social media Archives

5 ways social media affects our mental health and social life

Posted on February 24, 2020February 24, 2020 by herbert.mwangi

If you take a minute to look around you right now, I bet you will notice literally everyone is scrolling through their phone.

This really goes to prove technology has disrupted our lives, positively and negatively.

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From Whatsapp, to Instagram and other dating apps, Kenyans can hardly get off their phones to have face to face conversations.

Experts tell us that this is bringing untold misery to many of us, causing alot of harm. Here’s how

1. Dead human connections

How often is it to see a bunch of millennial glued to their phone screens while in groups? They are absorbed in the virtual life on social media, and the effects is felt evidently in the manner in which most of them can’t be able to articulate their issues when required to.

Sending a simple whatsapp message to people includes use of emojis, meaning we forget ordinary language.

This is led to a new breed of human beings who portray antisocial traits easily classifieds as sociopaths.

Here’s a TBT of the household items back in the 2000s

2. Depression

With the recent confession by various local and international celebrities confessing on how faking it on social media has led to them slipping into depression as they try to keep up with the facade. With the recent alleged suicide of Papa Dennis, the pressure to keep up a fake flashy life has brought to fore how disastrous it can always end. Other celebrities have taken their life after being cyber bullied. They include August Ames, a Canadian pornographic actress and model who died in 2017 after hanging herself. She had been suffering from depression after backlash over a controversial tweet. Choi Jin-ri, a South Korean actress cum singer cum model who was found dead after hanging herself for getting cyber bullied by malicious commentary. Charlotte Dawson, an Australian TV personality took her life by hanging after getting cyber bullied.

Such acts prompted Instagram, a social media platform owned by Facebook to try a new user policy which allowed them to hide the total number of likes and views on photos and videos in the feed and on profile pages in countries such as Brazil, USA, Canada and Australia. This was a way of relieving pressure around the content a user posted.

3. Memory

With smart phones improving on their camera pixels and zoom ability, people are capturing moments via the photos rather than experiencing the happenings firsthand. This affects the way in which people remember things. A study carried out by Diana Tamir of Princeton University, showed that people seemed to lose something of the original experience whenever they externalized their experience by use of a phone or any other type of media.

4. Sleeping patterns

Adequate sleep is a key proponent of healthy living. Eric J Olson, a sleep medicine specialist based in the US, proposed 7-9 hours as the ideal duration for anyone above 18 years to be asleep. With most people going to bed in company of their phones, they end up sleeping late as they surf through the internet.

This reduces the amount of time an individual sleeps which disrupts the levels of dopamine, serotonin and cortisol which in turn affects the mood, thoughts and energy levels. Prolonged lack of enough sleep can easily lead to fatigue which can obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and in worst cases heart attack.

5. Attention Span

With social media providing instant unending entertainment channels, most people can not fully concentrate on a single task while with their phone. This has forced most companies to create a work policy where you have to render your phone to the boss and pick it at the close of business. Divided attention leads to decrease in productivity and overall performance.

A new syndrome known as phantom vibration syndrome is where one perceives their phone to be ringing or vibrating while it’s actually not. Dr Michael Rothberg an American Holocaust historian and memory studies scholar argued that the term isn’t a syndrome but rather a tactile hallucination in the brain over a non-existing sensation.

Millennials are quitting Facebook, Twitter – Research

Posted on March 11, 2018March 11, 2018 by Brian Ndung'u

Millennials are quitting social media and spending less time on Facebook, according to a new report.

Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – and even the popular dating app Tinder – are seeing droves of users switch off permanently.

While many platforms struggle to keep their users, it seems picture-based messaging app Snapchat is still holding the attention of the younger generation.

Most people said they were quitting because they felt it was a waste of time and social media was making them think negatively.

A Boston-based market research company called Origin collected data on 1,000 members of Gen Z — people born in the year 1994 or later.

The report looked at how the ‘social-native’ generation is affected by the virtual world.

As well as finding that 34 per cent of Gen-Z had deleted social media permanently, the study also found 64 per cent are taking a break.

According to the Origin report, people are choosing to quit social media for a variety of reasons.

Forty-one per cent of respondents believe they waste too much time on social media and 35 per cent found there was too much negativity.

Other reasons included not using it very often and no longer being interested in the content.

22 per cent of users said they wanted more privacy and couldn’t cope with the pressure to get attention.

Just under one in five users said social media platforms made them feel bad about themselves.

Whilst the Facebook-owned apps and Twitter have all struggled in retaining users, Snapchat has been less affected by the cull of social media by Gen-Z.

-Dailymail

Let’s Await The Fireworks As Kilimani Mums Admins Take Online Cat Fight To Court

Posted on February 7, 2017February 7, 2017 by Grace Kerongo

Kilimani Mums is always set to private a bit of drama! The administrators of this popular Facebook group have taken their very ugly online cat fights to court.

