The Digital Dilemma: How Social Media Affects Mental Health

• How Social Media Affects Mental Health? Though the purpose of social media is to connect people, around 63% have been reported as feeling lonely. 63% of parents believe that socializing platforms are harmful to their children’s mental health, according to proven reports. 40% of users feel depressed or anxious after using it. 

• While we were looking at statistics, all we could see was the negative impact of social media on human mental health. But the question arises: does it only have a bad influence or does it have any positive ones on our brains? Read this blog to uncover answers to these important questions and find out how social media affects mental health! 

Here’s How Social Media Affects Mental Health 

1. Can Be Very Addictive

• Who said only drugs, alcohol, or porn are addictive? Individuals who believe this is a thing should scroll through TikTok or Instagram reels for a few days and notice the change in themselves. They wouldn’t resist stopping watching those 60-second entertaining clips and becoming addicted to them. 

• It has always the same result on the brain as when one is using Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, or any other social media application that is on the market today. Since you don’t know what content will appear until you open the app, the spontaneous results feel like dopamine. It releases the same chemical in our brains that is linked to other pleasurable activities, such as food and sex 

• Around 60% of people feel like taking a break from these socializing applications but are unable to do so due to their addiction. This addiction prevents them from focusing on their responsibilities and goals, becoming a hurdle to success. 

2. Seeking Validation

• Most social media users post their pictures or videos, hoping to receive likes and comments on them. When they don’t get the feedback they desire or expect, they instantly feel disappointed and invalidated. On the other hand, validation from others may make them feel happy and accomplished. They are constantly seeking validation from outside sources online, which is detrimental to their mental health. 

• The famous author Grant Moore states that the number of likes or comments should never be the meter used to measure your self-worth. You should only have this power to determine how valuable you are, not others connected with you online. 

3. An Urge to Constantly Compare Yourself

• Social media users also constantly look at the happy moments and victories shared online by others. Somewhere, they compare themselves with others, not realizing the hard work and failures those accomplished individuals faced. For instance, a student, Jack, may look at another pupil’s post about her receiving a gold medal at the master’s level. 

• Jack may compare himself to her and feel unaccomplished. Or he may consider her privileged without realizing how many all-nighters she would have done to excel in her academics. Unfortunately, individuals usually share their good and cherished moments online, not when they’re at rock bottom. Influencers or common people rarely open up about their terrible and heartbreaking events. 

• While going through social platforms, you’ll mostly see glamour and unrealistic standards. It is important to understand that everyone is unique, and we all have different paths to follow. Our struggles and timelines are distinctive, and so are our achievements. Therefore, we should never compare ourselves to others we come across through socializing applications.  

4. Reduces the Ability To Focus And Stay Consistent

•  The global statistics reveal that the typical social media user visits around 6–7 platforms each month. They also spend an average of 2 hours and 20 minutes socializing or scrolling on socializing applications per day. This means that they are logged into various social applications, and some even have multiple accounts on the same platform. 

• There is a constant bombardment of notifications on their phones or other gadgets wherever they access socializing platforms. They pop up on the screens, or their ‘Twing’ sound may distract the user from whatever they’re focused on. It doesn’t always have to be important work or academic tasks. Sometimes, it may take their focus away from entertainment, such as while watching movies with family or friends. 

• The urge to take your phone into hand and check notifications is real, but it can stop you from being in the moment. The person spending time with you may not like it, and it may lead to relationship problems. 

5. Develops Empathy and Better Mental Well-Being

• Though social media has many negative effects on mental health, it is also a medium to make someone feel mentally better. Users showing empathy to someone struggling with psychological issues, such as depression or anxiety, help them overcome them. Individuals demonstrating their ability to understand and validate struggling people’s experiences reduce the feeling of being lonely. As a result, they all feel less isolated and more supported. 

• Showing support to one another on social media platforms helps each other overcome mental health challenges. Raising awareness related to psychological issues or other global concerns develops empathy and helps in regulating emotions. For instance, users sharing unapologetic thoughts on North American political and social issues train their brains to professionally address challenges. 

6. Bringing loved ones closer or taking them away?

• There is a growing debate taking place online on whether social media is bringing loved ones closer or taking them away. What do you think? Both perspectives are true, and it depends on how every user uses socializing platforms. 

• Individuals share updates on what is happening in their respective lives via photos, clips, and text. They also actively check up on each other despite the distance and time zone differences. Families and friends living far away can feel connected by watching movies and series together through Zoom or Netflix. It develops a sense of closeness and improves their overall mental health. 

• Social media, on the other hand, takes users away from their loved ones and is increasingly becoming the cause of divorce. Thanks to dating apps, such as Tinder, Bumble, and OkCupid, users were fading the worth of their partners, and as a result, breakups happen due to petty issues. The influence of social media on mental health: a question that has become increasingly relevant in the growing digital era.

• It increases anxiety and depression, specifically among young adults and teens. Its addictive nature activates the human brain’s reward center by releasing a pleasure chemical, dopamine.

How does social media cause anxiety?

• The constant flow of updates, notifications, and curated content may ignite a feeling of pressure and inadequacy. Users may compare their lives with the idealized posts uploaded by others, especially professional content creators. It may lead them to a sense of inferiority, making them feel left out. 

How is social media so addictive?

• Most applications, such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, are designed to receive positive feedback from other users. Whether likes, comments, or shares received from friends or followers cause the brain to release dopamine, this chemical instantly makes those users feel accomplished and immense pleasure, making them addicted to social media. 

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Final Verdict:

•  These were the six essential impacts of social media on the mental health of men, especially young people. As it has been revealed, it influences adverse psychological health and relevant disorders, including depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. They also cause a loss of self-esteem, confidence, and even loneliness since people are advised to be alone to build themselves up.

•  While looking at the bright side, social platforms also have a positive influence on the psychological well-being of people. It brings people closer to each other, encourages positivity, and allows them to show support for different causes. At the end of the day, it depends on the user how social media impacts them mentally, whether positively or negatively.