Anxiety and Cyber-Tension
In the last decade, social media has become a new dominating tool for communicating with friends and loved ones. What I mean by Cyber-tension is the overworked social muscle caused by peer presure and anxiety to keep up with your internet tools like Facebook, Twitter, Outlook and Google Email Accounts, Pintrest and everything else we use online. Just like working out in the gym for other muscles, the anxiety to keep up with internet tools can be overworked causing "Cyber-Tension" in the left temporal lobe . Side affects are headache, frustration, loss of energy and mental fatigue.
Most children and young adults feel as if it is their perogative to connect digitally with their friends. Preeschoolers and Middleschoolers see older students and other parents using digital tools to connect through the internet. These children complain to their family for a smartphone or ipad for Christmas. Today's internet is not just a way to connect with friends online, but a cyber-nightmare. Creating online profiles of yourself wondering if you should stay true to who you are at a young age causes anxiety. Having little of knowledge of who your child is actually talking to is a stress for the family. Parents have to monitor their child by going through their texts after the computer time is over for their young adult. Monitoring what your child is up to on the internet is a major stress for moms and dads. Highschoolers have anxiety to be the most popular online by keeping their Facebook profile full of friends and messages.
Do you have FOMO?
Mobile Texting -- Eternal Communication With Friends
Children feel the need to have easy access to friends in today's world of digital companionship. Being alone doodling by yourself is more together than in previous decades. Having your smartphone near creates the feeling of eternal communication. Friends are more accesible to communicate with by cellular texting and Facebook. The digital devices are just the venue for eternal communication with friends. This feeling of "I'm not alone" is also a stresser because the communication process never turns off. There is anxiety with replying to all the texts daily. Keeping up with digital connections does not only refer to mobile texting, but to e-mail messages and Facebook updates.
Attention 50/50
Having our anxiety with our digital agenda leaves us to spend more attention online. We are less present when at school, at a movie or when hanging with friends. Texting our friends and updating Facebook are new norms subscribed in our everyday culture. We are pressured to view every message as it comes in, and the anxiety from staying connected with your friends has become for most, a constant minute by minute hassle.
Personal Experiences and Views of Modern Social Media
When I was young, the term connected meant something different. For me it meant connection of a mouse to a computer or a the way a pad of paper sticks together. The internet was a new form of using our personal computers. I had trouble grasping the idea that the computer goes to a world of information outside of itself. I even thought using the telephone was a magical experience. Fastforwarding to 1990's, I saw technology advancing at a fast rate. Items like the Walkie-Talkie was a huge communication tool for friends, family and business use. At this time cellphones were just phones. The ability to text with friends was just developing and was a pain to do on phones. I never felt the anxiety of today until I had a smartphone. the ease of communication and all the tools made it easier and harder at the same time. What to push and how to use each tool became a constant hassle. For me at first, I wanted my friends to be available only by calling them; them texting me was invasive. I never responded to text, but I would call my friends.
Understanding Modern Texting Technology
With my smartphone, I got used to the idea of texting, but still had the anxiety to be available at all times incase a text came through. When I texted my friends and didnt recieve a response for more than 5 hours, I got worried. I felt as if I did something wrong and my friend was mad at me. Being stuck in this constant guessing game, I reverted back to using my smartphone for just a phone. The same thing happend though if it went to voice mail. I never used profiling websites like Facebook or Twitter and felt no anxiety about it. Today the pengilum has swung to constant use of smartphones and profile websites. It is like we are brainwashed to invest our time in these new communication tools. In my opinion, these tools help us, but they are not what our life depends on. I still call my friends on occation to catch up. Having the newest and most modern version of these devices is a obsetion for most people. These devices are updating at such a constant rate it creates anxiety for those who dont have the money to get the latest version. Overall, I think these devices create more anxiety then they are worth because our lives are hard enough as it is.
Questions:
How has owning a smartphone and an internet connection changed your life and those around you?
Are you experiencing anxiety? If so, what stresses you the most?
If we could rewind time, before celluar phones, would you feel less or more anxious without the ability to communicate through texting? (Discuss and explain why)
Do you see social media anxiety affecting adolecents of the next generation?
Personal Experiences and Views of Modern Social Media
When I was young, the term connected meant something different. For me it meant connection of a mouse to a computer or a the way a pad of paper sticks together. The internet was a new form of using our personal computers. I had trouble grasping the idea that the computer goes to a world of information outside of itself. I even thought using the telephone was a magical experience. Fastforwarding to 1990's, I saw technology advancing at a fast rate. Items like the Walkie-Talkie was a huge communication tool for friends, family and business use. At this time cellphones were just phones. The ability to text with friends was just developing and was a pain to do on phones. I never felt the anxiety of today until I had a smartphone. the ease of communication and all the tools made it easier and harder at the same time. What to push and how to use each tool became a constant hassle. For me at first, I wanted my friends to be available only by calling them; them texting me was invasive. I never responded to text, but I would call my friends.
Understanding Modern Texting Technology
With my smartphone, I got used to the idea of texting, but still had the anxiety to be available at all times incase a text came through. When I texted my friends and didnt recieve a response for more than 5 hours, I got worried. I felt as if I did something wrong and my friend was mad at me. Being stuck in this constant guessing game, I reverted back to using my smartphone for just a phone. The same thing happend though if it went to voice mail. I never used profiling websites like Facebook or Twitter and felt no anxiety about it. Today the pengilum has swung to constant use of smartphones and profile websites. It is like we are brainwashed to invest our time in these new communication tools. In my opinion, these tools help us, but they are not what our life depends on. I still call my friends on occation to catch up. Having the newest and most modern version of these devices is a obsetion for most people. These devices are updating at such a constant rate it creates anxiety for those who dont have the money to get the latest version. Overall, I think these devices create more anxiety then they are worth because our lives are hard enough as it is.
Overview Video:
Questions:
How has owning a smartphone and an internet connection changed your life and those around you?
Are you experiencing anxiety? If so, what stresses you the most?
If we could rewind time, before celluar phones, would you feel less or more anxious without the ability to communicate through texting? (Discuss and explain why)
Do you see social media anxiety affecting adolecents of the next generation?
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