Psychological Well-Being Impacted by Technology

Psychological Well-Being Impacted by Technology

Social Networking Decreases Intimacy in Interpersonal Relationships

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of mental wellness and support of people at home and in their respective workplaces as they use technology. There is a notable decline in mental health around the globe, and most of the blame is on the communication channels and the technology that people use daily (Beyens, Frison & Eggermont, 2016). The majority of the technological applications that have been invented of late have been primarily about consumption. This type of waste is in the form of stealing people’s attention, and concern for others is diminished. The strategies used are meant to prey on the basic needs that humans have, and communication is one of the primary essentials (Oeldorf-Hirsch & Sundar, 2016). The strategies major on acceptance and inclusion that have led to the rise of applications like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and the like. The format is designed in usage and downloads.

The same technological applications are even being used in business enterprises to boost business and communicate with customers. Business products have adopted the same patterns of industrial use that compete to get people’s attention in a manner that is impactful and systemic to the point where a distraction-free smartphone is now a thing (Oeldorf-Hirsch & Sundar, 2016). The apps that are designed with a desire for eyeballs that is dangerous, and there are no considerations o the adverse effects on mental wellness. People are dealing with a consistent form of conciseness daily from the use of technology and similar applications. Many people get off from work on Fridays to spend time watching, and interaction with other people is limited (Hayes, Carr & Wohn, 2016). The primary reason for this is that people have replaced the use of technology through social media to communicate.

According to research, mental health is expected to be one of the most significant healthcare burden globally by 2030. The awareness of psychological well-being, and the factors that can affect it will only continue to rise, and everyone, and everything, must play a role in reversing the trend and the costs of ignoring it are too high (Beyens, Frison & Eggermont, 2016). There is an increasing form of evidence that shows workplaces have an impact on and can play an active role in helping people reduce their mental health issues through interpersonal interactions. Staff members are good for morale and maintaining a culture where a sustainable workplace is mentally healthy.

Human beings have three main parts that define their social nature, which our body, mind, and soul. All these human components grow and develop over time, but they change when they are influenced by external factors (Coleman, 2014). Technology is one of the most influential factors that affect these human components. Technology has advanced rapidly over time, and people couldn’t adapt fast enough to the changes it came with, and regulations to govern newer technologies are not in place. Collectively, these rapid changes in the way the world operates are subconsciously affecting everyone. People are slowly neglecting the importance of being physically, emotionally, and mentally present for one another and have developed over-reliance on technology that has rewired people’s thought processes to focus on things that never used to be priorities in life (Beyens, Frison & Eggermont, 2016). Humans seem to be outsourcing humanity to technology, mindlessly depending on it to be human to one another. The absence of rules to govern technology has taken a significant toll on people, and the adverse effects will continue affecting future generations.

Social networking is the use of websites that are dedicated to a specific purpose and applications that help people interact with each other and find people with similar interests (Hayes, Carr & Wohn, 2016). Social networking is all about the use of social media to communicate, which has not only changed but also affected interpersonal relationships and communication. The effects of social networking platforms use on interpersonal relationships cannot be ignored since it has changed how people communicate and form relationships based on face to face interactions and interpersonal relationships cease to exist (Hayes, Carr & Wohn, 2016). This study has information on why a significant number of the world’s population chooses to use social media every single day in such high volumes, while interpersonal relationships slowly take a back seat. How much time-consuming virtual relationships affect social media users’ solid interpersonal relationships with individuals, they cross paths within reality, giving insight as to what this means for interpersonal communication in the future.

Social networking has incredible advancements in electronic technology that has daily promotions, and its popularity in society is ever rising (Oeldorf-Hirsch & Sundar, 2016). Currently, it is the biggest and most common form of communication used globally. People use it to promote their business for marketing, sales, charity functions in groups, awareness forums, fundraising, friends, families, and people in need of building relationships around them while also seeking information (Beyens, Frison & Eggermont, 2016). The purpose of social networking is to bridge people from far and wide, and it allows the execution of tasks in the simplest of methods and at the convenience of the users. A single message can be spread from one person and location to reach multiple people in various locations globally.

This form of communication has opened a channel that can be used all the time without limits, which has changed the process of communication. Since this form of technology is unique, with a chain of tightly woven interconnectivity and interactivity with individuals for the first time, forever changing the way the world population interacts, communicates, spreads its messages, and ultimately forms relationships (Oeldorf-Hirsch & Sundar, 2016). As much as communication has been made easy by social networking platforms, they have exterminated the need for face to face communication trends, and interpersonal communication has been crippled. Since the primary focus of these technology platforms of communication is online, users shift their communication habits to mirror online interface (Hayes, Carr & Wohn, 2016). Social networking has made it possible for people to interact online and have multiple friends at the click of a button, even without meeting. People no longer need to meet personally and talk, which also a factor that is affecting the psychological well-being of individuals.

According to an article done by The New York Times called “antisocial networking,” showed results the majority of the people using social networking platforms do not need to physically see and interact with their friends as long as they are connected online (Coleman, 2014). The world’s population with people who virtually online have exponentially expanded, but this does not mean that the users have an active social life. It’s far from that. This factor has led to the sprouting of online relationships that do not last, and others point to terrible heartbreaks since people do not have the time to interact socially. Online behavior is very different from social action, and the consequences are hurtful to the psychological well-being of people.

