Social Media and Mental Health PDF

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Kathena DeGrassi Writing and Rhetoric 2 December 2019 Social Media and Mental Health Technology has rapidly advanced over the last two decades, and living without it seems to be an impossible task. The first iPhone was released back in 2007, this is around the same time the first social media platform was launched: MySpace. Almost thirteen years later, and technology use has significantly changed since the release of the first iPhone. The first iPhone was like a portable computer, which gave us access to the internet and many other applications, that we would eventually use almost every day. As the years went by, iPhones started improving, and social media platforms started becoming much more prevalent due to the popularity of the iPhone. Soon enough, major networking sites like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook were introduced. As more and more people obtained smartphones, more and more people downloaded social media platforms on their phones. As of today, around three billion people use social media platforms. That’s almost half of our global population. So, how does social media affect our mental health? The largest demographic of social media users are teenagers, and they are also the ones affected by it the most. It is scary to think about, but I honestly don’t know one teenager that does not check their phone first thing in the morning. MY friends do it, my siblings do it, and even I do it. This shows how attached we are to our devices. why is this the case? Technology, and more specifically social media drastically changed how we go about our lives. Teenagers are the most affected by social media platforms because we are the only generation

Tauss 2 that grew up when social media was first introduced. Nonetheless, one may argue that social media and technology is good for our mental health. This is because social media allows us to find new friends with similar interests, stay in contact with friends and family, and stay updated on the world around us. Although this argument is a logical one, I believe that the detriments of social media outweigh the benefits. Depression and anxiety rates are at an all time high in teenagers, and I believe this is social media’s doing. Social media has also made cyberbullying very popular, because it is much easier to make rude comments behind a screen instead of directly to ones face. Along with this, we only see people at their best on social media. No one wants to post stuff that ruins their reputation, therefore users will only post photos where they look the best, which creates unrealistic beauty standards that teenagers believe that they have to follow to fit in. Overall, Social media continues to threaten the mental health of teens due to cyberbullying encounters, unrealistic beauty standards, and conflicting interests. These social encounters eventually lead to depression and anxiety because users feel like they aren’t as good as others. Over 80% of teenagers use social media, and at least 70% use it once per day (Jeff). It is extremely addictive and it has this generation hooked. Most teenagers in America have a smartphone, which means that they also most likely have social media. As great as many people believe social media is, there are still many problems that are inherently wrong with it. In some ways, it creates unrealistic beauty standards. Famous celebrities like Kate Upton and Kim Kardashian have millions upon millions of followers who want nothing but to have a life like theirs and look like them. However, they post many scandalous photos that set the standard for what beauty actually is. Since the majority of people do not look like either of them, they end up

Tauss 3 being self-conscious about their own body. This point is heavily supported by research that has been done on those who have a preexisting social or eating disorder, “The results of recent research have shown that adolescents who experienced a high level of social anxiety appeared to get higher scores as depression scale. Social anxiety is the result of an intense pressure in order to achieve ideal weight, appearance or body, etc” (Mashalpourfard). Many may agree with this claim, but going on social media frequently attributes to social anxiety. Users of instagram, snapchat, and facebook are constantly barraged with pictures of other users who are constantly posting pictures of themselves under unrealistic beauty filters that make our bodies and our faces look better. When we compare ourselves to unrealistic beauty standards we will always be left disappointed with a shattered self-esteem. Social anxiety and social media are obviously very connected. Seeing what others have in contrast to what you have contributed to social anxiety, and when what others have is the norm, it makes some users feel like they are not as important or as beautiful as they actually are. Overall, we should not be comparing ourselves to others, especially not on social media. We only see users at their best on social media platforms because no one wants to post anything that would hinder their self image. Everyone wants to look and be confident with their own body, but unfortunately it is hard to remain confident with oneselves when you see a plethora of other people raise the bar to unrealistic standards. Therefore, we only see the most beautiful photos, or the most interesting things, because everyone is afraid to post anything less. Bullying has always been a problem with our youth and will always continue to be a problem with our youth. There will always be those who feel the need to put others down to feel better about themselves. However with the introduction of social media also came cyberbullying.

Tauss 4 Cyberbullying is different in many ways than actual bullying and can actually be worse in many ways. Cyberbullies rarely face any repercussions to their actions. It is much easier to say something to someone's face online versus in real life. This is because cyberbullies hide behind screens and let their words do all the talking. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow all users to comment directly under specific posts, so when users are in disagreement, it isn’t uncommon for tensions to escalate and eventually turn into full fledged cyberbullying. Statistics for cyberbullying have drastically increased within the last decade, and there is no other culprit but social media. Overall, 87% of teenagers have witnessed cyberbullying in their lifetimes, 34% of teenagers have felt like they have been cyberbullied before, and 17% said it happened within the last month (Shensa). This number is almost double what is was in 2007 which is uncoincidentally the same year the first social media platform, MySpace was introduced. Sadly, most people are bullied on the major social networking platforms, and there seems to be no set-in-stone solution to this matter. Although these platforms recognize there is a problem, they still feel no need to take action, which is baffling. It is obvious that social media does not improve our mental health, and that it in fact, makes it worse. Nonetheless, one may still argue that social media is actually beneficial to our mental health. This could be for a couple reasons. One of them being that social media is a great outlet for finding new friends. The Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology believes that it is an important facilitator for friendships in American teenagers. “Social  media plays a critical role in connecting teens to new friends, allowing teens to learn more about new friends and get to know them better. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of teens who have made a new friend online say they have met new friends on a social media platform. Two-thirds (62%) of teens say

