Technological advancements and the internet are like two big giants taking over the world, as almost one-third of the world’s population is on Social media nowadays. These platforms that are used by each one of us to stay connected with others all the time, educate ourselves, and stay updated with the latest happening have many adverse effects that are not generally talked about.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok are the social media platforms on which millions of people spend hours and hours of their days regularly. You must have heard Excess of everything is bad, and social media is no exception in this case. The most adverse effect of Social media is on our mental health.
So without further ado, let’s jump into the article and learn about the negative effects of Social media on mental health. Why wait, then? Let’s begin!
In This Article
Mental Health and Social Media
Mental health is a state of cognitive and emotional well-being where a person understands themselves and know their abilities as a person. A person’s mental health is considered in the right state when the person can comprehend their skills and use them to solve day-to-day challenges. A person with a healthy mind functions effectively and can make the most out of everything. Such can people make a substantial impact on their lives and those of others.
Mental health experts pointing out the adverse effects of using online interaction platforms recommend moderating the use of these apps for an improved emotional and mental state. These experts recommend not using phones the first thing in the morning after waking up as it provides you with unearned dopamine, which can make you feel lazy for the whole day.
Other recommendations are not to use the phone 2hr before your sleeping hours for a better quality of sleep. What they recommend is to read some good books before sleep, learn some new skill, or do something that you love to do instead of spending hours and hours scrolling the screen of your phone.
So the point here is to limit the use of social media, not totally abandon the use of it, as there is a difference between recklessly using something and using it in a disciplined manner. And do you know you can be online and productive at the same time? It would be more appropriate if I said you could use the internet as an extra revenue stream. How? Well, you can perform micro jobs or take a survey and start earning today. Do you know there is no better mental health driver than feeling useful?
Makes One Feel Inadequate
Knowing the fact that things on social media are not real but an amalgamation of filters and a lot of editing, still, every time when you see a perfect picture posted by some other person, you feel insecure and inadequate, even if it is for a fraction of a minute. When compare ourselves with other people who look perfect on the screen triggers feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, depression, and even eating disorders.
Causes or Exacerbates Anxiety
Social media can cause and even exacerbates anxiety. It equips us with the update on each and everything the time it happens and causes stress and even anxiety. Some people use social media in Excess to avoid feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety, but what they don’t know is this is making them more anxious than ever. This was done to feel connected to someone all the time so that they could avoid feeling lonely, and its effect can be detrimental.
According to multiple studies, the more a person values social media engagement over in-person connections, the more that person is aggravating the existing mental health conditions.
Heightens the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
Fear of missing out is another direct consequence of taking social media too seriously. But what you need to understand is these things are not larger than life, and life has more to it than just following the latest trends or posting the perfect picture of your very happening life. Understand the difference between actually living a better life and pretending to live one.
When you compare yourself with people on social media, you take a step toward lower self-esteem. Every time when you follow a trend just because you don’t want to feel you are missing out on things, you are feeding your FOMOs even more. And this clearly shows how social media has a huge hand in encouraging the feeling of missing out among people.
Drives Cyberbullying
Another thing that can cause mental health issues is the cyberbullying that is so prevalent these days. The anonymity and coverage social media offers encourage all sorts of bullies to exploit the platform and keep doing what they are here for. As their identities are anonymous, no one can actually be questioned in most cases.
In social media, where people share all kinds of stuff, from present status to personal information, being the target of a bully or being personally attacked has become so common. And what you feel during those days, the lingering fear, and emotional scars, directly affect the quality of your life.
Conclusion
With this, I come to the end of this blog, and I hope you now know about the negative effects of Social media on your mental health. Therefore acknowledging and accepting the fact that you are spending an unhealthy amount of time on social media is really necessary. Only then can you stop this habit from taking a toll on your mental health.
If you are spending time on social media just to feel less lonely or to make others feel bad, or to avoid face-to-face interactions, then you need to think about what good it is doing to you. Also, if social media is stopping you from doing things that are important, like working or going to school, in the case of teenagers, then it is time to stop scrolling and think about it seriously. Things should always be balanced, and finding the right balance is not that hard; all it takes is will and self-discipline.
