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The impact of social media on Mental health

Jasdeep Kaur (2320216)

University Canada West

ENGL 100 31

Mehri Mohammadian Haghighi

February 4th, 2024

The impacts of social media on mental health

In this contemporary era, social media has considerable influence on different fronts.

Every aspect of society is now affected by social media in one way or another. Nearly 3

billion of the world’s population are social media users (Schønning et al., 2020). Adolescents

and young adults are the most frequent users of social media. These social media platforms

include, Facebook, Instagram, twitter, snapchat among others. Facebook is reported to be the

most used social media platform. These social media platforms are designed to connect

people and allow them to communicate, resulting in a huge change in how we socialize,

disclose information, and perceive our reality. People can quickly create an arbitrary circle of

friends they know, friends of their friends, and even strangers when using digital interaction.

All they get is the ability to spread their thoughts, talk about their experience, and

occasionally show their private life.

Nevertheless, as we see the dependence on social media skyrocketing rapidly, we

cannot but ask questions about the possible mental well-being impact. However, such social

media tools that once were celebrated as philanthropic initiatives to unite people are now a

matter of dispute, with several researches showing that excessive or unhealthy social media

use may have devastating consequences on individuals’ psychological condition. The

pervasiveness of social network sites, along with their capabilities to provide immediate

gratification and validation and messages or appear popular, have emphasized a new problem

that society does not know how to address. The susceptibility of social media to

cyberbullying, online harassment, and insidious social comparison, not only through frequent

usage but also addiction, might have various effects on the mental health of people.

Social networks are created as a space for virtual communications and self-

expression; however, the growing prevalent use of social media as a tool means the
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consumers end up facing adverse effects such as cyberbullying, unhealthy social compare,

sons, and addictions, which can eventually undermine their physical and mental health.

The threat of cyberbullying has been one of the most alarming effects caused by the

expansion of social networks. These online platforms have become a suitable arena for those

who wish to attack others through electronic communication and thus lead to harassment and

bullying with a sense of anonymity and no accountability. Cyberbullying has multiple forms:

sending menacing or derogatory messages, gossiping, spreading rumours, or even forging

others' identities.

Cyberbullying impacts mental health in a highly detrimental and expansive manner.

The victims of cyberbullying can become more anxious and depressed, have their self-esteem

lowered, and sometimes even have suicidal thoughts. According to Naslund et al. (2020),

“Youth ages 10 to 17 who reported major depressive symptomatology, there were over 3

times greater odds of facing online harassment in the last year compared with youth who

reported mild or no depressive symptoms.”(11) The ceaseless bombardment of negativity,

criticism, and bullying tends to create an environment of fear and loneliness. It is, therefore, a

challenge for the victims to seek help or develop proper relationships.

Another facet of cyberbullying is the pervasiveness of social media, which means that

the experiences of cyberbullying are not limited to physical places or time; the abuses can

follow people wherever they go, continuing the cycle of sadness and anxiety. For instance, a

computational study concerning mental health awareness campaigns on Twitter discovered

that while stigmatizing content was infrequent, it was mostly spread through retweets,

implying that negative content has no boundaries and can travel faster ( Naslund et al., 2020).

Another major issue that social media impact on mental health is the tendency of

people to compete in unhealthy comparisons. Social media sites usually present a stench they
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have selected, idealized versions of people's lives with the appearances of achievements,

relationships, and personal bearing consistently concerned with effective presentation.

Facebook is reported to curtail college student’s ability to get involved in negative social

comparisons and catalyze insecurity. Braghieri et al. (2022) suggest that these effects are

hardly felt by students who constantly compare themselves to their friends on campus. For

example, those who reside off-campus are thus excluded from major on-campus events and

activities, those from poor backgrounds, and those not identifying with sororities.

With scrolling through endless streams of what appears to be a flawless life, keeping

up can be challenging. It may result in unrealistic expectations and comparisons, manifesting

in distress or insecurities. It always seems that others are more successful and perfect.

Powerful images of supposedly ideal appearances coupled with these comparisons produce

low self-worth, body image issues, and a feeling that our own life could never be good

enough.

On the other hand, this may give rise to a notion among those using social media

platforms to present an unblemished online persona, which may lead to suppression or

distortion of their actual selves. Thus, such a process creates a disconnection between the

cyber identity and the real one. This can make the person feel untrue and out of touch, which

are both negative elements that influence mental health.