Magdalene Nzisa, a lawyer who started the Kilimani Mums Facebook group, has taken the co-admin Purity Nduta to court. The two has a dramatic falling out that was documented in the group. It was at this time Purity was removed as an admin of the group.

No one thought the fallout would lead to a court battle, but here we are…

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Purity was informed about the lawsuit through a notice posted in the media as an advertisement.

The case will be heard on Friday at the Milimani Commercial Court.

Here is what the advertisement read,

“TAKE NOTE THAT A PLAINT AND NOTICE OF MOTION APPLICATION HAVE BEEN FILLED IN THE CHIEF MAGISTRATE COURT AT NAIROBI, MILIMANI COMMERCIAL COURTS IN CIVIL SUIT NO. 148 OF 2017 IN WHICH YOU ARE NAMED AS THE DEFENDANTS. SERVICE OF THE SUMMONS ON YOU HAS BEEN ORDERED BY MEANS OF THIS ADVERTISEMENT. A COPY OF THE SUMMONS, THE NOTICE OF MOTION APPLICATION AND PLAINT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE COURT AT THE CHIEF MARGISTRATE’S COURT AT NAIROBI, MILIMANI COMMERCIAL COURTS REGISTRY AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE THAT, UNLESS YOU ENTER AN APPEARANCE WITHIN 15 DAYS OF TODAY’S DATE, THE CASE WILL BE HEARD IN YOUR ABSENCE.”

Is Kilimani Mums Facebook Group Comprised Of A Bunch Of Gossiping Women? Asks Maina Kageni (AUDIO)

This lawsuit could just turn out to be a soap opera of sorts. On Friday, members of Kilimani Mums will be sitting on the edge of their seats watching as these two big-wigs battle it out.

Ladies, Here’s A Breakdown Of When To Panic Over Your Mans Social Media

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Maureen Waruinge

The “social media is ruining relationships” topic has been talked about so often that this is hardly original. However, thoughtcatalog is trying to put a spin on the topic just for you.

As more social media applications pop up, seemingly so does the paranoia amongst people in relationships, particularly women. According to Mike Zacchio the author of the article this is seen much more frequently in women, than men.

He says girls drive themselves crazy looking at pictures their boyfriends “like” on Instagram, etc. (A. She brought it up; B. That will be a somewhat separate article.) And that led to this article. Ladies, if you’re worried about what your man is doing on social media and/or if you should be worried, we give you the breakdown from a male’s perspective:

The crime: “Likes” and “Favorites” on statuses and photos.
Should you be worried? Not really.
Why? If he likes something, it’s most likely harmless. If he’s liking every other thing she posts, that’s a different story. If he’s liking the picture of her at college graduation, it’s most likely harmless. If he’s liking bikini pictures, that’s a different story. If he’s known for being very active (he “likes” a lot of people’s statuses and photos) and he happens to like a bikini pic, let it slide. If it keeps happening, just calmly address it to him. If he’s only liking her stuff and nobody else’s, I’d worry.

The crime: He doesn’t want to be “Facebook Official.”
Should you be worried? It depends.
Why? When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to have a girlfriend and change my “Single” status to “In A Relationship with ________.” Now, at 25 (which seems decades older), I honestly don’t really care. If anything, I’d rather it not be posted. My profile currently doesn’t show if I’m single or not because it’s nobody’s business but my own. If I happen to date someone exclusively again, I’ll know, she’ll know, my family will know and the people closest to us will know. If it spreads through the grapevine, so be it. If she wants it, I’ll do it.

It’s not that I don’t want other girls knowing I’m “off the market” or anything; I would just rather not deal with online drama, especially if/when we break up. However, the day we get engaged (assuming Facebook is still around), I’ll change it specifically to let everyone know that we are both off the market, hopefully forever.

The crime: Following someone else on Twitter or Instagram.
Should you be worried? No.
Why? Just because he’s following a girl, doesn’t mean he wants her. Sometimes I’ll follow accounts on Twitter just because I find them funny. If it’s a girl, she’s a funny girl. If it’s a guy, he’s a funny guy. That’s it. I’m never on Instagram, so I guess that point is moot.

The crime: Following a provocative account.
Should you be worried? Kind of.
Why? If he follows an account that has a lot of provocative material — especially if he follows it after you get together — I’d address it. Obviously he’s not going to cheat on you with any of these models, but if it makes you uncomfortable, you should tell him. Personally, I’m not one to follow @BoobsAndBabes or anything like that, nor I don’t care if my girlfriend follows @ManCandyPics — and I have the exact height and weight of Jay Baruchel. Women tend to be more self conscious about body image than men, so I can see why more women would be upset with him following a certain account than a guy would be with his girl following one. If it makes you uncomfortable, tell him, again, calmly.

