Social media has become a vital part of society due to teenagers’ and adults’ widespread use of interaction sites. The advancement and widespread use of gadgets, for example, laptops, smartphones, and internet technologies, have resulted in an even more significant increase in social media use. In response to the rapid expansion of such platforms as Tik Tok, Twitter, Telegram, Reddit, and Facebook, scientists have discovered a reason for integrating the diverse scientific evidence concerning social media use and its consequences on human health and well-being. Ultimately, social media use has become the new norm; its unbridled use can affect dire repercussions such as adverse mental health issues; therefore, stringent measures should be imposed to avoid such negative consequences.
Notably, it is widely accepted that excessive use of social media generates terrible mental health outcomes, such as suicidal thoughts and depression. Moreover, it is addictive and exposes individuals to behaviors that negatively influence their psychological health, such as cyberbullying. While some teenagers drew on individual tales, most of them couched their opposing viewpoints in anecdotal or generalized terms (Durlofsky 120). Hence, it may represent the conceptual conflict that these young people encountered in recognizing the level to which they interacted with a medium. Nevertheless, it influenced their sleep and fostered dependency, framing it as ‘dangerous’ and damaging. Medical consultants are aware of social media and insomnia for some university Twitter users. (Abdalqader et al.; Prevalence of Insomnia and Its Association with Social Media Usage among University Students in Selangor; Researchers), “Damn, it’s 3 am. Insomnia”, “4:26 & I’m still
awake… #insomnia”. It means that people use social media until late at night without sleep. Furthermore, people may and do suffer from internet addiction and sleep deprivation, as many teenagers use social media throughout the day and night, with many others losing sleep.
Despite some being edited, social platforms have been manifested with photographs circulating online, which has bred competition among users. In this regard, they might make people feel anxious about their appearance or what is going on in their personal lives. Furthermore, they are all aware that other people prefer to discuss just the great moments of their life, and seldom the terrible times that everyone suffers in their lives. However, when people go through a friend’s retouched images of their sunny beach vacation or read about their exciting new promotion at work, they are likely to experience jealousy and discontent. As a result, it may subject one to a series of low self-esteem, therefore, a mental breakdown that will typically affect their life.
However, fear of missing out has manifested in such sites as Instagram and Facebook. The platforms seem to intensify emotions that others are living better lives. In this way, one is under the impression that missing out on particular things may negatively influence their self-esteem, cause worry, and encourage even more social media usage (Bashir and Bhat 128). Further, users may frequently check their phones for notifications after every minute to respond to them, even if it puts them and others in danger while driving. In addition, it prevents them from getting enough sleep at night or putting social media interaction ahead of real-world relationships.
Moreover, depression and anxiety are two conditions that might have dire consequences on individuals who use unchecked social media sites. Human beings need face-to-face interaction to maintain mental wellness. It is impossible to alleviate tension and improve their mood more quickly or successfully than by making direct eye contact with someone who cares about them. The greater the time one spends on social media rather than in-person connections, the greater the risk of acquiring or aggravating mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression.
Most people admit that seeing other people’s luxurious vacations and well-mannered children on social media makes them jealous. Studies show that social media use causes immense emotional insecurity. (Tobin, Chant, and Clay 3; Interpersonal Goals as Predictors of Facebook Use, Social Capital, and Envy.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Researchers), ”passive social network use could decrease well-being by eliciting social comparisons and envy”. This means that the unchecked use of Facebook breeds envy. The authors say that being envious may lead to a violent loop in which people want to improve their personal lives. It, moreover, the published jealousy-inducing posts in an ongoing cycle of one-upping and experiencing jealousy. The study found that envy mediates the Facebook-depression link; therefore, the site is not so depressing when enviousness is controlled. Consequently, it may be the envy that is essentially to blame for the depression-Facebook connection, which might not be the case when the activity is bridled.
A harmful component of the vicious cycle is that individuals keep returning to social media, although it does not help them feel good about themselves. Precisely, this is most likely due to what is known as a forecasting mistake: similar to taking a drug, people assume that getting a fix would make them feel better, but in reality, it will make it feel worse since inaccuracy in people’s ability to predict response to it. As research has shown, people who used social media always felt worse afterward than those who participated in other activities after using it (O’Reilly et al. 610). Furthermore, most individuals believed they would feel better, not worse, after taking the medication in question. While this is not the case, the pattern sounds remarkably similar to the practice in other types of addiction, such as drugs. Hence, it will have similar effects on the mental wellness of individuals.
