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prashant-ranjan · 6 years ago

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Diving deep into quitting facebook psychology

More than a decade ago, social networking sites were searching it’s ground as unprecedented mode of communication and in this race of virtualization of human to human relationship, different developers across the world were trying their best to come up with unique features to sensationalize the wave of euphoria in newly and meantime developed concept of virtual social networking.

Orkut was leading the race in this war of features and feasibility as it had come up with unique design and various user friendly interfaces which made it hugely popular among masses. It looked like that orkut dominance in social networking market will last forever and many of them were quick to forecast that the said war has came to its end and orkut has won the race. Many of them were saying that it’s the end towards beginning of almost a monopolistic era of broaden social networking where there would be hardly any room for new way of conceptualization in this arena. Although in coming years, this had to be proved just as a myopic ideology because as many creative coders were working hard to profoundly look beyond the shallowness of thoughts and wanted to come up with something innovative which could put them stand out of the box in the social network war. They were doing so in different niches but when this gave birth to facebook which was launched at the same time and which in a short span of time almost dominated entire social networking world. This was in real terms triggered an inception of an era of internet based individual to individual social relationship and in coming years which had to take almost one sixth of world population in its grip. The huge success of facebook has been driven by its deep understanding of human psychology and it’s variable nature under changing circumstances. How we interact in real social life, is equally applicable in the virtual world of social networking and this has led facebook to consecutively innovates and integrates new ideas to its hugely popular platform.

Although, Its almost a decade has passed and facebook has written a great story of success and almost revolutionized the way of virtual networking. But, despite of this, its popularity is declining since last few years. Its not in terms of number of users but in terms of average time they use it.

Why it so and whats the basic reason behind this fall in its popularity among youths.

Facebook is just an alternative mode of networking with your friends wherever and whenever you want. So, it has somehow to a considerable extent eliminated the necessity of hanging around with your friends or pick up your phone and give a call to them. The updates keep on coming at regular interval and you keep on getting information about your friends. This has created a kind of reluctancy to communicate for several inbound reasons. A real communication between individuals are often triggered by some kind of curiosity and interest but if that is missing for whatsoever reason, a real connection between them is difficult to establish. Many facebook users have unknowingly realized this and so when it comes to extended and real communication gap due to virtual compaction of the same, they are trying their best to abstain from this as far as practicable.

Facebook is a show up platform as well where you broadcast your status with utter pride. If you have just checked in a five star hotel, why not just tell the world as this may make you land among distinguished creature of the society. This is more or less give you a feeling of superiority complex but more than this, it triggers an inferiority complex among your not so close facebook friends. As it happens in real life, when you get success in life, both appreciation and jealousy comes hand in hand. Those who appreciate you on your success may be jealous and those who are jealous can be fake appreciative.

As I have written in my introductory paragraph that facebook team has profound understanding of human psychology and so the introduction of this vary feature has a noticing contribution in facebook success story.

A platform for illusionized glorification

Facebook has become like a spherical mirror where you can see your image as magnified in your own conceived view. Although everyone who use facebook partially or wholly has similar conception about themselves but this may or may not be apparently applicable on someone who already have magnified image in society outside the perview of facebook like a popular actor or player. Apart from, this notion also includes someone who has contributed something considerably to the society. Most of facebook users are victimized by self appeasing and self centered image. They feel a sense of satisfaction when someone sends them a friend request, like their post, make a comment or tag them. These things affect them in a manner where they get victimized by the widespread illusion around which the whole concept of facebook has been developed.

A menace to get revealed

Many users see security concern as primary reason for discontinuing with facebook. Although facebook has more than sufficient customize security features according to users requirement and this is what makes it a robust as far as it’s usability is concerned. However, many of them has no or little knowledge about its advanced security settings and that’s why there is always a menace to get exposed the privacy concern of an user. Getting into its psychological analysis reveals that most conservative societies across the world have larger number of facebook users who are quitting or less active because of the fear concerning towards getting exposed in front of their friends and family.