The crime: He’s on Tinder.
Should you be worried? HYFR.
Why? I’m a pro-Tinder guy — for whatever you want to use it for (one-night stand, friends with benefits, etc.). However, if you’re in a relationship and your SO is still active on Tinder, that’s not right. Some people claim that they just want friendships on Tinder, which may be their true intention; but there’s other ways of meeting friends. Double date with your co-worker and their SO; double date with your SO’s friend; double date with your friend; there’s plenty of viable, more logical, ways to meet platonic friends other than using an app that let’s people decide if they want to interact with you predominately based on your physical appearance.

If You Do This, Then You Are Annoying On Facebook

Posted on November 19, 2015November 19, 2015 by Lourraine Chituyi

We all have friends on Facebook who annoy us so much, but there is no way to tell them because after all it’s their profile and they can do as they wish. If you notice people don’t like your photos or comment on your status, here’s why:

1. You invite people to play games.

2. You share pictures that say ‘share if you love your children/sister/brother’ etc.

3. You share inspirational quotes .

4. You write posts that are obviously aimed at someone who has hurt you and you say things like ‘funny how one minute you mean something to someone and the next minute they just disappear’.

5. You over exclaim!!!!!

6. You Write Your Statuses Like This or SoMeTiMeS LiKe ThIs.

7. You change your profile picture every day.

8. You post too many pictures of your baby .

9. You post countdowns to your wedding day that nobody really cares about.

10. You write statuses like ‘want to wish my gorgeous boyfriend a happy birthday. Don’t know where I’d be without you babe. I love you so much. Can’t wait for our day together’. Like, isn’t he right next to you? Just say it out loud.

11. You invite people to ‘events’ which are online shopping events where you try to sell rubbish overpriced ‘wonder products’.

12. You share ‘1 like = 1 prayer’ statuses thinking Facebook will actually donate a pound for each one.

13. You add people to mass messages.

14. You upload at least two selfies a week.

15. You upload pictures of yourself with inspirational quote captions.

16. You post pictures and statuses that we all know are for the sole purpose of making your ex jealous.

17. You share bullsh*t like ‘Let’s Make Britain Ours Again!’ with union flags all over it.

18. You post statuses talking about how all you need is your BFF and you’re ‘for ever single’ until obviously one of you gets a boyfriend.

19. You post a status that doesn’t make any sense and put ‘personal joke’ and tag your friend. If it’s a personal joke why are you broadcasting it on a public forum. Idiot

-Metro

Annoying Things That Should Not Be On Social Media

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Lourraine Chituyi

Social media was created with the sole intent to bring people closer virtually, to share ideas, educate, to do business and of course share stories and information. However over the years its intended use has been diluted over the years and people are using the platform in a way that its not intended for.

You are allowed to post afew picture here and there, share your thoughts through updates and tweets, but there is a line that many cross as they post information that is otherwise deemed private or unnecessary. Many people are yet to learn where to draw the line, here’s a list of things you shouldn’t do:

Humble bragging – This is simply bragging but acting like you’re not, or rather “just saying” as many people would put it. E.g “I swear owning a pair of these Zanotti sandals isn’t even worth it sometimes! Ladies keep asking me how much I bought them for and say how they wish they owned them. It’s so irritating to be stopped when you’re rushing somewhere!” .. Just stop it, we get the shoes are expensive and not many can afford them so top rubbing it in.

Selfies – We get it, your eye brows ,hair, make up and every other thing are on fleek but we don’t need to see you on our news feed all day. We get the point !! It’s also unnecessary to keep taking picture of yourself ever other hour.

Posting drug- related content – If you sniff, roll blunts, drink to a stupor, inject yourself etc no one really cares about that. Keep yor vices to yourself because in most cases the world doesn’t care and you might just end up in jail if someone snitches on you.

Games invites – Stop it with the farm ville, candy crush, pool, and other games invites. People have actual jobs to do so sending the constant life requests is just annoying and its probably the reason why they no longer give you lives.

Treating your profile like a diary – No we don’t want to know if you were late for work, got stuck in traffic, burnt your eggs, got yelled at by your boss, spilled coffee on your Mac book , crashed your phone’s screen, ate from KFC, got a vvip ticket to druhill , having morning sickness, broke up with your man, …I’m sure you get the point. We simply don’t care because we have our lives to worry about.

Are You A Social Media Stalker?

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Lourraine Chituyi

Stalking is defined as the willful and repeated following, watching and/or harassing of another person. Sometimes it’s physical but other times it is virtually via Social Media, Texts, Calls etc.

With that being said do you think or would you call yourself a Social Media stalker? Do you often check on people you know via the internet and get all the information you can about them? No? Ok .