Additionally, the more time one spends on social media, the less time spent on other fundamental activities, such as co-curricular activities. More than 3 billion social media users will continue to accelerate annually (Merchant and Lurie 2011). Consequently, this translates to around 48% of the current global population, where individuals spend more than 2 hours every day on social media and spend more than 2 hours on social media (Merchant and Lurie 2011). Tik Tok usage was associated with a decrease in own time pleasure and life satisfaction; the more individuals used Facebook on a given day, the more these two variables decreased. In a way that other lonely pastimes do not, Facebook conjures a sensation of social exclusion.
Consequently, Facebook is an excellent resource for meeting these demands since it enables individuals to interact instantaneously. Unlike frequent touch with supportive ‘offline’ social networks, the new data indicate that Facebook activity may negatively affect young adults; it may undermine them. There is, in fact, a connection between social media use and a sense of loneliness. The users of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, indicated that the more time they spent on these sites, the more psychologically alienated they felt. Thus, it is apparent social isolation is one of the most detrimental activities individuals can do to their mental and physical health.
Nevertheless, social media can be beneficial for mental health. In this particular, human beings are social organisms that thrive in group settings. Hence, they need the company of others to succeed in life, and the strength of their social ties has a significant influence on their mental health and overall well-being. Sharing and creating were often different means to the same end; people engage with LOLcats for their entertainment and make a meaningful connection with others (Mina 21). Importantly, it has been shown that being socially connected may reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, it increases self-worth, provides comfort and pleasure to others, avoids loneliness, and even lengthens one’s lifespan. On the same note, a lack of strong social relationships may be detrimental to mental and emotional health.
Furthermore, social media may motivate people to pursue positive lifestyle objectives, such as stopping smoking or regularly visiting the gym. In particular, the applicant reforms to others by unveiling a purpose on social networking sites and posting or sharing about it. As a result, it generates positive reinforcement from family and friends, which may lead to the establishment of new groups committed to similar efforts. But sometimes, memes help create transformative, positive change in society (Mina 12). Various research has shown that social media can be used as a discussion center (Lau 289). Therefore, it is vital to discuss a goal that enhances accountability publicly on these social media platforms, helping individuals remain focused and significantly boosting their chances of success, whether weight reduction or sobriety for recovering addicts/alcoholics.
In summary, from the research, it is apparent that social media’s adverse effects on mental well-being have overwhelmed its benefits on individuals. On the hand, social media has become inevitable as it has encroached on the better part of the universe. Therefore, it is prudent to stop demonizing the process and instead form measures. Such actions will be beneficial for teens to actively engage in creating programs that teach them how to use online networks effectively and without compromising their mental health.
Works Cited
Abdalqader, Mohammed A., et al. “Prevalence of Insomnia and Its Association with Social Media Usage among University Students in Selangor, Malaysia, 2018.” Folia Medica Indonesiana, vol. 54, no. 4, 2018, p. 289.
Bashir, Hilal, and Shabir Ahmad Bhat. “Effects of Social Media On Mental Health: A review.” International Journal of Indian Psychology, vol. 4 no. 3, 2017, pp. 125-131.
Durlofsky, Paula. Logged in and Stressed Out: How Social Media Is Affecting Your Mental Health and What You Can Do About It: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.
Lau, Wilfred W. F. “Effects of Social Media Usage and Social Media Multitasking on the Academic Performance of University Students.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 68, 2017, pp. 286–91.
Merchant, Raina M., and Nicole Lurie. “Social Media and Emergency Preparedness in Response to Novel Coronavirus.” JAMA, vol. 323, no. 20, (2020) p. 2011-2012.
Mina, An X. Memes to Movements: How the World’s Most Viral Media Is Changing Social Protest and Power. Beacon Press, [2019] ©2019.
O’Reilly, Michelle. “Social Media and Adolescent Mental Health: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Journal of Mental Health, vol. 29 no. 2, 2020, pp. 200-206.
Tobin, Stephanie J., Grace Chant, and Rhiannon Clay. “Interpersonal Goals as Predictors of Facebook Use, Social Capital, and Envy.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 23 no.4, (2020), pp. 257-263.