As human beings, we need companionship in life. This not only strengthens our connection with people but also creates a huge impact on our mental health and mood. Connecting with people in social gatherings and even on social media can be a way to prevent loneliness, release your stress, anxiety, and break the monotony of your daily routine. It also brings you joy and gives you a motive to look forward to interacting with people around you.
On the other hand, if you are too much out there when it comes to socializing, be it in person or on social media, even that can be stressful because at times you don’t want to show up but because of the pressure around, one has to be pretentious sometimes. But don’t you think that this can impact you and your health, both mentally and emotionally?
Yes, the digital age has made everyone’s life easier than before but the alarming health concerns cannot be ignored. Cyber-syndrome is a type of physical, mental and social disorder that can affect anyone who is excessively active online.
Impact of social media on people
Technology’s main agenda was to bring people closer to their loved ones from all around the world. However, spending too much time on social media has led to people feeling more lonely and disconnected from the real world and all this can lead to some alarming mental and emotional health issues like depression and anxiety.
Multiple studies have found that increased usage of social media can lead to depression, anxiety, self-harm and even trigger suicidal thoughts. Social media is a place where you will see all types of people, content and most of them are so influential that you may even have self-doubt and even get FOMO (fear of missing out).
What is cyber-syndrome?
Cyber-syndrome is a condition where a person is excessively interacting with cyberspace that affects their physical, social and mental states. As per a study by National Institutes of Health, it came to light that rates of cyberbullying perpetration were from 1% to 41%, cyberbullying victimization prevalence rates from 3% to 72%, and cyberbullying and victims of online abuse rated from 2.3% to 16.7%.
Physical Health: Ever since we have got the comfort of technology and everything in just one smartphone, we have somehow stopped stepping out and even missing out on meeting with our loved ones in-person. Because of staying in one place and with barely any movement, people have started gaining weight, and feeling lethargic. Not including physical movement can be harmful for a person’s physical health in the long run.
Mental Health: Not being physically active can lead to a mental breakdown. When you come across certain content and people’s posts on social media, it makes space for a person to question their individuality, develops self-doubt like everyone else is living a fun life and you just don’t like your lifestyle and may get negative thoughts and feel depressed and anxious but remember everything you see on the internet is not always true.
Social State: Over a period of time you may feel like giving up on going out, reason could be any like not feeling confident, changed appearance because of no physical activity, or barely because you are just too used to the isolation that socializing feels like a burden.
How to cure from cyber-syndrome?
If you think that you know someone who could be a victim of cyber-syndrome then try to observe them. Make a note of their symptoms like if they are only willing to stay alone, if they have no physical activity or if they’re eating more or less than usual and so on. Try to understand their pattern, why they are using social media, the purpose behind it, if it is just to be online, to stalk others, etc.
Talk to your loved ones and try to know what’s going on with them and why they are behaving differently. They may share it with you but chances are that they may not. Try to encourage them to seek professional help if nothing is working out. With the help of a professional, the victim can start using social media positively. It will enable them to change patterns and thinking in a progressive way.
Another way to look after your loved ones is using a monitoring app. With a help of a spy app you can check what they are up to, if they are not ready to share their issues with you, you can sign up to a phone spy app. Using these apps can help you know which sites they are visiting, which social media apps they are scrolling through. You can view their web browsing history and see if they are not searching for something that is suspicious.
WhatsApp is one of the most common apps, with WhatsApp spy feature you can track their chats, and media sharing, with this feature you would know who the target is in touch with and if they are safe around those people even digitally. In hidden spy apps like Onemonitar, you can also listen to their calls with the hidden call recorder and ensure that they are not a victim of any online abuse.
In the end
Cyber-syndrome can have a negative impact on your mental health. If not treated timely, the condition can worsen. If you come across someone who you think might be caught up with this syndrome then motivate them to seek professional help and if you think monitoring them would give you some helpful insights then you can try a phone spy app for android and help your loved ones heal from it.