SOCIAL MEDIA AND MENTAL HEALTH
References:
Social Media and Its Impact on Mental Health | Psychology Today
Blog by Michelle Quirk
Pros & cons: impacts of social media on mental health | BMC Psychology | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)
Article by Agnes Zsila & Marc Eric S. Reyes
Social Media and Mental Health: The Good, the Bad, and How to Deal (betterup.com)
Article by Madeline Miles
Expansion and Insight:
Social media and mental health has been a topic of interest to my intellect for as long as I can remember. I was an avid user of various platforms but I would always simultaneously question why is it that what we see on the screen is profusely capturing. Almost as if we enter a state of hypnotism until eventually, an external occurrence shifts our focus and only then do we break from it.
"Social media deserves to be celebrated for bringing people together. Users half a world away can communicate, share content and ideas, and stay in touch much more easily than they ever could before", says Michelle Quirk. I agree with the above statement as this is indubitably one of the best strings social media has connected humanity. Ease of access and peace of mind can be obtained by calling a loved one far away.
However, good cannot exist without bad otherwise we would not know what good is. This takes us to the negative effects of social media and the focus on this blog entry will be the mental health aspect.
Social media influencers peruse what entices current audiences and carefully curate their posts based on that information. Users on the receiving end thus develop a false sense of reality and its expectations which burden them with anxiety, unfulfillment, contempt and constant FOMO.
"Concerns have been raised that social media may lead to body image dissatisfaction, increase the risk of addiction and cyberbullying involvement, contribute to phubbing behaviors, and negatively affect mood. Excessive use has increased loneliness, fear of missing out, and decreased subjective well-being and life satisfaction. Users at risk of social media addiction often report depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem.", says Agnes & Marc.
In conclusion, social media has its pros and cons. How it affects an individual is determined by their environment, upbringing, core beliefs and values, morals and their perception of life itself. We can only let time tell us what the future holds.