Does social media impact mental health? What we really know…
It seems like every other day we’re being told how social media is changing our world. From the rise of the internet café to the rise of digital devices, it would appear that one corner of our world has been transformed by this new technology.
If you’ve spent any time on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you’d probably understand why people are so obsessed with their phones and computers. These sites are filled with people who are bored, want to find something new, unhappy with their jobs, have bad relationships, and can’t find a mate.
Have you ever thought of the negative effects of social media?
Everything from relationship breakdowns to job dissatisfaction finds its place on social media. So, what is it about these sites that drive people to consume content 24/7? Is social media impacting your mental health?
If so, how can you improve your own mental health through self-care and positive reinforcement rather than posting negative content? Read on for more information about the dangers of social media and its impact on our physical and mental health.
What is social media?
Social media sites are the internet’s version of an “extended social network.” As such, they are filled with people with shared interests, emotions, and illnesses. Consequently, people with common problems on social media can easily find like-minded people with shared experiences.
This makes it easy to find support and connect with others who understand what you’re going through. People who suffer from mental health conditions, as well as their loved ones, often turn to social media for support and understanding.
While it is important to remember that not all interactions are positive, it is also important to understand the impact that it has on one’s mental health.
How Does Social Media Impact Mental Health?
The fact that social media is so pervasive means that it has a huge impact on our daily lives. We check our social media platforms multiple times throughout the day and night. We post things on social media that we would never think to post in public. We share pictures and videos that we would otherwise keep to ourselves.
This constant exposure to other people’s negative emotions has a large impact on our moods and mental health. One study found that individuals who regularly consumed negative content were three times more likely to develop the Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) compared to those who consumed only positive content.
Furthermore, the study also found that individuals who consumed the most negative content were also the ones who had lowest self-esteem and best at self-blame. Similarly, other research has found that consuming content with a greater level of happiness provides a more positive mental health effect.
Teaming up with these studies, researchers have concluded that consuming more positive content can positively impact your mental health by making you feel happier and more likely to share your content with others.
The Problem with social media
It is a powerful tool for building and maintaining relationships. Adored cousins can be found on social media platforms together with those who have little to no redeeming value. As such, it’s no secret that social media has become an important part of people’s daily lives. It’s also no secret that people use it to be positive or to share positive messages.
But is it really having a positive impact on our mental health? In fact, the impact of social media on mental health is worrying. The sheer number of social media users has grown at an exponential rate.
Do you know ???
In 2016, an estimated 91% of internet users used social media.
This means that a huge portion of the population is also spending time on social media. As a result, it’s important to understand the impact that social media has on one’s mental health. And in this article, we’re going to look at the negative side and discuss how you can improve your mental health through self-care and positive reinforcement rather than posting negative content.
7 Negative Effects of social media on People and Users
Social media has transformed the way we communicate with and access information from one another. It has given people a platform to share their thoughts, pictures, and videos in an instant. Now, anyone with an internet connection can now reach out to an audience of millions and build a brand for themselves in just a few minutes.
This may seem like a good thing but it also comes with some serious downsides too. Today, social media is pervading our personal lives at every level. From working colleagues to friends and even family members, you’re likely to come across at least one person who uses it as part of their day-to-day activities.
The effects of social media on people are not always positive either. If you’re someone who spends a lot of time on these platforms or if you are encountering issues for yourself or others as a result of using them, then you may want to read on further to learn more about what negative effects they have on users and people in general.
1. Increased Competition and Careless behavior
Social media platforms are places where we usually compete with one another to see who can boast the most interesting life. This is leading people to post pictures that are excessively interesting and/or attractive.
It also encourages people to post pictures of themselves with various things around them such as food or objects (such as a table or lamp) that are also interesting. If others see these pictures and decide to copy them, which leads to increased competition to see who has the most interesting life.
If you come across this behavior often on social media platforms, it may be a sign that people are posting something because they want to boast about themselves rather than because they have something interesting to share.
Kaspersky Lab’s research shows that some users are too eager to share everything they have and Users are still too careless in social networks.
2.Negative Effects on Relationships and Communication
Social media is a place for communities to come together and share information, support one another, and build relationships. If you come from a family where there is no social media presence and/or you are experiencing some issues with your family, then this may be causing you to seek support online.
