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Addicted to YouTube

2021.03.01


I’m writing this blog right now after losing about one hour of my day by watching YouTube.  

 

Life is hard, right? We need to find a time and place to relax. Especially in the past year with all these crazy things happening. With so much of our lives now revolving around PC’s and doing our work in a digital environment, a lot of people need to find different ways to relax. That’s where the problem of YouTube comes in.

 

I’m sure you have experienced this: you finish some work and as a way to relax, you decide to watch a YouTube video. After finding a video you like, you watch it. After you finish, you look to the bar on the right and find another video that interests you. It’s only 5 minutes. So, you watch the next one. That turns into another video. After a while, you’ve spent an hour, two hours, maybe even more just watching YouTube.

 

Is this a healthy relationship with technology?

 

Websites such as The Guardian have reported on several studies and stories related to mental health and YouTube: 

(https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/03/youtube-addiction-mental-health)

 

In recent times (especially this past year) more and more people are using YouTube as a way to distract themselves from life. For some people, they need to watch YouTube as a way to stay emotionally balanced. They click on the YouTube icon without even thinking about it.

 

Research has said that YouTube can have the same effect that drugs have on the human brain. Especially with people who watch a lot of videos. 

 

It’s natural to like watching funny cat videos, a strange incident caught on video tape, a vlogger with an interesting story, music videos, interviews with celebrities, and many other videos. I know I’ve lost hours to YouTube. I try every day to find ways to be productive and finish my work. However, I always find myself clicking on that red play button. It has gone to the point where if I don’t watch videos, I feel a little “off”.

 

I understand that everyone wants to escape the real world. Especially in the past year. I also know that we spend a lot more time inside. But when does our need for amusement and fun start to impact other parts of our mental wellbeing?

 

Also, with the state of things, what can we do about it? Well first we can rethink our relationship with technology. Do we really NEED to constantly look at a screen? We can also try to mentally take life a little slower. Take walks and get fresh air. Modern media has driven us to want the next video, the next game, the next comic. Let’s work to take it a little slower.

 

Maybe then we will lose a little less time to that big, red play button.

 

 

Photo Credit: freestocks.org @pexels.com

 

 

Blog Quiz

 

 

Q1. Why are people watching more YouTube videos? 

Q2. YouTube can have the same effect as what on people who are addicted to YouTube?

Q3. What should we do to stop from becoming addicted to YouTube?

 

 

Scroll down  for the answers to the quiz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Answers

Q1. People want to relax and escape life stresses.

Q2. Drugs.

Q3. Take walks and get fresh air.

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