today’s digital age, we depend on the internet to connect us to a lot of things – directions, reviews, shopping, payments, inquiries and most especially, people. Over a billion people use Facebook to connect with old friends, stalk beautiful people and read the news. While there are more than 350 million people who use twitter to vent out their thoughts and rants over 160 characters. It’s clear that the world needs the internet more than it needs cars.
Despite the revolutionary positive effects of using the internet, many are concerned over the numerous disadvantages of using it especially for the young minds. Susan Greenfield, a neurobiologist from Oxford, has claimed that internet use and autism are connected. However, this claim has been condemned by some of her colleagues, saying that there are no enough scientific proof to support her claim. They have also raised concerns on how Greenfield’s claim would be misleading to the public, most especially to the parents.
However, some have pointed out the other negative effects of using the internet (the social media sites specifically). One of these negative effects is the me-centered vanity young people have where their worlds only revolve around themselves.
Hint: too many selfies on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.
Other negative impacts stated include the short attention span, the over-sharing of personal information (after-sex selfie is too much – we don’t even care if you’re getting it), anti-social behavior, lack of empathy towards others, distraction, addiction and the lack of productivity in today’s work. Even though these negative impacts are just opinions of people, there is still a ring of truth to them.
There are so many ways the internet has helped us solve our problems, connect to people we thought we’ve forgotten already and make our lives comfortable. However, if we depend too much of our social and mental lives on it, it can have negative impacts to us.
So why don’t we close our social media apps, put down our smart phones and get out of the house. We could use some sunshine and face-to-face intelligent conversations.