Tauss 5 they’ve shared their social media username with a brand new friend as a way to stay in touch” (Agral). This argument is valid because it makes sense. When  I was accepted to SUNY New Paltz, I immediately went on instagram to see if there was anyone else I knew that got accepted, to see if I can form a closer bond with them before school started. I wanted to find those with similar interests, so I could try to find those I may best get along with. Social media makes it easy to find users that have similar interests as you. Along with this, one could argue that social media beneficial in our lives because it is an outlet that can help us stay close to those in our family. It is important to keep family as close to us as we possibly can, but how can we keep them close if they live hundreds of miles away? The answer: social media. “As the case often is, children grow up, go to college and start their own lives. In cases like this, it is easier for parents to keep in touch with their children through the help of social media. With the ability to video chat and share pictures and so on, families who live away from one another are able to close that distance, even if only through cyberspace” (Nair). Social media can help us stay close to family members we might not see over a long time, this is obviously something that is beneficial to our mental health. However, I firmly believe that the determinants of social media outweigh the benefits. This is because social media can bring much more harm than good. It is nice to have the ability to stay in contact with family members that are a plane trip away, just like how it’s nice to find those with similar interests. However, cyberbullying is at an all time high. Along with this, suicide, depression, and anxiety rates have drastically increased in teenagers despite growing mental health awarness campaigns. Many experts have connected these mental health issues to social media, so it would be best to sit down and ask ourselves: is social media really worth it?

Tauss 6 Teenagers may feel so compelled to have a social media platform because they don’t want to miss out on anything trending or important. Instagram and snapchat are the outlets I use to stay in touch with what is going on in basically everything. Most teenagers may feel like giving up on social media is like giving up a part of themselves, and I can guarantee that many would not be able to do it. Social media is addicting on so many levels, despite all the negative mental health issues that come from it. So why do teenagers feel so compelled to use it so frequently? An answer to this question would be that social media has become an important part of our daily lives. Many teenagers use social media for a plethora of things. From current events, to reaching out to a new friend, there is very little that we can not do on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and facebook. It is almost like a severe addiction that we can not stop. Technology and social media outlets will only continue to grow, improve, and have relevance in our lives. Almost every teenager in the United States has social media, and almost every teenager in the United States uses social media for over an hour a day. One could argue that social media is an addictive drug and they would not be wrong. Instagram, snapchat, and facebook are all platforms that make teenagers feel like they could not live without. If I were to delete all the social media platforms off my phone, I would be in a much better mental state, I would have more confidence in how I look, and I would not have to worry about getting bullied or verbally assaulted because I have a different opinion than someone else. However, on the other hand, I would be much less in touch with the world around me, lose friendships, and maybe even a part of myself. Although, I recognize the fact that I would be much healthier of a person if I didn’t have social media outlets on my phone, I can’t bring myself to delete them because of what they bring to my life. The negatives outweigh the positives for sure, but just like many

Tauss 7 other teenagers, I can not get rid of these platforms because I don’t want to feel left out. Social media makes us depressed because we might not necessarily have as great of a life as those we see on these platforms. Social media makes us anxious because we have such a desire to get a certain amount of likes on a post. Social media makes bullying much easier, because the bully is not saying these words but they are typing them. They do not think they are saying these things to a person with feelings, but a user with an opinion that is invalid in the eyes of the bully. There are many things wrong with social media and teenagers just can’t let go because it has become such a staple in our lives. In the end s ocial media will continue to threaten the mental health of teens due to cyberbullying encounters, unrealistic beauty standards, and conflicting interests. These social encounters eventually lead to depression, anxiety, and in some cases suicide because users feel like they aren’t as good as others.

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Works Cited Agrawal, AJ. “It's Not All Bad: The Social Good Of Social Media.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 18 Mar. 2016, Cain, Jeff. “It’s Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and SocialMedia.” American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education , vol. 82, no. 7, Sept. 2018, pp. 738–741. Gibbs, Jeremy J., and Eric Rice. “The Social Context of Depression Symptomatology in Sexual Minority Male Youth: Determinants of Depression in a Sample of Grindr Users.” Oct. 2017, Journal of Homosexuality , vol.63, Mashalpourfard, Marzieh. “Relationship of Social Anxiety, Body Image Perception and Depression with Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa in Youth.” Nov. 2016, Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health , vol.20, no. 2, Mar. 2018, pp. 138–147. Nair, Anisha. "Positive & Negative Effects of Social Media on Family Relationships & Marriage."

FirstCry Parenting. N.p., 06 Mar. 2019. Web.

Shensa, Ariel, et al. “Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: A Cluster Analysis.” American Journal of Health Behavior , vol. 42, no. 2, Mar. 2018, pp. 116–128.

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