Question

Read the question carefully. Both questions are connected to each other.

1. Discuss how the overuse of the social media application such as Facebook or Snapchat impedes our ability to focus on two experiential and two reflective cognitive activities.
2. Discuss the negative consequences of constant distractions as it relates to the experiential or reflective cognitive activity identified in Question 1.  

Answer 1

Experimental cognition includes perception, action and reaction to the events around us effectively and effortlessly. It requires reaching a certain level of expertise and engagement. Considering perception as one of the experimental cognitive activities here, staying focused to gaining knowledge through perception is hindered by immense attraction towards virtual reality. It robs away the beauty and information around the person by creating a rush inside him . This rush us usually associated with the term FOMO meaning; fear of missing out. This persistent feeling draws them constantly to the black mirror and blue screen cutting down ‘considerable’ amounts of perceptional activities. It also affects perception by manipulating it on a very massive level misleading and de focusing the perception from reality.Another experimental cognitive that stimulates action is also deeply affected . Constant virtual distraction keeps the us away from acting appropriately or acting at all in certain situations. It gives them the illusion of actual action while in on the virtual space. This has deep impact on interpersonal relationships and relationships with their hobbies and goals . This also leads to out of propionate reactions . Negative stimulating tending posts on Facebook can mislead and make a person react to a particular situation in a very distorted manner than they should. The reflective cognitive abilities include the human capabilities of thinking , comparing and decision making. This part of cognitive abilities lead to new ideas and creativity. Every time you impulsively reach for your phone to get a dose of dopamine, you weaken your brain’s ability to concentrate, to create , to generate new ideas, etc. Social media puts us in a constant state of multi-tasking, leaving us little ability to focus thus keeping us away from creating new content or coming with new ideas as it is constantly occupying our brains tiering it!

This constant distractions from what we actually ought to do is slowing down the rate of acceleration towards advancement in their professional and educational fields. It is pulling down the potentiality of the youths by giving too much importance to what is happening in the neighbor’s bedroom. Also this is one of the biggest reasons for adolescent low self esteem, inferiority complexes , depression and unhealthy competition. The feeling of not being enough and void constantly deepens looking at different spots in others lives. Also the constantly increasing pressure of “shower better” than “being better” makes them act in a way they otherwise wouldn’t. This affecting their actions. Perception not only towards the society but towards self changes to an extent that is pressing and irrelevant.