Social media has occupied such a huge part of our lives that half of us don’t even bother to consult a health professional anymore. Instead, many of us are turning to social media influencers for health and fitness advice, according to a recent poll by Cleveland Clinic and Parade magazine.
Influencers, as they are called, are people who have built a solid reputation for their supposed knowledge on some topic. They make regular posts about that topic via social media, building a large following of engaged people who pay close attention to their posts.
Such are their powers of persuasion that 44 percent of Americans are now turning to influencers to make important decisions about their health, the poll showed. Respondents are most likely to try a natural remedy, change their fitness regimes or adopt a new diet after seeing that influencers have done so. This is worrying because information posted online is not always factual.
“There can be a lot of false health claims out there, so it’s important to ask where that information or advice is coming from — is it from a health professional?” said Dr. Mark Hyman, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine.
The results of the poll also illustrate how social media has saturated modern life — and in the process, taken away time that could have been spent building meaningful relationships.
More than 30 percent of the respondents say that they spend more time on social media than socializing in person, with women slightly more likely to say this than men. Around 50 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 spend more time on social media than connecting in person. One in four women aged 25 to 49 spends more than five hours a day on their cellphone or tablet.
Unfortunately, nearly 60 percent do not track or manage their screen time at all. Worse, only 29 percent say they block text notifications while driving. More than half prefer texting over phone calls.
Social media addiction is like food addiction – it’s hard to quit, and doing so requires a major lifestyle overhaul. In fact, abstinence can cause classic withdrawal symptoms like more intense cravings and boredom. If you think you’re spending too much time online, it’s time for a social media detox. Try the following tips to stop your online addiction:
Social media is a large part of almost everyone’s life now. While it provides easier access to information, it has introduced new challenges that pose a huge threat to health. If you find yourself too reliant on influencers for health advice or got so addicted to social media, it’s time to take a step back and do a detox.
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