2024-03-29 17:19:51
“Social networks and information technologies in general are a good way to maintain more lively contact with people with whom it is physically difficult to do so. Surfing social networks, while surrounded by loved ones, often becomes a tool that helps you withdraw from situations or conversations in which you do not want to participate. Excessive involvement in the virtual world can have negative consequences”, says Dr. Antanas Kairys.
Helps to focus
According to the psychologist, social networks and information technologies are a tool that facilitates communication with loved ones, especially during holidays, when living in different cities or countries. However, at the same time, it can also become a tool that helps you withdraw from the surrounding environment.
A. Kairys states that the virtual world often becomes a tool that diverts from unpleasant situations: “People have always backed away from uncomfortable situations when they did not want to communicate with their loved ones on certain topics. Earlier, they diverted their attention by reading newspapers or watching TV. Of course, you need to understand that social networks are, in any case, extremely inclusive.”
Free time – more surfing
The associate professor of psychology notices that people’s activity in social networks is also determined by the fact that they have more free time at that time. For example, during major holidays, people automatically have more time to spend on surfing – this is also confirmed by the data of the digital service company Bitė.
“During the holidays, people’s activity in communicating in the virtual environment increases significantly. This is shown by the number of messages sent during Easter last year, which doubled. However, this holiday Sunday is usually not significantly different from an ordinary weekend, during which people’s internet browsing is naturally higher. Of course, this leads to the fact that people send holiday greetings using apps like Messenger or Whatsapp, where written messages, shared moving pictures and short videos do not use much mobile data, because they are only shared by the appropriate number of people, “he says. “Bitė Lietuva” new generation network director Modestas Ropė.
According to the psychologist, certain images encountered while browsing can be quite upsetting, so users of social networks should remain vigilant.
“Sharing festive moments on social networks is not a bad thing in itself. But whenever we start comparing our environment to the staged content hosted by opinion leaders, which even the perfect Easter table can become, people begin to feel disillusioned with the status quo. So we have to understand that some of the images found on social networks are not real, but created artificially, so it should not be compared with them”, says A. Kairys.
He advises to focus on the environment
The VU scientist advises that not only during the festive season, but also in everyday life, it is important to be able to step away from virtual life and focus on the surrounding environment and the present moment.
Although social networks make it easier to communicate with relatives who are far away, it is still important to nurture a living relationship: “Surfing on social networks is only a problem when we are not able to be here and now. So it’s important to be able to step back from the virtual environment and focus on the environment you’re in at this moment.”
2024-03-29 17:19:51