Many people are unaware of how much harm social media can have on your mental state. Often times when people post something on social media they may think that they are just sharing a moment with friends and family, but recent research may indicate that there is deeper reasoning. A study conducted in 2016 by Brigham Young University psychologists found that people who frequently post on social media may be craving validation of what they are doing or even of who they are and a lack of a positive response (likes and comments) may cause a sense of self-loathing in someone (Meredith). Receiving this validation can be just as harmful. Posting a picture and seeing likes and comments flood in causes an addiction to instant validation (Meredith). Social media also opens one up to making comparisons between other people’s lives and their own. This can be harmful because often times a person’s online posts only showcase the highlights of their life, leaving you to compare the best moments of someone else’s life to the entirety of yours (Parnell). Author, Steven Furtick, explained this well by saying “We struggle with insecurity because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” This biased comparison can have a major effect on someone’s self-esteem (Cain). Many people do not know about this side of social media, and yet it is arguably the side of social media that we need to pay the most attention to.
What did you find in your research that supported what you already knew?
Some of the information that I came across in my research only confirmed ideas that I previously had. I knew that, usually, people enjoy acknowledgment. More specifically, people find joy in having their experiences recognized by their peers. This is a major reason why social media exists in the first place. It’s a platform where anyone who wants to can show their friends and family a trip they are on, the clothes they are wearing, or even the food that they are eating. People like sharing experiences with others. Clinical Professor, Russell Bailey, summed this up well stating that “Human beings generally enjoy validation and having their experiences acknowledged by their peers.” Social media also makes it easier to reach people. This can also make it hard to disconnect from stressful situations. Short of just completely ignoring your phone, there is not much you can do to escape from the stresses brought on by everyday life (Cain). Social media also has an effect on your sleep. A study of over 5,000 high school and undergraduate students found that frequent social media use is linked to higher stress and more sleep disturbances (Cain). Some of the reasoning behind why we interact the way that we do on social media is rather self-explanatory, but it is still important that we understand why we may do some of the things that we do.
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What did you learn about your topic that you found most interesting?
My research led to me learning some very interesting information. Across America, a mental health crisis is emerging, and recent research indicates that social media use is an underlying factor (Cain). What surprised me was just how drastically social media is affecting our mental health. Brigham Young University psychologists conducted a study of over 1,500 students and concluded that participants who most frequently checked social media throughout the week had over two times the likelihood of depression (Meredith). It is strange to think that simply checking social media can double your likelihood of becoming depressed. Bailey Parnell also presented a concept that seemed strange at first but makes sense now. She stated that likes and comments were a form of “social currency.” This currency is used to denote a value to people’s lives. Thus, people begin to feel self-doubt if a particular picture that they posted did not get as many likes as they thought it would (Parnell). In addition to this, the boom in social media use in recent years has led to people socializing exclusively online. This lack of face-to-face interaction can prevent people from developing emotional resilience and character (Meredith). In other words, a lack of human interaction makes it more difficult for someone to be able to react and adapt to stressful situations that may occur in the real world. I learned a substantial amount of information through research that I previously hadn’t considered.
Who needs to hear about what you’ve learned and why?
Teenagers need to know how much social media is affecting their mental health and how they can reverse this effect. Students in grades 7-12 who spend two or more hours a day on social media experience higher depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts (Parnell). The number of teenage students in America who experience mental health issues is staggering. The University of Kentucky concluded after a study that social media use is linked to higher symptoms of depression. An interview of over 5,000 high school and undergraduate students concluded that 52.7% “felt hopeless”, 67.3% “felt lonely”, 61.9% “felt overwhelming anxiety”, and 39.1% “felt extremely depressed” (Cain). With this many teens suffering from mental health issues, any change that can be made must be done before the problem becomes any more of an issue. Suicidal thoughts are a major problem that many teens with mental health issues have to deal with and if we can reduce this issue by any means then that needs to be done. It is important that teens understand what may be causing their mental health issues so that they may begin to work toward a solution.
How can you apply the TEDx theme of being “Change Agents” to your topic?
Luckily, the negative effects that social media has on us can be prevented and minimized by making simple changes. First, we must understand that entirely quitting social media is an unrealistic expectation and social media itself is not necessarily the issue. In fact, many argue that social media does far more good than harm and there is some merit to this argument. Social media has connected us in ways that we never could have imagined twenty years ago. That being said, changes in regard to how we use social media still need to be made. When posting or sharing something online we should consider what makes us happy and what interests us before we consider what may get the best response or the most likes (Meredith). Another change we need to make is to not focus on the response too much. You shouldn’t allow the number of likes you get to determine what you post. If you truly enjoy something or find it interesting and want to share it then you shouldn’t allow a low number of likes to cause you to doubt yourself and your interests. We should also work on socializing more face-to-face. Developing experience when it comes to social interactions will almost certainly prove useful later in life. When viewed in this light, social media may seem bad or even scary but with some small changes, it can easily go back to being just a fun way for us to socialize, connect with others, and share our experiences.
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