I’m not calling you a stalker but if you have ever checked on someone after a date, googling someone and getting every little info about them, then you my friend are a stalker. You still disagree? Check this out then confirm for yourself:

1. Be it for work of personal reasons you make sure that before meeting the you get all your facts about them right, even if that means going through all their pictures thousands of pictures one-by-one.

2. You even help your friends/siblings to help them stalk their potential boyfriends/girlfriends and come up with new stalking techniques.

3. The moment you meet someone new you come back home and quickly start your research on all social media sites.

4. You are always upgrading your phone with latest apps that can connect you to people on all social networking sites.

5. You like all pictures of your crush and try and post comments on the pictures where he is with a common friend thinking that he might end up sending you a friend request.

6. You don’t hold yourself back while creating a fake account with adding hot pictures in it just to test your boyfriend’s real love for you.

7. Blocking makes you feel stronger and unblocking someone on their request just makes you feel like the powerful monarch.

-TNN

Trends: #2yearsofsuccess

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Lourraine Chituyi

The jubilee government marked two year since they came to power on the 9^th of April. Unfortunately it came days after Kenyans were mourning the death of 147 people most of them students, a security guard and policemen who were killed at the Garissa University college.

The government that came to power with loads of promises has faced various challenges and security is at the top of the list.

With the 2year celebration came the government sponsored hashtag #2yearsofsucess to inform on the progress of the things they had done since coming to power.

However this did not go down well with the Kenyan online fraternity as they thought it was inappropriate given the timing, and so a war of words ensued. The hashtag was countered by #2yearsoffailure and a bashing of the #2yearsofsuccess.

Here are some of the opinions expressed by KOT.

Facebook Doesn’t Ruin Relationships, People Do

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Michelle Wangari

Facebook doesn’t cause problems in a relationship; it brings to light problems that already exist. You will often hear people say, “Facebook ruins relationships.” But Facebook doesn’t ruin relationships. Neither do strip clubs, porn, or online dating sites. People ruin relationships.

While Facebook gives us an easy, casual way to get in touch with people, it doesn’t make our choices for us. We need to take responsibility for our actions. We still decide what defines cheating in our relationships, and whether or not we will cross that line. We still decide how much attention we should pay to other people, and how much attention we are comfortable receiving. People should not blame Facebook, strip clubs, or anything else for the problems in their marriage, because this is the inability to admit the truth.

If your goal is to brush things under the rug and pretend everything in your relationship is fine, then by all means stay off Facebook. But if your goal is to have a solid, healthy relationship, one that is based on trust and commitment, recognize that any fears you have about Facebook in your relationship are deeper issues that should be worked through in counseling.

You will hear several people say that infidelity in their marriages ultimately served to strengthen the marriage. Clearly it was not the act of infidelity that improved the relationship, but the resulting attention paid to the relationship after the affair. Rather than wait or hope your fears never materialize, confront these fears early on. In a healthy relationship, you won’t have to spend your time worrying about what your partner will do. And you won’t worry that you’ll be tempted to stray, either. You’ll trust each other. You’ll trust yourself.

Facebook is NOT the problem. Figure out what is, and work through it together.

-yourtango.com

Facebook atheist risking jail seeks to flee Egypt

Posted on March 8, 2015March 9, 2015 by AFP

Karim al-Banna, who on Monday could hear an appeal court uphold his three-year jail term for “insulting” Islam with his atheism, wishes he could live anywhere but his native Egypt.

“All I want now is to leave Egypt. Life is not possible for atheists here,” the 23-year-old engineering student told AFP from his home in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

If he loses the appeal over his self-declared atheism on Facebook, Banna’s last resort would be Egypt’s cassation court.

Arrested in November, he was released on bail after having spent 55 days behind bars. “It was like living in a tomb,” he said.

Banna, a former Muslim Brotherhood member, said he returned to being an avid reader of the Koran and prayed constantly to avoid being victimised by other inmates.

But he had “rejected religion” after having been disillusioned by the Brotherhood, which Egyptian authorities have worked to crush since the July 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Banna recalled how his father, to avoid a local scandal in the religiously conservative Arab country, had testified against him in court.

“He said I had opinions hostile to religion,” said the young man, who was convicted along with a friend.

Banna had gone to the police after a dispute with his neighbours over his professed atheism, but was arrested instead.

Egyptian courts have jailed several people for having insulted religion, although the constitution in theory defends freedom of expression.

The same constitution, however, outlaws insults against Egypt’s three recognised monotheist religions — Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

“Atheists are one of Egypt’s least-protected minorities, although the constitution ostensibly guarantees freedom of belief and expression,” Human Rights Watch said in January.

“Egyptian authorities need to be guided by the constitution and stop persecuting people for atheism,” the New York-based watchdog said.

Between 2011 and 2013, 42 defendants faced with the same charge have been ruled guilty, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

Photo Credits : AFP

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