Touchscreens can make us lose touch...
Reaction to the news video: NIH study tracks effects of social media on adolescent brains (2018)
There is a difference of brain chemistry to people exposed to social media all the time. In the study conducted, the screen time determines the good feelings of a person. It triggers the reward system of the brain. Beginning from child development to adolescence there should be guidelines, to regulate oneās usage of the social media. The current generation of adolescents grows up in a media-saturated world. Neural development in adolescence and show how can provide a deeper understanding of developmental sensitivities related to adolescentsā media use. Adolescents are highly sensitive to acceptance and rejection through social media, and that their heightened emotional sensitivity and protracted development of reflective processing and cognitive control may make them specifically reactive to emotion-arousing media.
We could understand the mutual influence of media and peers on adolescentsā well-being and opinion formation. In addition to adolescentsā sensitivity to the feeling of belonging to the peer group, the peer group also has a strong influence on opinions and decision-making. Peers can exert a strong influence on adolescents through user-generated content on social media. Co-viewing, sharing, and discussing media content with peers is common practice among adolescents in line with their developmental stage in which peers become more important than others. Adolescent girls often share pictures and comment on ideal body they want to, thus deciding what a normal body should look like. Adolescent brain responds to peer comments about others and self, and subsequent behavioral adjustments and opinion changes. Findings provide important starting points for understanding how adolescents are influenced by peer feedback in an online environment. This video could be an eye-opener for all of us.
Nowadays, we are so pre-occupied by the modern technology. Through technology it is easier to contact anyone. We developed this routine of checking our social media every now and then. Check up on family, friends, see our interests of events etc. Well the thing is that we forget to communicate not through screens but we forget to communicate with our heart. These touchscreens can make us lose touch. We lose touch of connecting real time with others. Although it claims to connect us, the connection has gotten no better. In social media people post different kinds of stuff and expect the likes, reactions of others to measure their own self-worth. People tend to ignore those who actually cares, it seems weād rather write about our problems. Study shows that the attention span of the average adult today is 1 second lower than that of a goldfish. Sad but it is true. We should take control and make a decision. Not waste time by recording something so precious but rather enjoy the moment. Grab every opportunity to be with our loved ones. Eat with them, talk to them in person. Not just staying at home and staring at your screens. Do something worthwhile that will last a lifetime.
