Dr. Jyotsna Verma
Abstract
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” by Benjamin Franklin, this phrase is learned and known by everyone from childhood. This is the first phrase that is taught in almost every school and this is not just a phrase it is the reality of life. But today the phrase is going opposite late to bed and late to rise makes a man unhealthy, unwealthy and unwise. Digital media has caged everyone, a cage of smartphones, digital gadgets, earbuds, AirPods and online applications (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and others). In the digital age, youth are so engaged in the virtual world that they cannot imagine their life without it. From morning till night, youth update everything on social media and now it has become an important part of their life. This drastic lifestyle change has raised many health issues among youth and teenagers as they spend most of the time sitting on their sofas which is increasing health issues such as wrist pain, eye pain, back pain, etc. as well as mental problems like depression, frustration, and anger among people. Major steps must be taken by people themselves to overcome these health problems.
Keywords: Virtual society, social media, online trap, health problems, mental issues, lifestyle.
Introduction:
Today young generation likes to stay on digital networks all the time as it has become an important part of their lives without which they cannot imagine starting the day. Youths like to spend more than half of their day using social media applications, they are so engaged in the virtual world that they do not care much about their real relations. They seem to only want to live in a virtual world ignoring nearby connections. With the increased hours on social media, young people are more prone to health problems like obesity, body aches, low-vision, fatigue, insomnia, dementia etc. A quote by Oprah Winfrey, “If you want to feel good, you have to go out and do some good.” Still, today nobody wants to go out from home and work hard or do any physical work because they like to stay at home on their soft cushioned sofas and spend hours on smartphones for the whole day and this has become a part of their lifestyle which is making young people and children prone obesity, wrist pain as their smartphones are always handy, neck pain as they low down their neck, weak eye-sight always looking for notifications, back-pain by sitting long day in one posture and many other related health issues. Young children are getting into the trap of cyberbullying and cyber-threatening because of social media which leads them into troubleshooting situations. Depression and anxiety caused by cyberbullying are fuelled by the anonymous nature of online platforms. Stress can be developed through security threats such as scams online or even reputation damage. Most of us like to post our latest pictures, videos, likes and comments. Many pictures uploaded by the girls are sensual and while doing so they come across many cybercrimes like stalking, harassment, cyberbullying and sometimes they even try to commit suicide for the doing which is a big issue for today’s technological world and upcoming generations. Sometimes when children are caught up by their parents, they witness it by not doing it again, but they become so addicted to online media that they do it again and in doing so they show a dual personality which is quite harmful for them and for the society. We live in an era of hyperreality where there is no truth and everything is fake. This can be witnessed daily through advertisements like beauty creams, hair shampoo, cold drinks, nutritional drinks, soaps, perfumes, deodorants and many more. The use of online media is increasing day by day and while using media we come across many clickbait which are not relevant and sometimes, some irrelevant sensational content appears on the screen. These online contents are triggering the mental, physical, and emotional growth and development of children and youth.
Review of Literature:
William Fielding Ogburn, in his article How Technology Changes Society (1947), shows that “technology changes with the changing environment in which we live and these changes are seen in material culture and the adaptation which is made to the changes modifies the customs and social institutions where we live”. Technology has affected a lot of changes in attitudes, beliefs and even traditions, this has affected almost all aspects of our life and culture. Technology helps in realise our goals with less effort, less cost and greater efficiency. Our culture is directed by our acts, our norms, folkways, and mores which are important aspects of culture and these determine what form of the market we are surrounded with i.e., what is our daily requirements so it fulfils our daily needs we want a good market where we can get all the things needed according to our culture and for this, we want a good platform of media which helps in distribution and consumption of goods and items.
In the views of Young and Rodgers, Krant and colleagues (1998) found that frequent use of the internet has raised the risk of depression and mental health in children/young. The increased use of online media has made people lethargic, frustrated and feel depressed and alone. The major issue underlining this mental change in the life of people is excessive use of technology which leads them towards discomfort and leads them towards tension, frustration, aggression, depression, or suicide. It can be examined that just a click mouse is clicking our lives towards hell and making them meaningless.
Many studies have linked smartphone use with worsening teen mental health but teens like to scroll through Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube to watch videos and they might offer clues to their psychological well-being. Changes in typing speed, voice tone, word choice and how often kids stay home could signal trouble, according to preliminary studies. Dr. Thomas Insel, former head of the National Institute of Mental Health shares that researchers are testing experimental apps that use artificial intelligence to try to predict depression episodes and potential self-harm. Likes, shares, comments, posts keep children and teens and youth engaged like zombies while their minds are speedily being colonised and harvested by prompt ads and Instagram influencers promoting lavish lifestyles and looks.
