Inquiry

The Truth Behind Social Media on Our Mental Health? Limit it

Joyana Manisha

Professor Pawlowski

FIQWS 10111

November 6, 2018

Model essay: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/opinion/climate-change-carbon-price.html

Does the advantages of social media outweigh the disadvantages social media can have on adolescents’ mental health       

Social media is known for its ability to connect people throughout the world however, is it really diminishing human connection during the process? In today’s generation, everyone seems to be absorbed into social media and relying on it on the daily.

Before, social media was an escape from reality while now reality is an escape from social media. Over the years, social media has slowly advanced and now offers several benefits. Along with every good thing, comes the bad part which social media has also acquired throughout time. According Malay Shah, “Social media sites create an illusion of connectivity.” With the help of social media sites, people are able to create online friendships as well as keep in touch with distant family. In terms of mental health, social media sites tend to be portrayed as a stigma however for many, these sites can help gain mental health support. Many people turn to social media in order to find companionship and acceptance from others when their closest people cannot help them. Those who suffer from mental health complications tend to believe that they are alone in the fight when in reality, there are many who can related to their problems. Social media platforms help allow one’s thoughts and concerns to be put out for others to understand.

While some people find comfort within social media, other find hardships. Everything displayed on any social media platform is shown to be picture perfect resulting in many people having low self-esteems and the rise of insecurities. Social media has many advantages upon our mental health however, these advantages are covering up the fact that this generation is slowly dwelling with mental complications. This occurs as an effect of continuously becoming absorbed into social media. Social media helps everyone put our best lives out for friends and family to share and enjoy. While this stands as a positive effect of social media, it also results in a condition known as Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). FOMO is the outcome of a loss of self esteem in terms of their mental health causing people to become insecure regarding their self-image and many more habits. Watching people display their “perfect” lives on social media can take a toll upon one’s self esteem as mentioned before. FOMO results in the feeling of anxiety and regret for missing out on events. Using social media also falls in the deep hole of constantly wanting to compare oneself with another individual. Similar to FOMO, it is common within human nature to want something that you don’t have. There is a term known as “Facebook Envy” which people experience after seeing people enjoying their life on their feeds. Envy is considered to be an emotion that doesn’t help motivate yourself, instead it just results in people feeling bad for themselves. According to a present study done by the University of Copenhagen, it was proven to be true that people do experience hardships regarding their self esteem while scrolling past their friends’ feeds. Due to the self-esteem problems linked along with social media, suicide rates are also increasing. “The CNC in America recently revealed the suicide rate in the US has grown nearly 25% since 1999, with Dr Nassir Ghaemi telling CNN part of the blame must lie with the rise of social media.” (World News, 2018). Facebook has slowly been overtaking our lives throughout the generation and has slowly caused a negative impact upon all of us.

Social media helps us store all our memories in one place and helps us reminisce about the good times. We are able go through each other’s feeds and scroll through the fun moments spent together. However, many times these memories can only result in you knowing about the situation in which that moment took place. It somehow changes your memory. There are many people who tend to “live in the moment” while there are others who go out just to get good pictures. This attitude can change the experience of the meeting. We tend to focus on trying to get the good angles and pictures that we can look back at in the future but this can also ruin the experience of seeing something through our own eyes instead of through a camera lens. Sometimes, it’s better to disconnect yourself from your phone and take part in the moment. It allows the memories to last longer and becomes a special moment. This attitude can help improve one’s mental health to prosper.

Many adolescents tend to spend long hours on their social media sites resulting in a lack of sleep. It’s quite common for everyone to be on their phones before going to bed but often times, it leads to the whole night of looking through other people’s accounts and many more. Before you know it, it’s way past your bedtime and almost time for the sun to come out.

“Thematic analysis suggested that adolescents perceived social media as a threat to mental wellbeing and three themes were identified: (1) it was believed to cause mood and anxiety disorders for some adolescents..” ( O’Reilly, 2018). Lack of sleep can be linked with mood and anxiety disorders since adolescents are ignoring their need to recharge their bodies. Lack of sleep can cause mood swings and feeling groggy throughout the remainder of the day. Because of these side effects, one can decline in their work space and not be able to put their full potential on their work. Anxiety and envy can cause the brain to become active all throughout the night. The blue light that is reflected from our phones can affect our sleep and potentially could cause several diseases. Our bodies are sensitive to this form of light and causes our minds to become more alert. Overall, sleep is very important in order to help our bodies to function properly. Maybe not looking through your notifications at night can lead to a better night sleep and a better day for the future.                                     