The addictive nature of social media is a significant issue impacting individuals'

mental health. The constant flow of alerts, updates, and fresh content prompts a strong urge to

check and use social media platforms, even if other aspects of life deserve attention, leading

to addiction. Research has shown that major risk factors for basic mental problems such as

depression and anxiety include the time spent on social media and social media addiction

(Karim et al., 2020)

This addiction causes a lot of negative changes in a person such as reduced

productivity, poor concentration, poor academic performance, ance and poor quality of sleep.

People tend to be interrupted by millions of things, keeping them from doing any pieces of

work or simply satisfying their emotions in conversations. In addition, the dopamine hit

resulting from likes, comments, and shares on social media can strengthen this behaviour,

generating a cycle of continuous self-validation and thus fueling the reliance on these

platforms even more. Moreover, social media can cause a kind of disconnection from the real

world. The user becomes over-absorbed in the virtual worlds presented on platforms. This

sense of disconnection is usually the result of the loss of influence on interpersonal

connections, which give one's life meaning and fullness.

Critics may argue that social media is a valuable inspirational, connection, and

expressional tool. For instance, has been a valuable inspirational tool among people with

mental illnesses. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn,

among others, allow people with mental health challenges to share, exchange, and co-create

different forms of digital content, which include messages, information, videos, and photos,

thus offering support. Various studies have discovered that “individuals with mental illness

appear to turn to social media to share their personal experiences, seek information about

their mental health and treatment options, and give and receive support from others facing

similar mental health challenges.” ( Naslund et al., 2020, p. 2). Social media can also create

awareness and educate the public on various topics and issues like mental health. By so

doing, stigmatization and social discrimination among marginalized groups, such as people

with mental health challenges, can be addressed. Social media proponents may also suggest

that these platforms foster a sense of belonging and identity to particular communities or

groups, such as the LGBTQIA+ community.

Additionally, other recent studies suggest no significant association between the use

of social media and mental health problems. These researchers claim existing research

suggesting a positive correlation between social media use and mental illnesses is foul. This

is attributed to the deficient analytical techniques and the use of cross-sectional study design.

However, a study focusing on a similar association at the individual level discovered

opposing results. According to Coyne et al. (2019), the time spent on social media platforms

does not result in depression and anxiety. Although social media has potential benefits for

mental health and society at large, it is noteworthy that its negative impacts, particularly on

the issues of mental health, outweigh the benefits. For this reason, there is a need for cautious

use of these platforms to avoid the adverse effects of unhealthy comparisons, addictions, and

cyberbullying.

Ultimately, what social media does to our mental health is a highly interactive and

perplexing issue that demands both concentration and action. Social media platforms were

intended to help people tunnel with each other and themselves. However, as their universal

use has split life,e-threatening effects have emerged, such as cyberbullying, unhealthy social

comparisons, and addictive behaviours. Individuals, communities, and governments must

care about how people use the digital world as humans have entered this landscape. This may

consist of activities that fight cyberbullying, spread media literacy and critical thinking skills,

and encourage mindful and right amount of social media use.

On the other hand, it is pivotal to focus on the societal issues behind the damaging

consequences of social media, bearing in mind that these problems, the urge for perfection,

commodification of attention, and the erosion of authentic human connections are among the

societal factors. Mental health is the primary concern of today's digital age. Therefore,

identifying and addressing the synergy between social media and mental health may lead to a

world where people are engaged in healthy digital living.

References

Braghieri, L., Levy, R., & Makarim, A. (2022, November 1). Social Media and Mental

Health. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20211218

Coyne, S. M., Rogers, A. A., Zurcher, J. D., Stockdale, L., & Booth, M. (2020, March 1).

Does time spent using social media impact mental health?; An eight-year longitudinal

study. Computers in Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106160

Karim, F., Oyewande, A. A., Abdalla, L. F., Ehsanullah, R. C., & Khan, S. (2020). Social

media use and its connection to mental health: a systematic review. Cureus, 12(6).

Naslund, J. A., Bondre, A., Torous, J., & Aschbrenner, K. A. (2020, April 20). Social Media

and Mental Health: Benefits, Risks, and Opportunities for Research and Practice.

Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-020-

00134-x

Schønning, V., Hjetland, G. J., Aarø, L. E., & Skogen, J. C. (2020, August 14). Social Media

Use and Mental Health and Well-Being Among Adolescents – A Scoping Review.

Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01949