For example, if you are dealing with depression or anxiety, then you may turn towards social media to understand how others are coping. This can be a good thing if you are able to find people online who are experiencing the same issues as you are.
However, this will be problematic if you come across people online who are posting insensitive comments and/or who are posting things that glorify or encourage the use of these issues in others. If you come across this behavior often, it may be a sign that it is causing you to seek support online rather than in person.
3.Depression and anxiety
Social media has become a major source of information and entertainment. Many people use it as a way to relieve their stress, stay connected with friends and family, and/or learn new things. At the same time, it has also become a major source of news and information through fake articles, click bait headlines, and/or oversharing by users.
If you often come across social media that is filled with negative news articles, misleading headlines, or a lot of oversharing, then it will cause you to experience negative emotions such as depression or anxiety.
This is especially problematic for people who post things on platforms such as Instagram or Twitter that are meant for a large audience and/or that people may be commenting on or sharing. If you notice that you often experience these emotions when you come across these platforms, it is a sign that social media is causing you to experience negative thoughts and emotions.
4.Distracted driving and road accidents
Social media has become an important source of information for many people. It is used to help them navigate unfamiliar places, learn about new places, and/or stay connected with friends and family.
At the same time, it is also used as a distraction that can cause people to daydream, miss important cues and signals, and/or become distracted while driving. If you often come across social media that is often distracting you while you drive, it may be causing you to become distracted.
At the same time, this is also a sign that it is not helpful when it comes to guiding you when you are navigating in unfamiliar places. If this is the case, then you consider turning off these platforms or deleting the ones you use most often.
5.Over-exposure and digital fatigue
Social Media platforms are often designed to keep users engaged and motivated to use them. For example, many platforms offer ‘incentives’ and/or ‘rewards’ for creating posts on them, for liking or sharing content others have posted, and/or for checking-in with locations or activities.
These incentives and rewards cause people to post a lot of content on platforms and/or to spend a lot of time browsing through these platforms. This is problematic if you often come across social media that is often too engaging, too distracting, and/or too over-stimulating.
If you often experience these issues, then you need to take a break from social media and/or you need to turn off these platforms when you are not using them.
According to Techopedia, social media causes fatigue amongst the users.
6.Different types of harassment, abuse, and violence
Social media has become an important platform for bullying, harassment, and abuse. Many people use it to share offensive or inappropriate images, videos, and/or comments about other people.
These images, videos, and/or comments often shared and/or liked by many others who do not notice what is being said. If you often come across social media platforms that are filled with these kinds of images, videos, and/or comments, it may be a sign that you are experiencing harassment, abuse, or violence.
If this is the case, it will be helpful to speak to someone about these issues, take a break from social media, and/or consider blocking or reporting these offenders.
7.Narcissism and Self-Consumption
The platforms are notorious for promoting narcissistic behaviour, self-consumption, and/or self-absorption. This is often seen in the way people post pictures of themselves, the things people post about themselves, and/or in how long people spend using these platforms.
If you experience any of these, it may be a sign that you are posting a lot of pictures of yourself, enjoying the attention you are getting from using these platforms, and/or that you are using them too much.
Helping a child or teen with unhealthy social media use
If a child or teen is using social media to spend too much time, play games that are not safe for their age, or post inappropriate things about their friends’ photos, help them avoid these problems by setting Limits and boundaries.
It can be a great way to let friends and family members know you’re thinking of them and to keep in touch with them when you can’t make phone calls or see each other in person. But it can also be a way for kids and teens who don’t want to spend too much time with others online to restrict their activities.
When you find your child or teen posting things about other users they don’t like, take action right away so they won’t do it again. Here are some ways you can help a child or teen with unhealthy social media use:
- Limit the time they spend on social media. Tell them you won’t be around to answer their calls or respond to their messages until after 10 p.m. every night, even if you’re not sure why you have to turn off your phone at that time. You don’t need to set hard limits — just set regular boundaries for what your child can do and when he or she can do it.
- Set bedtimes and a alarm so your child knows what time it is for digital devices.
- Let your child know that anything they post about others, even if it’s something kind, will be seen by people they don’t like, who could be mean or distressing to them.
- Explain how posting things about others can make other people feel bad, and let your child know there are ways they can help make other people feel better without hurting other people’s feelings.