No more oblivious nostalgic value

Facebook let you peeps into your past moments and keeps on reminding like this day that year kind of nostalgia. Although it’s good to have so well connected with moments of your life you already have lived, however it looks more like a burden than a feeling of relief as this has subsidized the true nostalgic value of that oblivion moments of your lives, you just don’t want to recall so oftenly. A frequent attachment with your past good or bad is something not so appreciative kind of things as it simply kills its nostalgic value.

An addiction going nowhere

Our mind is always attracted towards things of curiosity and whether it has something valuable to grasp hardly matters. We always have an inclination towards something which can quench our thirst of dopamine. When that’s turn into an addiction it’s hard to get rid of that. When you always have a device as a means to quench your thirst of that vary neurotransmitters flow between your neurons, addiction is obvious as it’s temporarily give you a kind of satisfaction. Where this addiction takes you is so complicated to predict but one thing is clear, it’s taking you nowhere because it has hardly any inherited value which let you feel like a true sense of achievement you have obsessively wanted as a significant goal of your life. This self magnified kind of persona lands you in perplexing situation getting rid of which is a tedious task. As we always say if something you frequently do out of compulsion or unwanted addiction, it takes you at the doorstep of anxiety as your expectations from those actions fail to meet because of its subsistence in mere illusionism.

Facebook affects your relationship in real life

Facebook is affecting users relationships in their real life as well. Whenever you see a post of your friend on facebook, will you engage with that totally depend on your frame of mind at that moment. It’s often happens with all of us that our mood swing depend upon circumstances we have recently gone through. Our prejudices play a significant role in our state of mind at any given time and we react to that accordingly. This results in reciprocating effect on relationship both on facebook and in real life. Ebbing mutual engagements affect their relationship adversely and it’s continuity for a longer period of time results in development of unwillingness to continue using facebook for the said social networking.

Plethora of moral science lessons

It seems being on facebook is like attending moral science classes. Everyone other user looks like a preacher on facebook who keep on preaching you by sharing. There are millions of pages and people who are giving discourse for free. You go to your timeline only to find out these so called lifemanship lectures shared or liked by your friends. To some extent, it’s good to have this as they keep you reminding the ethical code of conduct you are bound to follow in your life, but when these so called waves of ocean of knowledge keep striking your mind, it turns into an irritation. Adding to this, who the hell is sharing these plethora of knowledge, some of them you know so closely that it looks like the huge difference between their behavioural conduct in real life and on facebook. It’s simply like Steal the goose, and give the giblets in alms. This is why many facebook users quit or abstain from the platform.

Anxiety of non acceptance

As a human being, we try to live in Rome like romans and so when we see that people are abstaining from indulging in particular action, we too go the same way as an inclination towards doing the things what crowd do. Those facebook users who join the platform almost at the time of its inception and were actively using and engaging with it for later years because most of their friends were doing the same. However, when they saw that diminishing utility is being derived from facebook with the passage of time, they initiated abstaining from this to greater extent. This behavioral change among many of facebook users has been triggered by their apprehensions towards non acceptance. It has given birth to anxiety among those and that has not just limited to their interaction on facebook, but also extended in their real life. Facebook anxiety effect has started encroaching in their different aspects of life particularly while making choices or taking any decision, you may feel more anxiety striking your mind than earlier. A social media behavioural research company has confirmed that many facebook users have backed to their normal level of anxiety in their life after completely abstaining from facebook for a month.

Facebook has revolutionized the way we communicate and has emerged as a remarkable intermediary between our friends and when we look at its astonishing number of users, we can’t say they are considerably going to get disillusioned soon as it has became an integral part of our life. Even if they try to abstain from it, their covered face presence cannot be wiped out.

