Modern life is rapidly progressing as a result of technological advancements and social media platforms. Social media and technology have aided in the development of human lifestyles, which in modern life are a multifaceted compilation and synthesis. Given how quickly communication and connection sources change our lives, adaptation can be difficult.
The vast majority of adults believe that technology has made their lives better. The physical and mental health of users of modern technology may suffer. If you become overly reliant on or attached to modern technology, you may experience psychological issues such as distraction, the expectation of instant gratification, narcissism, and even depression.
However, if you strike a balance between screen time and real-world social interactions, you can maintain control over your mental health.
Here are some instances of how modern lifestyles and technology have impacted the physical and psychological health of ordinary people.
Modern Living’s Impact on Human Health
The term “lifestyle” is used by individuals, groups, and nations to describe a way of life developed within a specific geographical, political, economic, cultural, and spiritual context.
A community’s lifestyle refers to the characteristics of its residents at a specific time and place. It includes people’s daily routines and actions related to their jobs, hobbies, and diets. Since lifestyle affects 60% of the factors that affect quality of life and individual health, it has become a very interesting topic of study for researchers in recent decades.
Millions of people lead unhealthy lives, putting them at risk of illness, disability, and even death. An unhealthy lifestyle may be the root cause of a variety of serious issues, including joint and skeletal problems, metabolic diseases, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, violence, and others. The relationship between lifestyle and health should be carefully examined.
Everyone has witnessed significant changes in our time. Malnutrition, an unhealthy diet, drinking, smoking, drug abuse, experiencing stress or anxiety, and other unhealthy lifestyle choices are all examples.
Furthermore, citizens now face new challenges in their daily lives. The emergence of new technologies within the Internet and virtual communication networks, for example, poses serious challenges to our world and has an impact on people’s physical and mental health. The issue is that technology is being misused and overutilized.
Modern Technology’s Impact on Human Health
The physical and mental health of technology users may suffer as a result. Overconnectivity, among other things, can lead to narcissism, depression, and a need for instant gratification. Technology use can have negative psychological effects, such as hearing loss, neck pain, and vision problems, in addition to negative physical health effects.
Modern technology improves people’s quality of life. Incorrect use of technology may result in unfavourable outcomes. Staying up late on a smartphone, computer, or other device, for example, may affect how you sleep and cause sleep disruption.
It is discussed how internet or mobile device addiction affects depressive symptoms.
- Cloud Computing for Health and Data
Despite the fact that many people believe that unplugging from technology is extremely important for psychological well-being or mental health, only 28% of these people do so on a regular basis.
Interactions and conversations on social media networks can have a significant impact on a person’s happiness and satisfaction.
It begs the question, do unhappy and miserable people use social media, or does it affect people’s happiness? Numerous studies have linked increased social media use to an increased risk of loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
- Happiness
According to the relationship paradox, the majority of people are less popular on social media than their friends, which can lead to feelings of gloom and discontent. As far as we know, it has never been proven that social media users are both less popular and happier than their peers.
In this study, popularity and happiness are related, and most social media users are not as happy as their friends because of this friendship-popularity relationship. Overall, the study’s findings show that comparing one’s popularity and happiness to that of one’s friends can lead to higher levels of social unhappiness, sadness, or grief among social media users.
Unhappy users, on the other hand, are more likely to have happy friends who appear to be happier and more popular than them. On social media, people who are satisfied with their lives may believe that their friends are happier and more popular than them.
- Isolation
The amount of time spent on social media may have an effect on one’s mental health as well. The more time adults aged 19 to 32 spend on social media networks, the more likely they are to feel socially isolated.
Analysing such issues can be difficult due to the epidemic levels of psychological problems and social isolation among young adults. The modern world frequently divides us rather than brings us together. Although social networks appear to offer opportunities for social gap closure, many researchers believe they are incapable of providing the long-term solution that people have hoped for.
- Depression
According to the study report, young adults who spend too much time on social media are more likely to experience depression.
When compared to people who check their accounts less frequently, people who frequently check their emails and social media accounts are 2.8 times more likely to experience depression, fatigue, and obesity.
People don’t necessarily need to completely stop using social media; simply altering their online conduct and occasionally taking a break can lift their spirits.
The study report claims that “lurking” on Facebook can result in unfavourable feelings and emotions. It’s beneficial to regularly communicate with close friends, whether in person or online via Facebook and other platforms, as it can improve your mood.
- Video games and violence
Video games for kids have a bad reputation as well; some studies have even connected violent video games to violence. There hasn’t been any proof, though, that violent crime and aggression in popular culture like movies and video games are related.
The topic of reducing crime has been the subject of numerous studies or resources in society.
It’s also possible to choose the wrong drawback, as in the case of media violence’s potential to divert attention from other pressing problems like mental health, education, professional inequality, and poverty. According to the analysis report, while four hours of video game play can make teenagers experience depressive symptoms, regular use of social media and instant messaging can lessen these symptoms in some people.
While spending four hours a day playing video games may be unsettling behaviour, it’s not always a given that those who do so will exhibit signs of addiction, depression, or anxiety. Teenagers who frequently communicate with their friends online or who spend their free time playing video games may be developing according to a standard pattern or biological process. The use of social media and technology has grown over the past ten years despite the psychological risks, according to trends. Due to this, it is impossible to change behaviour, and the problems don’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
How can Parents Regulate & Restrict their Children’s Screen Time?
In an effort to limit family digital connections, parents frequently try to strike a balance between their children’s screen time and other activities.
Evidence such as the link between handheld screen time and speech delay in young children, the link between smartphone screens and poor sleep quality, and the link between internet addiction and mobile phone addiction and depression or anxiety in college-age students has all heightened the need for parental technological supervision.
However, children’s screen time is not actually all that bad. There is little evidence that screen time negatively impacts wellbeing at the highest level of attachment.
Screens of all kinds, whether used for work, socialising, education, or personal organisation, are quickly becoming a part of everyday life.
Given how ingrained the screen is in modern life, strict screen time limits may be impossible to implement. Moderate screen time has no negative consequences for a teen’s well-being. A minor interaction between teenage depression and excessive screen time has only a minor impact on the physical and mental health of teenagers.
There are millions of people who experience psychological distress around the world, but they may not be able to access or receive support from mental health services. Given the gap between demand and service availability, smartphone applications may make it simpler to offer accessible and affordable treatment options.
In Conclusion
Keeping a positive outlook and striking a balance between online and offline social interactions can help us maintain good mental health. Such psychological conditions are very challenging to manage, and any delay in treatment could exacerbate the disease’s symptoms. In the modern world, certain physical and mental health issues might be more prevalent. With the appropriate care, they can also be cured.
A socially and personally healthy lifestyle can be achieved through systematic planning at the micro and macro levels in relation to each factor.