The way that people behave in person is very different from the way the same person would behave online. Online conversations do not require people to see each other, and being lied to as well as lying is a very likely possibility (Hayes, Carr & Wohn, 2016). When people are communicating face to face, it is easy to know when a person is lying or when a person is happy or angry depending on their body language and non-verbal communication skills like eye contact. It is also easy to gauge the intelligence of a person from the way people interact with each other. For a relationship to be productive and kick off in high gear, it is essential that the interaction between people is face to face to enhance emotional stability and quality (Oeldorf-Hirsch & Sundar, 2016). The exact impact of this technology use is not clear, but it has adverse effects on the closeness that friendships should have and maintain.

The amount of time that people spend on social networking platforms is also alarming. When people spend time together, it not only strengthens their bond but also helps people understand different kinds of behavior and have the ability to cope with various characters of people (Hayes, Carr & Wohn, 2016). Such interactions also enable people to learn more about others in the best way they can. This type of relationship is crucial for people who value friendship and understanding the real character of people is paramount. Online interactions limit the ability of people to understand each other. People who rely on online communications to build friendships find it rough to have lasting relationships with other people since they are not used to face to face conversations and interactions (Beyens, Frison & Eggermont, 2016). This is one of the leading factors to a disruption in the psychological well-being of the individual.

Social networking platforms make it easy for people to overestimate the levels of intimacy, which many people confuse to real privacy (Hayes, Carr & Wohn, 2016). People need to learn one another before becoming intimate with each other to avoid any form of disappointments. Online interactions make it easy for people to think that they are close, and their relationships are real and intense, while the truth of the matter is that it’s all fake (Coleman, 2014). People feel complete with themselves and their partners and impact their lives. However, social networking has a contagion effect that makes people adopt behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes from those within social networks. This form of technology facilitates the comparison of people with each other, which adversely affects the psychological well-being of individuals.

The Internet provides increasingly blurred boundaries between online and offline relationships. It is crucial to understand the role of technology in changing family relationships, where the rules of interaction with online people have several adverse effects on daily life such as compromising the function of offline relationships, detracting from job performance, and increasing the potential for Internet addictions (Hayes, Carr & Wohn, 2016). Other social networking factors like misusing Facebook can lead to negative social consequences such as social isolation, distrust in relationships, infidelity, lack of social cohesion, addiction, and divorce. Online and offline relationships have grown to become so interconnected that what people do in either of those relationships impacts the other.

The physical/social situations and history of a person influence what they do and learn online, which spills over into their offline experiences. Under this factor, those people with great compulsive Internet use experience decreased quality in their offline relationships, fell commitment in their relationships, and have more frequent conflicts with their partners (Hayes, Carr & Wohn, 2016). People with more interest in social networking platforms have lower levels of competency that is perceived at initiating offline relationships. Additionally, heavy social networking users have decreased interpersonal skills at starting offline relationships meaning that the more a person uses social media, the harder it is for them to initiate new relationships offline.

People who had developed a dependency on their cell phone experience decreased attention and increased depression, which led to a negative impact on their social relationships with their family and friends (Beyens, Frison & Eggermont, 2016). When people hide their online addictions or relationships from their partners, they often have issues with attending to daily tasks, and levels of sexual intimacy with their primary partner decrease. Social networking platforms do not only impact people’s relationships with others but also impact personal relationships and how people perceive the world around them. Compulsive Internet users are usually depressed, more lonely, and their social skills are generally low, which affects their psychological well-being since they have no one to talk to or express their feelings (Coleman, 2014). Such kind of people has negative characteristics when it comes to social one on one relationships. Adolescents are also affected by when they overuse social networking sites. Their psycho-social, personal, and general well-being becomes problematic, and their emotional well-being is not stable.

According to the research, it is evident that social networking sites influence both offline and online relationships, depending on the user and the level of addiction. The majority of the people using social networking platforms have a fear of missing out, which has a psychological effect on the individuals (Coleman, 2014). Everyone loves to feel loved and appreciated, so when chances and opportunities pass people by due to lack of access to social networking sites, they feel left out, and depression is likely to affect them further. When people overuse smartphones, they tend to have reduced emotional control, and their emotions are not stable, which is an effect of their reduced psychological well-being as well as emotional suppression.

Anxiety is another factor that manifests itself in the lives of those people with excess usage of social networking sites as well as smartphones and other gadgets to access social media platforms. People who are not frequent users of social networking sites have low expressions of anxiety since they have more time to spend with their friends and family (Beyens, Frison & Eggermont, 2016). Their relationships also have better chances of lasting longer than those who excessively use social networking technology.

Fear of missing out, anxiety, depression, and loneliness contribute to the mental health problems caused by social networking sites. According to Coleman, he found out that many high school and college students are dealing with anxiety and depression rates that are more times higher than the youth (Coleman, 2014). There have been many theories concerning the consumption of social networking content and technology. Several scholars believe that heavy use of social media, such as Facebook and Instagram, may contribute to this growing problem. In countries where social media use is high, loneliness and depression have increased dramatically within the past decade. No doubt, increased social media use and higher rates of depression and loneliness are linked.

Heavy users of Facebook experienced higher levels of Facebook envy than light viewers and that they reported feeling more symptoms of depression. In other words, those who were heavy Facebook users experienced higher levels of resentment and depression, which caused them to engage in Facebook surveillance because the more they saw on Facebook, the more they wanted and the worse they felt (Coleman, 2014). This is one of the factors that make social networking have more disadvantages than advantages. People choose to engage in various types of social networking sites, but the majority of them have the same adverse effects.