Dr. Kanishka Meel, psychiatrist, consults on Practo, shows that excessive internet use is hampering physical health. Internet addiction and smartphone addiction are some of the latest disorders which are listed in mental illness. Consuming too much content on screen has adverse effects both on sleep patterns and mental well-being. Blue light syndrome is a new term that typically reflects low levels of melatonin, which is a natural sleep hormone. Over-screening of short videos and reels leads to reduced concentration abilities and poor performance in studies. According to World Health Organization (WHO) has advised that children below the age of thirteen years should limit their screen time to less than two hours per day. Also added, that comparing themselves to others causes low self-esteem and a lack of confidence. Social media creates a culture of comparison as well as trend followers which makes people feel inadequate. Family dinners are meant for spending quality time and end up becoming photography sessions for content on social media, it does not end there, this is often followed by the repetitive checking of responses received which at times can even get obsessional.
Psychologist Gandhi Aarti, states that muscles in young children are fragile and they should be allowed to grow normally without any aids or machines. Children are often unaware of how to make use of the complicated machines in the gym and this can easily harm their brittle muscles which surely hinder their growth. Gyms have worked out a special package for kids where they have the option of paying for each month or taking a yearly membership. Kids want to look ‘cool’ among their peers so they regularly visit the gyms. Parents encourage their children and are proud of the fact that their children hit the gym regularly. With kids aiming to look like their role models, the need for a gym is suddenly becoming a priority.
Children who like to play video games are more often involved in aggressive behaviour games like soldiers at war, cops and robbers, to water-balloon fights at birthday parties and many articles report on the controversy surrounding the linkage between violent video games and violent behaviour. Psychologists Anderson and Bushman (2003), determined that there are causal linkages between violent video game use and aggression. They found that children who had just played violent video games demonstrated an immediate increase in aggressive thoughts, an increase in violent emotions and physiological arousal that increased the chances of acting out aggressive behaviour. In short, children who play a lot of these games find it easier to imagine and access violent solutions than non-violent ones and are less socialized to see violence as a negative.
In the age of the digital world, youth are more prone to depression, anger, and frustration which are the major factors for stress, tension, depression and aloofness in youth and children which make them decline towards murder and suicide.
Sitting for a long number of hours using social media with digital gadgets they face problems with hand pain, wrist pain, and back pain. They also suffer from low-eye vision. A study done by the president of the Arthritis Care Foundation and orthopaedic experts has warned against an increased number of cases of wrist and finger joint pain, arthritis and stress injuries to the hand, arms and back. They also include those who indulge in too much texting on social media and gaming and tablets can make one suffer from wrist and finger joint pain and sometimes crippling arthritis of the fingers.
Cyberbullying is spreading its roots in the digital age in which children and youth easily get trapped and if someone gets harassed by digital media they experience an increased level of stress, anxiety and social isolation.
The social world is loaded with information, everyone wants to share their single details about what they are doing, where they are, and with whom they are hanging out all these details are easily tracked by the trackers and anyone can reach and find one very easily.
Digital addiction on very busy days makes one more busier than ever. The cycle of checking mobile notifications every second, likes/dislikes/comments goes on and on which makes people more addicted to social media.
The continuous usage of media makes a person dull, lazy, deaf, less interested in life, and less connected with the real outside world. Children’s minds are very fertile as they adapt to what they see and with continuous surveillance of online networks children get attracted to online things. When they view online images, they capture some pictures in their minds. Many things are shared within peer groups and children do suffer from time management because of which they suffer from mental pressure.
Suggestions/Conclusion:
We must use digital gadgets only in times of need we should not make ourselves dependent on them. We must give more importance to real relations and feelings.
We must spend more time with family, friends and loved ones which will help make strong real bonds of trust and patience in relationships.
Digital media in all ways have made people alone and isolated, but we should emphasise making real bonds and groups more.
Youth and children have lost creativity and imagination powers due to the overuse of social media. We should make use of books rather than online books and must make handy notes in our register while making online notes which might increase the power of not forgetting as books and handy notes will make us write and they are not easily forgotten. The influence of social media can be controlled when children are taught about the advantages and the disadvantages of social media and guide them towards the right path for future life from which they can judge themselves about the benefits and loopholes of social media from which they can make a good decision power about social media.
We must also focus on a daily diet that includes fibre, protein, carbohydrates, calcium, and other important nutrients which help in focusing the mind on the goals.
Children and youth should also involve games in their lives so they feel energetic and refreshed all day. They can also make themselves engaged in yoga classes, meditation, dance classes or Zumba classes as these small changes will help make changes to one’s personality, behaviour and attitude which is beneficial against depression, anger and frustration.
References:
- Turkle Sherry, (2011), alone together, why we expect more from technology and less from each other, Basic Books, New York.
- Turkle Sherry, (2015), Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in Digital Age, Penguin Press.
- Baldas T, (2012), Dander in the chat room: More kids vulnerable to sexual exploits online, Detroit Free Press.
- Erikson Erik, (1950), Childhood and Society, W.W. Norton & Co.
- Goffman Erwin, (1959), The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.