People are gregarious animals. We require companionship to survive, and the quality of our relationships has a significant influence on our happiness and mental health. Maintaining social connections with others prolongs life, improves self-esteem, relieves stress, anxiety, and sadness, and provides joy and comfort. It also protects against loneliness. Conversely, having weak or nonexistent social ties puts your mental and emotional well-being in grave danger. Seeking a healthier balance in your online activities may be necessary if you find yourself experiencing feelings of unhappiness, dissatisfaction, frustration, or loneliness due to excessive social media use.
Social Media Advantages
Even if social media connection is not as psychologically
advantageous as in-person interaction, there are still a lot of ways it can
improve your wellbeing and help you connect.
Using social media, you can:
- Maintain communication and relationships with loved ones
throughout the world.
- Make new acquaintances and join communities; establish
connections and build a network with people who have similar goals or
interests.
- Encourage others to support worthy causes and bring
important concerns to light.
- When things are hard, ask for or offer emotional support.
- Seek out essential social connections if you belong to a
marginalized group, reside in a remote place, have little freedom, or have
social anxiety.
- Seek a way to express yourself creatively and personally.
- Find reliable sources of knowledge and education, but
proceed with caution.
Social Media Disadvantages For Mental Health
Because social media is still a relatively new technology,
not much research has been done to determine the long-term effects, positive or
negative, of using it. On the other hand, a number of studies have discovered a
compelling connection between excessive social media use and a higher risk of
suicidal ideation, self-harm, loneliness, anxiety, and depression.
Social media may promote negative experiences such as:
Feeling inadequate about your appearance or life.
Social media photographs have the power to instill
insecurities about oneself or one's appearance, even if you are aware that they
are photo shopped. In a similar vein, we're all aware that other people
typically only discuss the positive aspects of their lives—the low moments that
everyone encounters—instead of the highlights.
FOMO (fear of missing out) and Addiction To Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram tend to
intensify FOMO, even though the feeling that other people are having more fun
or have better lives than you do. FOMO has been present for far longer than
social media. Feeling as though you're missing out on something can lower your
self-esteem, cause worry, and encourage you to use social media more.
Solitude
According to a University of Pennsylvania study, excessive
use of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat makes people feel more alone rather
than less. On the other hand, the study discovered that cutting back on social
media use can actually boost your general well-being and help you feel less
alone and isolated.
Anxiety and Depression
For mental wellness to exist in humans, eye contact is
necessary. Making eye contact with someone you care about is the fastest and
most efficient way to alleviate stress and elevate your mood. The likelihood of
acquiring or worsening mood disorders like anxiety and depression increases
with the amount of time you spend interacting on social media rather than in person
relationships.
Cyber Bullying
Teens report experiencing bullying on social media in about
10% of cases, while many other users face hurtful remarks. Harmful rumors,
misinformation, and abuse may spread quickly on social media platforms like
Twitter and cause long-lasting mental damage.
Conceit
Social media can lead to unhealthy self-centeredness and a
disconnection from real-world relationships when you share endless selfies and
all of your innermost thoughts.
Signs That Social Media Is Impacting Your Mental Health
Since every person is unique, there is no set amount of time
spent on social media, frequency of updates checked, or quantity of posts made
that should be used as a warning sign that your use is getting unhealthy.
Instead, it relates to your reasons for using social media as well as how time
spent on it affects other areas of your life and your mood.
Indicators that social media may be adversely influencing
your mental health include:
Interacting with friends in real life less often than on social media
A significant portion of your offline social engagement is
now replaced by using social media. You still feel the urge to check social
media while out with friends, mostly because you think other people are
probably having more fun than you are.
making negative comparisons to other people on social media.
You have a poor opinion of yourself or your body. You might even exhibit
abnormal eating practices.
Being the target of cyber bullies
Alternatively you may be concerned that you have no influence
over what others post about you.
Being preoccupied at work or school
You experience pressure to provide personal content on a
regular basis, to receive likes and comments on your postings, and to react to
friends' posts with vigor and speed.
Not having the time to think about oneself
Social media connections take up every free moment, leaving
little to no time for introspection on your thoughts, identity, and
motivations—the things that help you develop personally.
Taking a chance in order to receive likes, shares, or favorable comments on social media
You use your phone while driving or in other risky
situations, engage in harmful pranks, publish embarrassing content, harass
others online, and so on.
Experiencing issues with sleep
Do you check your social media accounts as soon as you get
up in the morning, as late as possible, or even before? Your sleep patterns
might be disturbed by the light from phones and other electronics, which can
have a detrimental effect on your mental health.
Escalating depressive or anxious symptoms
After utilizing social media, you experience increased
anxiety, depression, or loneliness rather than improved mood and relief from
negative emotions.
Conclusion
Social media is a two-edged sword when it comes to mental
health. While it does provide valuable opportunities for communication,
connection, and self-expression, the relationship is not straight because
excessive or unhealthy use of social media has also been related to increased
rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and other mental health issues. One
needs to be more careful about how the use of social media affects his mood,
relationships, and general well-being to get to a balance that does not place
the user at risk regarding his mental health.
Please book an appointment with the best Psychologist in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and all major cities of Pakistan through InstaCare, or call our helpline at 03171777509 to find a verified doctor for your disease.
