Facebook recently announced a number of new features coming to both Facebook and Instagram. The company will soon allow Facebook and Instagram users to access dashboards designed to help them monitor how long they spend on these apps each day. Simply knowing how long you poke around on an app for can be enough to make you reevaluate your browsing habits. If you want to take an even more active approach, you will also have the option to set daily time limits or turn notifications off for hours each day.
Are people interacting online too much?
Scientists have released studies showing just how impactful social media can be on an individual. If you are addicted to social media, you may find yourself checking your phone for updates dozens of times per day. With these new features coming out in the near future, it is clear that Facebook is trying to make people more aware of how they treat Facebook, Instagram, and other communication services.
This may be a case where too much of a good thing can be harmful. Diminishing marginal returns with social media have made people miserable, suggesting that it might be best to cut back. These features follow announcements made by Google and Apple to make it easier for their users to limit how much time they spend online.
A need for more personal communication
While studies have shown that exchanging messages with someone online can be more rewarding than simply scrolling through posts, should users try to have face-to-face interactions, when possible? These kinds of interactions play a large role in one’s social development, which is why school, sports programs, and clubs are all great methods for grade-school kids to learn how to communicate and behave with one another. Even if you cannot meet up with someone in-person, an audio or video call might be more rewarding than a simple exchange of texts.