In little more than a decade, the role of social media has gone from that of entertainment to a fully nonsegregated part of our daily life. Social media is a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through the building of virtual networks and communities. By design, social media is Internet-based and gives its users quick electronic communication of content which includes personal information, videos, and pictures. People utilise the media via a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Once you are on a website, it swiftly takes you to another trendy site with no prior warning.
Common social networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tiktok, Snapchat, Instagram and much more. Three billion people, around 40% of the world’s population, use online social media – spending an average of six hours every day sharing, liking, tweeting and updating on these platforms, according to some reports. Information is so rapidly shared online that statistics show that half a million tweets and Snapchat photos are shared every minute. This is an unbelievable amount of information for one person to consume so quickly.
Social media is very successful when it comes to the economy. It contributes to business in large amounts and that is what makes it so ‘trendy’ for the young generation. It has evolved from being a concept catered to teens to all kinds of people; a form of communication tied with many other aspects of entertainment. The reality is, it has impacted many people in a largely negative way.
People use social media to vent about everything from their employment search to politics, but the drawback to this is that our feeds often resemble an endless stream of stress. In 2015, researchers at the Pew Research Center based in Washington, DC sought to find out if social media induces more stress than it relieves. In the survey of 1,800 people, women reported being more stressed than men. Twitter was found to be a “significant contributor” because it increased their awareness of other people’s stress.
Another drawback is that families used to spend more time together but now society seems to be surrounded by artificial gadget lighting all day and night. Research has found that this can inhibit the body’s production of the hormone melatonin, which facilitates sleep. Furthermore, blue light, which is emitted by smartphone and laptop screens, is said to be the worst culprit when it comes to sleep. In other words, if you lie on the pillow at night checking Facebook and Twitter, you’re headed for restless sleep.
The Internet consumes our energy to the point that it starts to affect us mentally. Although, one can find National Geographic videos, cooking tutorials and funny posts on the Internet, it is also filled with content harming us. This is seen throughout the content that may support dysmorphia, eating disorders, depression and even promote racist or sexist ideas.
One study from the University of Pittsburgh stated that the people who spend more time on social media have more than twice the risk of having an eating disorder or body image concerns compared to their peers. The author states in the article, “through the Internet, we have created a generation of people who are fragile and suffer from or exhibit a higher rate of mental health issues.” In another study from the University of Nevada, Reno, it is shown that 20% of people who have at least one account of social media feel anxious to check it often because they fear they will “miss out”. Mental illness, from the same study, concludes to have such a strong correlation to social media that there is a separate health issue called “social media anxiety disorder”.
This shows when people have a tool within their reach to look at others and their posts in the media, they begin to compare themselves. The media makes individuals feel like they’re not enough, both physically and in capacity. Especially in this generation in which the internet has been developed, we have seen the highest depression rates against other eras.
Expanding on the topic of mental health, a majority of teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying, name calling or harassment online. At the same time, teens mostly think teachers, social media companies and politicians are failing at addressing these issues. A study looking at cyberbullying and its impact on young people’s emotional health and self-esteem stated that cyberbullying has the potential to negatively impact the victim’s confidence, academic relations and mental wellbeing. The self-reported effects of cyberbullying included school grades being lowered, and feelings of sadness, anger, fear, worry and depression. According to the study, cyberbullying could lead to self-harm and the introduction of suicidal thoughts. These findings demonstrate that cyberbullying is a serious problem, the consequences of which can be dramatic.
Cyberbullying takes place predominantly on social media platforms – whether they be games or comments on a post. The vulgar and violent verbal abuse that takes place online is much worse since people have the ability to be anonymous. Rude and impolite verbal statements are difficult to forget and leave a mark on your heart – and when this happens, individuals tend to take it personally. This strikes with their self-esteem and confidence while increasing depression and in some extreme cases, presenting suicidal thoughts. All in all, based on the reports from the varying studies, a conclusion can surely be drawn that social media has an extensive effect on one’s confidence, image and eventually mental health.
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