Victoria Week 3: Does Social Media Affect Our Mental Health?

    I often find myself spending excessive time on social media. Whether it's looking at Instagram posts, scrolling through TikTok, or socializing on Snapchat, it's obvious that it's about time to put my phone down and do something productive. This led me to question if social media affects our mental health as much as it takes away from our participation in other activities that don't include a phone. 

Posting a picture on Instagram and/or another platform of social media often has another side to it. Aside from viewing the positive comments and receiving a confidence-boost, people also tend to dwell on unnecessary worries regarding their post. Perhaps stressing about if someone else got more likes than you, a certain someone didn't like your post, or if a certain someone did. Suddenly validation on the internet serves as a replacement for simply trying to post a picture of what you're doing. This isn't the only time when social media posts come into play. Consider a group of people you know are spending time with each other and they choose to share what they're doing on social media with a single post or story. FOMO (fear of missing out) could be a concern as you are anxious that you might miss out on jokes, fun times, or new memories. Often missing experiences can potentially create anxiety and low self-esteem, and seeing posts on social media about it almost always make it worse. 

Furthermore, t’s very easy to compare ourselves to people we see on social media. Daily, altered images of influencers that are being posted are very degrading for young viewers. With that being said, these posts portray individuals in a way that is not their authentic self. With the push of social media, our society has created this “perfect” body which sets an unrealistic standard that is impossible to achieve for teenagers. According to a study by Florida House Experience Health, “87% of women and 65% of men compare themselves to others on social media” (The Daily Illini, 21 Feb. 2022). 

Immoderately spending time on social media isolates us from the outside world. Often, we get lost in our phones while scrolling through or socializing on any platform. Without realizing it, the time wasted on our phones could be used spending time with family, friends, or doing some productive activities. Isolation can have a negative effect on our mental health and overall wellbeing while being distanced from real-life connections. 

Completely cutting out social media from our lives is not necessary, though. In moderation, social media can benefit us in many ways. For example, we can strengthen our relationships and reconnect with others as we expand our methods of communication using social platforms. Also, we learn a lot from social media, whether it’s about what’s going on in the world, or even 5-minute-DIY tips. It is just essential to remind ourselves to control our use of social media and make sure we recognize the life we have outside of our phones.

 What do you think about social media’s impact on our mental health?