Uses and Trends
Without a doubt, the majority of the population within this world has become influenced by social media and has been impacted by such, in the concept of “personal branding”. Through a variety of networks and platforms in which social media has allowed us to create, we are able to present ourselves to the public by publishing what we believe makes us be “us”; personality traits, likes, dislikes, hobbies, favorite shows and movies, favorite brands, our favorite color(s) and etc. Through the outlets of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, and other social media platforms, it has become easy for users to share and post all sorts of new information and ideas.
Disruptive Impact
However, all of this contributes to our own mental health and the issues regarding our mental wellbeing. With the posts, messages, images, and video we see on social media, we succumb to the concepts of constantly comparing ourselves with how the rest of society is. In one article by Time Magazine, it states “Instagram is the worst social media network for mental health and wellbeing, according to a recent survey of almost 1,500 teens and young adults. While the photo-based platform got points for self-expression and self-identity, it was also associated with high levels of anxiety, depression, bullying and FOMO, or the “fear of missing out.” The statement and survey supports the cause and effect regarding the consistent comparisons in which individuals base off other individuals. Majority of social media users only post the positive aspects of their lives in order to convince their audience of the picture perfect life they indulge in. As in one study presented by Ellie Zolfagharifard for Daily Mail, “two-thirds of people on social media post images to their profiles to make their lives seem more adventurous. And more than three quarters of those asked said they judged their peers based on what they saw on their Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook profiles.” In another study presented by Lindsay Dodgson on Business Insider, the fear of missing out or “FOMO” is equivalent in both hearing it from a friend and seeing events posted up on social media. However, it is much more likely to see events posted up on a person’s social media rather than hearing about the event from the person. As social media users are constantly screened into all the positive postings, there’s no doubt that the individuals would feel as if they are isolated from a good or better life and wish they could have been in the same, if not better, living conditions as the adventurous social media images.
Our interactions become different from those that take place online and those that take place in real life. The interactions that happen online may cause cases of anxiety, jealousy, and conflicts. However, the way we use social media to communicate does not necessarily increase negative feelings as if managed properly, it may prove to have greater results in intimacy and support.
Predictions
As technologies grow and social media users increase, more and more individuals have the possibility to being subjected to the effects caused by constant exposure of social media. Despite the influences of social media, there are algorithms being developed in order to diagnose or alert an individual who may be at risk. In a Big Think article, a supervised and learning Twitter algorithm has been made to see if changes in a person’s language predicted clinical depression. Words such as “death, no, and never” would be used more frequently while words such as “happy, beach, and photo” would appear less. With a current rise in depression and anxiety through the contributions of social media, predictive tools and algorithms can be of benefit to help identify mental issues earlier.
Social Media And Mental Health 