Sometimes, it’s quite difficult for people to openly talk about their emotions. Whether it be to a therapist or a friend, people tend to get nervous within these circumstances. The internet allows people to become anonymous and present their emotions without the fear of getting judged or looked upon. In terms of human nature, many believe that expressing their feelings can be taken as a burden for others and instead, hide their feelings. ““When people feel badly, they have a need to reach out to others because this can help reduce negative emotions and restore a sense of well-being. But talking to someone face-to-face or on the phone might feel daunting because people may worry that they are bothering them,” explained Eva Buechel, a professor at the University of South Carolina and lead author of the study.” (Bennett, 2017). Instead of talking face to face, people find more comfort talking about their feelings through an indirect tweet or Facebook status.

Being anonymous on social media can both an advantage as well as a disadvantage. Many people suffer from cyber bullying which clearly affects our mental health negatively. Cyber bullying results in a decline of mental health and can affect one’s perspective on life. There are some people who use social medias to create a negative connection and hurt another person. Bullies and mean girls have always been around but they gain an advantage through the help of social media sites. Now people get bullied while they’re in the safety of their homes as well as the safety of their schools. No place is safe enough for them. Cyber bullying has been an ongoing problem since the start of social media sites even though now, parents and guardians are able to help awareness regarding this issue and create preventions.

Social media helps connect people while also removing the feel of face-to-face contact. According to a news article based in the United Kingdom, the constant usage of social media can lead to one becoming unhappy and isolated in the long run. This all can lead to several health complications such as depression and anxiety. “In March, it was reported that more than a third of Generation Z from a survey of 1,000 individuals stated that they were quitting social media for good as 41 per cent stated that social media platforms make them feel anxious, sad or depressed.” (Barr, 2018). Besides that, social media has several beneficial aspects. Through social media, people are able to spread creative ideas making it seem like a creativity outlet. There are many people who start Youtube channels in order to get their thoughts and ideas heard. Through these channels, people are able to discuss about several issues within society and bring awareness upon them. The online family gets together and can cause changes to take place in today’s time.

Overall, social media has been a controversial topic within our society in terms of our mental health. There are many positive effects due to social medias as well as negative effects. Many believe that social media is predominantly negative since they have a correlation to the increased rates of mental health conditions. Due to social media, several people suffer with conditions such as depression, anxiety, and many more. These conditions come from the constant pressure of displaying our “perfect” lives and seeing how well other people are living. The decline of self-esteem results in the increase of many insecurities that pop up each day on our timelines. Some people forget that, “They appear to be happy and look like they’re having a great life, but we have to remember everyone is going through some sort of a struggle in life.” As mentioned previously, everyone in social media tend to create their lives to be picture perfect when in reality, it has its ups and downs just like everyone else. Social media helps people express themselves through indirect and/or direct posts as well as spread awareness for several issues in our society. In order to help decrease the negative aspects of social media, we have to first learn about ourselves and accept ourselves.

 

Bibliography

1. BERRYMAN, C.; FERGUSON, C. J.; NEGY, C. Social Media Use and Mental Health among Young Adults. Psychiatric Quarterly, jun. 2018. v. 89, n. 2, p. 307–314. Disponível em: <http://ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=129451557&site=ehost-live>. Acesso em: 17 out. 2018.
2. Bennett, Taylor. “Contrary to Popular Belief, Social Media Can Have Positive Effects on Our Mental Health – Thriveworks.” Counseling and Life Coaching – Find a Counselor, 13 Dec. 2017, thriveworks.com/blog/social-media-positive-effects-mental-health/.
3. Armstrong, Gia. “Fact Check: Is Social Media Bad for Your Mental Health?” The Week UK, The Week UK, 18 June 2018, www.theweek.co.uk/checked-out/90557/is-social-media-bad-for-your-mental-health.
4. Barr, Sabrina. “Six Ways Social Media Negatively Affects Your Mental Health without You Even Knowing.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 7 Nov. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/social-media-mental-health-negative-effects-depression-anxiety-addiction-memory-a8307196.html.