Is social media polluting our brains?

As the saying goes “to much of a good thing is a bad thing”.  The social media outlets that are available to most everyone on a daily basis have really become prevalent over the past few years via the internet, they were their before but they have really become HUGE in the recent past.  Chief among them are Facebook and Twitter.  The argument can be made that these platforms have really taken it to the next level.  My only concern is if that next level is really beneficial for the population as a whole.  Sure, its great to always know what your friends are up to, or what the latest deal on a product is, etc..etc..However, the reliance that is placed on these sites is tremendous.  I would have to say that for the majority of people these two sites along are where most news stories are learned.  These sites are by no means official outlets for news stories either, thus the propaganda game can be played.  Not only propaganda from companies looking to make a buck, but also from your friends, your family, and random people worldwide.  A negative thought or post however untrue that is posted for everyone to see becomes public knowledge.  Previously this “thing”, this negative connotation did not exist.  Now the seed has been planted and doubts and second guessing make begin to creep into someone’s head.  I find myself avoiding this type of media more and more because it is not beneficial to what I am trying to do.  As an individual I analyze myself every second of everyday.  Why do I need someone who is not in my inner-circle, who doesn’t really know or understand me planting ideas into my brain?  Don’t get me wrong I love having the ability to share my thoughts and connect with people instantaneously, I just wonder what it is doing to our culture.  Not long ago we used to be a culture who was rooted in close community type environments where everyone supported each other and didn’t want the other to fail.  All to often I feel like everyone is looking for their own edge, striving to figure out a way to be on top of everyone else.  Aren’t we all in this together?

I cherish my family and true friendships more than anything else.  When everything else goes away if these two pillars do not exist I would literally crumble.  Nothing else really matters as long I have this foundation.  Knowing that I have this support allows me to build whatever life I want.  It feels to me like many people follow a pre-determined route in life instead of risking it and blazing their own path.  It’s risky and its scary to be different.  But the long and short of it is that we are only given a short period of time to make our life meaningful.   The people who you think of as being innovators and super successful are those who broke free from the grasps of the typical “daily life”.  They knew they had something special inside of them and they fought to make it known.  Everyone has this something inside of them, it just takes the effort to bring it out in the open.  Having an unknown in your life is not a bad thing, it can keep you honest and working hard to better yourself.  I suppose where I am going with this thought is that negative thoughts, negative energy, negative ideas however small in seemingly innocent which infiltrate someone’s brain can only bring detriment to that person.  Social media in many ways allows this negative energy to roam freely…its fast and effective.  I myself am not sure how to truly avoid negative energy in my daily life because being connected to everyone is so essential to survival these days.  If you want to make enough money to put food on the table you have to open yourself up every day.  You need to be on facebook and twitter to succeed in our new economy.  The POPE is on twitter for crying out loud.

Do what makes you happy, be with people who make you happy, and strive to make others better.  It’s not easy to accomplish all of these.  I was listening to a podcast recently and it was said that they key to success in life is to be nice.  Yes, the key to everlasting happiness is to just be nice.  Keep yourself happy and full of positive energy.  When you are full of self-belief and positive energy you can attain your goals.  Don’t be influenced by others and stay true to one’s self.  The brain is such a powerful tool that it can distort one’s own perception of themselves.  Instead of letting your brain work against you, make it work for you.

Stay happy, stay nice, stay focused…..always chase your dreams and strive for your goals…you really don’t know how much time you have to reach them.