Originally published on medium

“Diving deep into quitting facebook psychology” by Prashant Ranjan https://link.medium.com/C8rJY2SgXY

#facebook #anxiety #addiction #social media #social network #digital #digital media #psychology #quitting

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prashant-ranjan · 6 years ago

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Dead by traffic Jam in thin air

Recent fatality of 11 mountaineers on mount everest in death zone looks like if even immature can put their feet there, it has not remained that challenging anymore as it used to be a couple of decade ago and so to raise the difficulty level, man made hurdle has been introduced in the form of traffic jam on highest pathway of the world. Mountain have always attracted us as it has not only awaken our latent curiosity to know what lies behind those high peaks , but also our desire to reach there. Everest being the highest place in the sun on earth and that’s why it keeps a distinguish position among human daring jobs list. Once its used to be like a pilgrimage for alpinists and professional mountaineers and hold it’s respect and status for almost 40 years since the first successful ascent by Hillary and Tenzing in 1953. It has remained that sining star which every mountaineer has always wanted to conquer at least once in hislifetime. It’s not like that it has lost its glory in the eyes of alpinists but since the commercialization of everest summit expedition which started with the inception of 9th decade of last century, it has added immature and novices to their climbing list. So basically the dream which some of them have always in their minds with the notion that is never going to fulfill get an opportunity to break that preconceived one. The condition is simple if you have money, we will take you there and help you fulfill your dream of keeping your feet at the roof of the world. You just don’t need to be professional mountaineer anymore in order to achieve the so called distinguished feet over everest.

What lies there in thin air

Everest may look attractive but it’s a highly dangerous place which can kill you without warning. It can make you loose any of your body parts which you want to keep. However, now a days most of everest expeditions are well equipped with latest and robust safety gears and highly experienced sherpas guides but despite of this, it does not ensure your successful summit and safe return. The danger augments manifold above 8000 meters which is usually referred as the death zone due to availability of one third of atmospheric oxygen compared to its presence at sea level. Every step above this require a physical and mental endeavour.

Who’s really climbing the everest

Climbing everest is not just a day adventure but it requires comprehensive planning and sufficient time. It’s preparation stars long before actual expedition begins where an immature or even a professional climber has to undergo almost daunting physical and mental exercise in order to get ready for the task. When they arrive at the base camp of south col. located in nepal, it’s just the inception of at least a couple of month physically and mentally exhausting task of summiting everest. However, the best thing about climbing everest as so called commercial expedition is that you get all assistance for all associated endevour jobs which mainly include carrying heavy loads of foods and other major equipments to the upper camps. Getting rid of these inevitable jobs is almost half of the battle someone else is fighting for you to conquer your own dream. It’s Sherpas who do all the tedious jobs for you, they fix the ladders on highly treacherous kumbhu icefalls just above the base camp and beginning towards the end of the summit. This very first obstacle itself is highly challenging as this path is nothing but a part of a moving glacier. This section is made up of blocks of frozen ice as huge as two or three storey building which may collapse at any point in time without warning. While crossing this section climbers can hear the ice cracking sounds like that of baking pop corn in the oven. Apart from this, they also have dangerously wide gaps between any two such blocks creating huge depth, falling in which will ensure inevitable separation of soul from your body under worst case scenerio or broken bones under bad ones. However, being in safe hands of sherpas, most of the climbers safely cross this very first hurdle. Sherpas are best climbers of eight thousanders because of their genetic adaptability of living at such altitude and inclement circumstances. It is said that actually Sherpas climb everest for you as they take maximum risk not only to take you to the summit but also your safe descent to the base camp. Their primary job is to carry heavy loads of supply above the mountains, setting up camps and cook food for the expedition members. Apart from this, they guide, lead, instruct and assist climbers to the summit.

The challenges of summit day

When mountaineers reach camp 4 for final ascent to the summit, every passing minute is a menace to their lives because of the death zone and highly unpredictable weather. Most of the fatality in this zone is caused by avalanches or fall. On a single day , wind speed can go up to 200 kms/hour and temperature can drop

