LETTERS: Nowadays, it is normal for people to post photos or stories about their lifestyle, even if it is not genuine, on social media platforms, including Instagram.
People tend to show off their "fake" lifestyle to gain popularity and followers. They think the more followers they have, the more popular they are.
To gain followers, sometimes people tell bogus stories about their "luxurious lifestyle" through the photos they share. Or they "buy" followers to become famous despite it being a fake story, something which I call "fake famous".
Just to become famous, they are willingly to pay people to increase their number of followers. They sacrifice money for the sake of fame.
This can have a deep impact on youngsters. In another aspect, selfies with filters and editing applications have become the new norm for those seeking fame too.
Perhaps people resort to these features due to low self-esteem, self-doubt, poor body image and the fear of losing out. The youth may be reluctant or find it difficult to quit social media, but there are reasonable ways to do it.
Health experts and professionals advocate special alerts when someone spends far too much time on a social network, as well as digitally altered image alarms.
Teens are advised to take precautions to protect themselves to avoid unnecessary stress related to social media, particularly when they're under pressure or experience anxiety and depression because of other social media users' antics.
One other solution for youth is to create reminders on the most suitable time to use Instagram and other social media platforms. For those who want to stop using social media daily, this is indeed the best method.
We can make a reminder to use social media once in a while.One may also use such reminders to stop using other media networks (for instance, "Snapchat Saturday" or "Twitter Tuesday").
Teenagers may also choose to limit how much time they spend on social media. They can put a time limit on Instagram for at least 30 minutes each day.
This is the same as the reminder method, but the difference is that you set your time or period of usage.
For this method, you set a time on the number of hours you spend on social media.
Last but not least, teenagers can log in and check only when a notification is sent. This approach can limit interactions with close contacts and prevent mindless scrolling, which is a waste of time.
Social media has both positive and negative effects. Whether good or bad, it all depends on the teenagers' proclivity for surfing the Internet and using social media.
Nurul Nadzirah Rosli
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai, Negri Sembilan
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times