- Give your child tools and resources to help them manage their online behavior so they don’t have so much screen time in the first place.
- Consider getting a life alert device that lets family members know if your child goes online — even with his or her password turned off — and if his or her friends are online at the same time as him or her is used to be able to “see” their screen activity from where you are sleeping and making an appointment in the morning (more on this below).
- Let your child know that anything they post about others, even if it’s something kind, will be seen by people they don’t like, who could be mean or distressing to them.
- Explain how posting things about others can make other people feel bad, and let your child know there are ways they can help make other people feel better without hurting other people’s feelings.
- Give your child tools and resources to help them manage their online behavior so they don’t have so much screen time in the first place.
Cause and effect of Social Media Addiction:
Social media is already changing the way we interact with each other. It’s also changed the social media world in its own way. The use of social media has been growing at an alarming pace over the past few years.
While many people view it as a source of interaction and communication, businesses are also incorporating it into their marketing strategy. However, not all users are created equal. So before you start using it, you need to know what effect it will have on your business and your life in general.
It’s too much or too little information.
Social media platforms are not just for sharing links and pictures anymore. Users can now interact with each other in ways that were not possible before. Having a Facebook account does not give you the inside track on who to reach out to for your business. You can’t just “like” everything and everyone on there.
You’ll miss out on a lot of great information that way. Users of social media also have more information than ever before at their disposal. With the ever-increasing amount of data available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of information available. You might have even gone as far as to say that you don’t know what to do with all the data you’re receiving!
By not putting in the effort to understand your potential customers, you’re setting yourself up for failure. By not being thoughtful with the information you release to the public, you are opening yourself up to a lot of criticism. It’s one thing to make mistakes, but it’s another to be deliberately misleading.
It will ruin your personal life.
One of the most common concerns raised about social media is its effect on personal life. There are tons of articles and blog posts that discuss the dangers of social media and how it can affect your home life, sex life, and your relationships with others.
While it’s important to stay professional on social media, the stress that comes with that can cause can have a real impact on your personal life. You might feel like you’re being honest and open with your contacts, but your interactions on social media might make you feel like you’re being honest and open with your friends.
When you’re being completely honest and open with your friends, it’s likely that those friends will be impacted by that honesty. Sometimes, the best way to handle a situation is to tell you truthfully what you have to deal with. If you have a friend who is facing a difficult situation, it might be better to bring it up with them first and let them handle it themselves.
Change your focus
One best method to come out of social media is to spend more time offline than online. Spending quality time with family and friends can deviate us from social media addiction. It is important to stay away from social media during meal times and bed time.
A recent study suggests that spending more time offline instead of online leads to a better mental health. Spending quality time with family and friends can deviate us from social media addiction. It is important to stay away from social media during meal times and bed time.
It is important to stay away from social media during meal times and bed time.
Coming out of Social Media Addiction: Self-Care and Mental Health
We’re living in an increasingly digital age. With the internet and smartphones found almost everywhere, it’s easy to forget how challenging it can be to take care of ourselves when we’re not connected to social media.
Unfortunately, while taking care of our mental health requires effort, it doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, there are plenty of ways to self-care while still keeping up with your social media accounts.
Here are a few ways to think about when it’s okay to let social media affect your mental health: You are allowed to be lonely. It is normal to feel lonely at times. It is okay to withdraw from social media if you need to take a break for a while. It is also okay to find other ways to connect with others when you’re ready to share again.
You are allowed to miss social media. It is natural to miss social media. It is also okay to take a break from social media for a while if you need to focus on your health or if you’re feeling overwhelmed. You are allowed to recognize when social media is having a positive impact on your mental health and when it isn’t.
Recognizing when social media is having a positive impact can be tricky. It’s important to remember that while social media may be having a positive impact, it’s not necessary to keep sharing every piece of content you come across. You can set boundaries and maintain control over your time.
Conclusion
With so much media attention being given to social media, it’s easy to forget how harmful it can be to our mental health. Social media is basically a giant popularity contest. The more often you post, the more likes and comments you receive, the more popular you are.
It’s important to remember that while social media can be a great tool for building relationships, it can also be used to build a large amount of negative attention. When this starts to impact your mental health, it can be difficult to overcome. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to help yourself without having to miss out on the important things in life.
