Technology has improved many people's lives, with almost half of adults within us unable to imagine life without their smartphones.
The American Psychological Association’s Stress in America Survey 2017 shows that 99 percent of adults own a device, around 86 percent own a computer, 74 percent own a smartphone, and 55 percent own a tablet.
The survey also reports that between 2005 and 2015, the share of adults using social media skyrocketed from 7 percent to 65 percent, with usage rates of young adults aged between 18 and 29 increasing from 12 percent to 90 percent therein period.
Rates of technology and social media use are therefore swiftly climbing. Facebook and Instagram alone boast a combined monthly user base of two billion people.
Recent research by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that teenagers aged 13 to 17 years old have shifted their preferred social media platforms and are now presumably to use Snapchat and Instagram.
Key findings of the survey included that around 76 percent of teenagers use Instagram, 75 percent use Snapchat, 66 percent use Facebook, 47 percent use Twitter, and fewer than 30 percent use Tumblr, Twitch, or LinkedIn.
They also found that although 91 percent of teens use regular text messaging, 40 percent also use messaging apps like WhatsApp, Kik, or Line.
Social media and text messaging became an integral part of how individuals interact with their social groups. In fact, for several teenagers and young adults, text messaging and social media communication are now more likely than in-person interactions.
The technological and social media advances of the past decade have bred the “constant checker.” a continuing checker may be one that constantly, almost obsessively, checks their emails, texts, and social media accounts. This profile is synonymous with 43 percent of U.S. individuals.
Constant checkers repeatedly check their text messages, emails, and social media.
Being continuously connected during this way has been linked with higher stress levels. Moreover, 18 percent of people have identified technology use as a significant source of stress.
On a mean day within the U.S., 65 percent of adults constantly check personal email, 52 percent, and 44 percent check texts and social media, respectively, and 28 percent say an equivalent about work emails.
Stress levels among constant checkers are considerably above people who don't engage with technology and social media as frequently.
For example, 42 percent of constant checkers worry about the effect of social media on their physical and psychological state, compared with 27 percent of non-constant checkers.
Furthermore, as a result of technology, more constant checkers than non-constant checkers feel disconnected from their families, even once they are within the same room. Quite one-third of continuous checkers say that they're unlikely to satisfy with friends and family face to face, thanks to social media.
Digital connectivity and well-being
While many of us strongly agree that unplugging or taking a digital detox now then is vital for a psychological state, actually, only 28 percent of these people periodically cut from technology.
Using social media for extended periods is related to depression.
Across the generations, 48 percent of Millennials, 37 percent of Gen Xers, 22 percent of Boomers, and 15 percent of Matures are worried about the harmful effects of social media on their physical and psychological state.
Interactions on social media can have a severe impact on an individual’s well-being and satisfaction.
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