Written by: Suprabh Acharya - 27014, Grade X
Posted on: 14 May, 2024
In today’s world, the influence of social media platforms like instagram, facebook, snapchat, etc. has changed the way of how humans interact with each other, how people communicate with their friends and family and also their mental health. Even though social media offers different benefits like communicating with your family and friends through the internet, connecting with people globally, sharing information and many more, its impact on an individual’s mental health has become a subject of concern.
Social media has changed the way of social connection and communication. It has enabled us to maintain a relationship despite being far away from each other. However, extreme use of social media can lead to feeling of loneliness, which also hampers the individual’s mental health. The carefully assembled nature of social media feeds where individuals showcase only the best moments and highlights of their lives can cause comparisons and feelings of imperfection among the users who are seeing the posts.
Similarly, social media is also a house for cyberbullying and harassment. The anonymity by social media and other online platforms may encourage individuals to engage in some behaviors that might affect others’ mental wellbeing and mental health. Cyberbullying in social media can also have harsh effects on mental health as it can lead to low self respect, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts particularly to those who are on their teenage and adolescents under the age of 18.
Likewise, the constant notifications on social media can be overwhelming which can lead to stress and can affect the ability of an individual to concentrate and focus on the task they are doing. The addictive nature of social media and other online platforms are mostly characterized by the need of validation through likes, shares and comments. This can lead to anxiety and depression as the individual is constantly thinking about why someone didn’t like or why someone didn’t comment on their post.
According to studies, social media also worsens imperfections and insecurities among teenagers. The access to photo editing tools and filters along with other online platforms promotes unrealistic beauty standards which leads individuals to develop fake perceptions of themselves and their body and overall appearance. Studies have shown that exposure to edited images can hamper self esteem and can also trigger eating disorders in some individuals.
Despite all of these problems. Social media can really be helpful if we use it with awareness and carefully. Finding groups where we can gain support or just talking with friends is more important than just scrolling through social media. It's also a good approach to find new interests for us. So, if we use social media wisely, it's not bad for our mental health.
In conclusion, the impact of social media on mental wellbeing can't be overlooked. Even though social media offers an incredible stage for online networking and openings for self expression, it also has a few disadvantages and hampers our mental well-being which causes the feelings of depression, cyberbullying on social media can cause push. So, we have to focus on our mental wellbeing and minimizing the use of social media.
