The Negative Impact of Social Media On Mental Health

1.             Depression
2.             Anxiety 
   
3.             Stress
4.             Insecurities

          Does Social Media Cause Dépression?

 •      Is using social media making our kids unhappy? Evidence is mounting that there is a link between    social media and depression.

•     In several recent studies, teenage and young adult users who spend the most time on Instagram,     Facebook, and other platforms were shown to have a substantially (from 13 to 66 percent) higher     rate of reported depression than those who spent the last time.

     

 •    Does that mean that Instagram and Facebook are actually causing depression? These studies show a correlation, not causation. But it’s worth a serious look at how social media could be affecting teenagers and young adults negatively.

 •    One reason the correlation seems more than coincidental is that an increase in depression occurred in tandem with the rise in smartphone use.

 •     A 2017 study of over half a million eighth through 12th graders found that the number exhibiting high levels of depressive symptoms increased by 33 percent between 2010 and 2015. In the same period, the suicide rate for girls in that age group increased by 65 percent.

 •     Smartphones were introduced in 2007, and by 2015 fully 92 percent of teens and young adults owned a smartphone. The rise in depressive symptoms correlates with smartphone adoption during that period, even when matched year by year, observes the study’s lead author, San Diego State University psychologist Jean Twenge. 

 

 •    Over that same time period there was a sharp spike in reports of students seeking help at college and university counseling centers, principally for depression and anxiety. Visits jumped 30 percent between 2010 and 2015.

            

       Social Media and Anxiety

 •     The rapid growth of social media over the last decade has established an entirely new medium for human interaction. Online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have allowed people in every corner of the world to be connected 24/7. By 2021, it is forecast that there will be around 3 billion active monthly users of social media. From the statistics alone, it’s clear that social media has become an integral (and to a large extent, unavoidable) part of our lives.

•    One implication of social media’s rapid rise, that of its relationship with young people’s mental health has gathered a significant amount of attention in recent years. Research has created a wide evidence-base supporting an association between social media use and mental health, and although still emerging, new evidence has painted a broad picture of the main impacts. The popularity of social media as a medium of communication for young people needs to be carefully examined, as it may indeed come to play a more detrimental role than we might have thought.

 •    So-called ‘social media addiction’ has been referred to by a wide variety of studies and experiments. It is thought that addiction to social media affects around 5% of young people and was recently described as potentially more addictive than alcohol and cigarettes. Its ‘addictive’ nature owes to the degree of compulsivity with which it is used. The ‘urge’ to check one’s social media may be linked to both instant gratification (the need to experience fast, short term pleasure) and dopamine production (the chemical in the brain associated with reward and pleasure). The desire for a ‘hit’ of dopamine, coupled with a failure to gain instant gratification may prompt users to perpetually refresh their social media feeds.

•    What is dangerous about this compulsive use is that if gratification is not experienced, users may internalize beliefs that this is due to being ‘unpopular’, ‘unfunny’ etc. A lack of ‘likes’ on a status update may cause negative self-reflection, prompting continual ‘refreshing’ of the page in the hope of seeing that another person has ‘enjoyed’ the post, thus helping to achieve personal validation. Although these perceptions may not actually reflect one’s image in the eyes of others, the absence of gratification may amplify feelings of anxiety and loneliness. A recent study conducted by the OECD, for instance, found that those who used social media more intensively on average had lower life satisfaction.

•    Social media can also heighten anxiety by increasing users’ ability to keep up to date with the activities of their social circles. The popular concept of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) refers to a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent and is characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. FOMO has been linked to intensive social media use and is associated with lower mood and life satisfaction. We have become more aware of what we are missing out on, for example, seeing photos of friends having a good time together in one’s absence. ‘Always on’ communication technology can cause feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and inadequacy through highlighting these activities, compelling users to stay continually engaged and up to date due to fear of not being involved. Humans are social beings who desire group interaction, therefore perceived exclusion can have damaging psychological impacts. Indeed, studies from the USA have found a robust association between intense social media use, fear of missing out, and both depression and anxiety.

    Social Media and Stress

 •    It makes sense to wonder if the use of digital technology creates stress. There is more information flowing into people’s lives now than ever — much of it distressing and challenging. There are more possibilities for interruptions and distractions. It is easier now to track what friends, frenemies, and foes are doing and to monitor raises and falls in status on a near-constant basis. There is more social pressure to disclose personal information. These technologies are said to take over people’s lives, creating time and social pressures that put people at risk for the negative physical and psychological health effects that can result from stress. 

•    Stress might come from maintaining a large network of Facebook friends, feeling jealous of their well-documented and well-appointed lives, the demands of replying to text messages, the addictive allure of photos of fantastic crafts on Pinterest, having to keep up with status updates on Twitter, and the “fear of missing out” on activities in the lives of friends and family

        

•    Researchers from Lancaster University, the University of Bamberg and Friedrich-Alexander Univeristät Erlangen-Nürnberg, writing in Information Systems Journal found that users were seeking distraction and diversion within the Facebook platform as a coping mechanism for stress caused by the same platform, rather than switching off and undertaking a different activity. 

•    Professor Monideepa Tarafdar, Professor of Information Systems and Co-Director of the Centre for Technological Futures at Lancaster University Management School, who co-authored the study, said: "While it might seem counter-intuitive, social media users are continuing to use the same platforms that are causing them stress rather than switching off from them, creating a blurring between the stress caused and the compulsive use.

    

    Social Media Insecurities :

•    “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.”

•    We live in a world where we frequently see the edited version of people’s lives. Facebook friends seem to be forever sharing all their wonderful moments. 

 •    YouTube videos capture the incredible talents of otherwise average looking people. It’s awe-inspiring… and, unfortunately, it is also often demoralizing. You may find it difficult not to compare yourself to it all, thinking: Their lives are amazing! They have such talent! And as for my life and me… well, I just don’t match up. This is a trap for many people. But there are ways to avoid it, or at least break free… and they are well worth learning.

•    The key to avoiding or escaping such insecurities is to fully understand and appreciate what it means to be human. All people have strengths and weaknesses. They struggle with feelings of sadness, hurt, loneliness, and many other vulnerable emotions. And just because people don’t highlight their struggles doesn’t mean they don’t exist. You can choose to see this by looking around in your daily life. Allow yourself to observe that you are not alone and that others struggle like you do. People often don’t advertise their struggles, so you need to look closely and be open to seeing them. Then, once you can truly feel that you are not alone, offer yourself some compassion.

•   Social Media Insecurities •Having self-compassion isn’t permission to give up and accept yourself as inferior. Rather, it means recognizing that your struggles are understandably difficult and shared by others. It also involves staying connected with a larger sense of yourself—one that includes your strengths, values, and interests. When you pay attention to these parts of yourself that you appreciate, you will naturally feel better about you. You will want to do what’s best for yourself. In fact, if you stop for a moment now and think about what you value in yourself, you will feel a small boost in your sense of well-being (Go ahead. Give it a try!).

•  You can also lessen the hold insecurities have on you by looking for people who have worked to overcome their struggles. Using them as role models, you can learn how to accept your personal weaknesses or “flaws” while also focusing on what you do well. There have been plenty of role models out there both in the public eye – think Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller, Ray Charles – as well as in your everyday life… if you pay attention. 

•  When you redirect your energy and attention to this more positive perspective, you will notice moments when you are free from self-criticism. But you will also notice that those thoughts and distressing feelings return. When this happens, it’s up to you to decide how to respond. You can fall back into old patterns and stay stuck; or you can choose to regroup and refocus.