Social Media, Socially Crippling - Are You Obsessed With Social Media?

Social media has its place in culture and society. You can catch up with old friends, possibly connect with new ones, and it can be a very a fun activity to take part in.

However, there are also many detriments and troubles that can come along with too much social media. When you are glued to a computer screen all day, and are only working on relationships that exist in a virtual world, there may be negative consequences. Not only does your social life take a hit, but there are physical effects that can catch up with you as well when you’re not fully interacting with the world around you.

The Effects of Social Media Obsession

When you are obsessed with social media and keeping it updated, there is a possibility of losing touch with the actual world around you. All of your time can not be spent cultivating relationships that are only on a computer. We have become a culture that is obsessed with updating Facebook statuses, sending Tweets, playing social media games, etc., and this social media has in fact made us anti-social beings.

It obviously isn’t healthy when one loses all contact with friends and family except through a social platform. Real relationships can be affected when you don’t spend true, quality time with those that mean the most to you. While this might seem like a stretch, it is easy for certain individuals to get completely absorbed in a virtual world.

Aside from hurting your social life and relationships, there is a definite physical impact that can be caused by social media addictions and overuse. Whenever you are partaking in an activity that requires sitting in front of a computer for hours, there are obviously effects on your body. The longer we sit down and stay still, the unhealthier we become.

Solutions to an Obsession with Social Media

If you find yourself becoming obsessed with social media, you need to be honest with yourself. People may think that this is silly, but certain internet activities can most definitely become addictive. Try to spend more time with your friends and family. Try to make plans with people you haven’t seen in a while, or just get out of the house.

Regardless of what you do, just make sure you are limiting your time spent alone on the computer. Another small step that you can make to cut down on the amount of time you are spending online is to take the mobile applications off your phone if you have it.

Responsible Social Media Use

None of this information is designed to scare people away from social media, whether it’s YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook. There are healthy and responsible ways that you can enjoy these outlets, and not become obsessed.

To start, it may be necessary to put caps on your usage that you adhere to. There are plenty of people out there that do this because they realize how much time can be wasted by staying online for too long.

Using social outlets to keep up with friends is fine, as long as you make sure your social efforts extend beyond a computer screen. It can be perfectly healthy to have a social media presence, but not one that requires constant involvement that takes you away from real world relationships. Actual human interactions are necessary for social and emotional development, and no amount of social media involvement can replace person-to-person contact.

Social media is a powerful tool, and it is responsible for some amazing innovations in communication over the last few years. That doesn’t mean that it is perfect though, and it is important to recognize when you are spending too much time online. Make sure you always make time for friends and family in the real world, and do not keep all of your social endeavors locked up online.

Source: TechAddiction

China flies nuclear-capable bombers, fighter jets over Taiwanese waters

Eight Chinese bomber planes and four fighter jets have entered the south-western corner of Taiwan's air defence identification zone, leading Taiwan's air force to deploy missiles to "monitor" the incursion.

Eight nuclear-capable H-6K bombers were involved in the Chinese mission.(AP: Liu Rui/Xinhua)

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has conducted almost daily flights over the waters between the southern part of Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea in recent months.

However they have generally consisted of just one or two reconnaissance aircraft.

The presence of so many Chinese combat aircraft on Saturday's mission — Taiwan said it was made up of eight nuclear-capable H-6K bombers and four J-16 fighter jets — is unusual.

A map provided by Taiwan's Defence Ministry showed that the Chinese aircraft, which also included a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, flew over the same waters where the most recent Chinese missions have been taking place near the Pratas Islands, though still well away from mainland Taiwan.

Taiwan's air force warned away the Chinese aircraft and deployed missiles to monitor them, the ministry added, using standard wording for how it responds to such activities.

"Airborne alert sorties had been tasked, radio warnings issued and air defence missile systems deployed to monitor the activity," it said in a brief statement.

There was no immediate comment from China. In the past China has said it has been carrying out exercises to defend the country's sovereignty and security.

Beijing has watched with growing concern increasing US support for democratic Taiwan, especially during Donald Trump's administration, which left office on Wednesday.

Last year during visits by senior US officials to Taipei, Chinese aircraft briefly crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial buffer.

The flight by the Chinese bombers and fighters on Saturday came just days after Joe Biden assumed the US presidency.

Emily Horne, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, said the US commitment to Taiwan was "rock-solid" after the island's de facto ambassador in Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, attended Mr Biden's swearing-in on Wednesday.

Source: abc

Kremlin Seeks 13.5-Year Jail Term for Navalny – Bloomberg

The Kremlin seeks to imprison poisoned and jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny for 13 and a half years in an attempt to derail his movement, Bloomberg reported Friday.

The new threat of lengthy incarceration marks a departure from the Kremlin's previous strategy of jailing him for no more than a few weeks at a time. Navalny was swiftly jailed this week following his return from Germany, where he was recovering from what Western scientists determined to be poisoning with Novichok.

Navalny was swiftly jailed this week following his return from Germany.

Navalny could next month get up to three and a half years in prison as part of an old embezzlement case he says is politically motivated, Bloomberg cited two unnamed sources close to the Russian leadership as saying.

He could get another 10 years in prison as part of a new criminal case alleging that he stole supporters' donations, the news agency reported, noting that the hard line comes from the Kremlin’s belief that Navalny is a Western cutout. The Kremlin also reportedly hopes that Navalny’s “highly personalized movement will lose direction once he’s in prison.”

From jail, Navalny has called for street protests this Saturday after releasing a viral video detailing President Vladimir Putin’s alleged seaside “palace” serving as a catalyst. The video has racked up more than 50 million views since it was posted Wednesday.

Navalny’s close associate Leonid Volkov said it was premature to expect the Kremlin to follow through on the long jail term before seeing the turnout at Saturday’s demonstrations. Observers have speculated that the rallies could draw smaller-than-expected crowds despite simmering discontent over falling incomes and Putin’s approval ratings dipping to all-time lows last year.

“Hold on burying him,” Volkov wrote on Twitter. “The Kremlin plans a lot but not much of it happens. And it all depends not on [their] wishes but on us.”

Navalny was arrested Sunday upon his return from five months of treatment in Germany, where military scientists determined that he had been poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in Siberia. A makeshift court inside a police station north of Moscow ordered him to serve 30 days in prison pending the embezzlement trial that could result in his 3.5-year sentencing.

Russia denies that Navalny was poisoned and accuses Berlin of withholding evidence proving otherwise.

Navalny accuses Putin of personally ordering his attempted assassination, while his allies accuse Russian law enforcement authorities of stalling a good-faith investigation into his poisoning.

Source: The Moscow Times/ Bloomberg