to -20 degree C . Here the level of oxygen in the atmosphere is almost one third of what is available at the sea level. They have only 16 to 20 hours not only to cover a steep ascending distance of almost 1200 meters towards the summit but also to get down to camp 4 just out of death zone. This may look not as difficult but one should not forget that bottled supplemental oxygen they carry on their back has limitations and can lasts for a 3 to 5 hours if used at the highest rate. Apart from this, they have to cross most intricate hurdle of the route, the hillary step which more or less requires at least intermediate level of technical climbing skill. Every step they put forward in death zone sucks much higher amount of calorie from their body as they gasp for sufficient amount of oxygen. It is estimated that on summit day, a mountaineer can loose up to 20000 calorie which is equivalent to almost 2.6 kg of their body weight. This is the amount approximately 2.5 times an olympic 100 meters racer loose while practicing on penultimate day of the race. Apart from this, the life threatening challenge which adds up on the summit day is not something natural but it’s man made. This challenge is a result of excessive commercial exploitation of everest expedition opportunity which seems to be indifferent for an immature and professional climbers. This also sums up with the availability of short season of fine weather when most of the climbers want to put their feet on everest. However, different expedition groups collectively plan well in advance at the base camp to avoid the life threatening stuck of climbers in death zone on summit day but usually that proves to be of no avail as when they reach camp 4, everyone wants to summit in hurry as if they do not want to leave behind in their lifetime dream thats too when they are so close to it. This has become major reason for most fatalities in everest expedition. With the passage of every minute in such situation they basically augment their own chances of non survival. Those who succumb to such inclement circumstances just collapse never to get up and mingle forever with their broken dream and highest and distant steep spreading of snows. Although there exists several other reasons for casualty in death zone which primarily include the careless and stubborn attitude of some climbers. Even if there is no traffic jam and the route remains almost clear for climbers, some of them who walk slow enough to beat the restricted time of ascending are asked either to catch up or turn back to camp 4 as they will not be able to make it to the summit due to their detoriating health condition often caused by frostbitten body parts or cerebral ademas, but out of their stubbornness and fear of missing the lifetime opportunity to summit, they keep on going and loose their lives. Sherpas understand the weather above eight thousand meters better than the others and they know how quickly it can change from bad to worst so they profoundly take this into consideration while guiding a group towards the summit.

The highest graveyard

Everest can be regarded as the highest graveyard where in death zone almost 200 bodies of dead climbers lie in frozen state. It includes the body of mountaineer george mallory as well who tried to summit everest in 1923 as a team member of british expedition almost 30 years before the first successful ascent in 1953 by Sir Admond Hillary and tenzing sherpa. His body was found by ace mountaineer Conrad Anker in 1999 at 27000 feet below the summit of north col. This had given a birth to controversy whether he was first to summit mount everest or just fell while ascending towards it . Although his camera was never recovered and so even after 19 years, it has not been established that he was the first to keep his feet on mount everest. All the bodies of dead climbers are lying there in thin air and few of them are often seen by climbers en route to the summit from both south and north col. The most famous among those is supposed to be the body of indian mountaineer Tsewang Paljor of ITBP who lost his life due to frostbite in 1996 expedition. His body is still lying near a cave just below the north col is popularly known as green boot due to the green colour of his climbing shoes. Climbers attempting to summit mount everest from Tibetan side has to pass through this popular landmark.

The economy of everest expedition

Climbing everest is an expensive dream for an immature climber. Every year limited number of permit is issued to climbers by the nepalese government. Most of these permits is issued for the pre monsoon summer ascent and the rest for the winter one. There are several expedition agencies provide the expedition services to their clients from different parts of the world. They charge anywhere between $45k to $130K which is inclusive of Nepalese government permit fee of approximately $11k per climber. Almost all companies operating in everest expedition whether its western or domestic inevitably take the services of sherpas guides for which they are paid any where between $2K to $5K per season. This is comparatively much lower than a western guide who can earn as much as $50K per season. Despite of this huge difference, it’s a handsome amount for Sherpas as compared to per capita income of nepal which stands at mere $1.1K. With mounting number of commercial expeditions since last few years due to rising demand for climbing everest, Nepalese government seems to be less concerned about ecological impact of these over crowded expeditions on everest. Being a major source of income, Nepalese government keeps a flexible restrictions over issuing number of permits to climbers.

Whatever be the reason, It’s all about everest being a hot cake everyone is getting their share.

“Dead by traffic Jam in thin air” by Prashant Ranjan

#travel #adventure #everest #mountaineering #nepal #mountains #himalayas

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