by Jenny Perkel
People these days, if they can afford it, are often more connected to their smart phones, i-pads, and laptops than they are to other living beings. While social networking sites like Facebook aim to connect people in cyberspace, they can actually leave us more physically alone and lonely. Social isolation often goes hand in hand with depression. People who are depressed are more likely to isolate themselves and being socially isolated can contribute towards depression.
Because the internet is so recent and it is constantly changing, we don’t yet know about its long-term impact on us as people. We have yet to discover how our total reliance on IT effects our mood, attention, concentration, thought patterns, ability to delay gratification, our style of communicating and our relationships with others.
Like anything else, the internet can be used for good and for bad. It has helped us to make great strides in education, health care and improving lives. It allows us to equip ourselves with knowledge that is empowering and beneficial in so many different ways. But it can also be used destructively to attack, deceive, steal and hurt others. Part of our adjustment to this new technological world is about learning how to avoid these dangers, in a similar way that we learn not to walk down dark alleyways at night.
We know for sure though that the internet, social networking sites and smart phones are not going to go away – they are only getting smarter, faster and more addictive. They can be good for mental health but they can also be bad for it. The challenge for us all is to use the internet to improve our lives, to learn, grow and stay connected to others in a meaningful way. But we do need to be aware of the dangers, and we should recognise when it’s time to unplug, disconnect from technology and reconnect with ourselves and others.
What kind of impact has the internet had on your mental health?
Written by Jenny Perkel (clinical psychologist, SAPC member). Visit www.jennyperkel.com, www.childreninmind.co.za, www.babiesinmind.co.za, www.twitter.com/jennyperkel or email: jenny@perkel.co.za
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