Social Media in Our Society Essay Example

struggles and merely ordinary aspects of day-to-day life. In other words, users often put up a facade of how their life really is. Another way social media lowers self-esteem is individuals usually post the very best picture of themselves, where they feel the most confident, in hope for the most likes or views.

When the post receives little to none recognition, it causes the user to feel bad about themselves and less confident. Donna Wick, EdD, founder of Mind-to-Mind Parenting, says that 'for teenagers the combined weight of vulnerability, the need for validation, and a desire to compare themselves with peers forms what she describes as a perfect storm of self-doubt (Jacobson, 2016).”

An excessive amount of time spent on social media leads an individual to harmful results that start with anxiety and often leads to the development of depression. In a study conducted by the International Journal of Psychology, 'it is revealed that depression and time spent on social media sites by adolescents is positively correlated' (Bashir, 2017).

It is also found that 'social media usage also causes psycho-social problems like adjustment and self-esteem issues'(Kalpidou, 2011). Additionally, social media can instill a feeling of fear in its users. A term and abbreviation called “F.O.M.O.” is the fear of missing out. The term was used so often that as of 2017 it was added to the dictionary. F.O.M.O. is defined as 'anxiety and fear that an interesting and or exciting event may be happening currently somewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media site'( Hogan, 2015).

According to a study reported by Live Science those who suffer from F.O.M.O. “feel less competent, less autonomous and less connected

with others than people who don't worry about being left out (Florentine, 2015).” Recommendations from researchers to solve F.O.M.O. is to stop overusing social media and value more in person day to day interactions.

'Social media addiction is classified as a mental health problem that requires professional treatment' (Kuss, 2011). “Excessive use of social media was linked to relationship problems, low academic standing, and less participation in offline communities” (Brown, 2018).

Offline communities mean in-person communication. Additionally, Kuss found that those who are more vulnerable to developing a social media addiction include alcoholics, the highly extroverted, and those who use social media to compensate for fewer ties in real life.

Humans traditionally spent their evenings in darkness; whereas, now humans are surrounded by artificial lighting throughout the day and night. This artificial lighting, blue light, can interfere with the body’s production of the hormone melatonin.

Melatonin helps facilitate sleep. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops emit blue light. Blue light is said to be the worst culprit of a restless night of sleep. In other words, if an individual decides to be on or check social media, sleeping that night will be affected. A study from the University of Pittsburgh asked 1,700 18 to 30-year-olds about their social media and sleeping habits.

A link was found involving sleep disturbances and established that blue light played a pivotal role in the sleep cycle. Social media is the cause of this physiological arousal before sleep. The artificial bright lights of our devices delay circadian rhythms and affect our melatonin production.

Social networking can have such an impact on the individual that the user may develop suicidal thoughts. “Two nationally representative surveys of adolescents in grades

8 through 12 (N = 506,820) and national statistics on suicide deaths for those ages 13 to 18, adolescents’ depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates increased 15% between 2010 and 2015, due to social media” (Twenge, 2011).

Users often feel lonely while scrolling through social media sites. Seeing other people with friends and family at parties or doing fun activities. This can create a very powerful perception of isolation. Social media causes users to feel secluded and therefore bring upon thoughts of suicide.

With all the mental health issues discussed above, there must be alternatives to help deviate from those issues. A recommendation to solve this issue would be to limit the amount of time spent using social media.

This includes posting pictures and videos, checking what other people are doing, liking and commenting, and chasing more likes and followers. Additionally, if possible, take a break entirely from social media would be the most beneficial. A graph analysis from a study conducted by the University of Cairo illustrates the relationship between the number of hours the students spent daily on social media networks versus their overall grade range in school. From the graph, it shows that the less time students spent on social media, the higher the grade point average was.

Notably, this study should not just apply to students and overall GPA. Time spent off social media and focused elsewhere can include an individuals job, hobby, and friend and family time. By doing this, ex-users can embrace and value more in person real life connections and form stronger bonds to the outside world. New experiences can be made with that time spent usually looking down at a

screen.

In conclusion, it is clear that social media can do serious harm to users mental health. Serious complications such as depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, low self-esteem, addiction, and even suicidal thoughts. It also is important to note that other problems not discussed above can also occur. However, there are certain things users can do to help prevent or diminish the extent and likeliness of an issue happening.

This can be done by curbing the amount of time spent on social media and better apply that time to in-person interactions and experiences. In synopsis, and for the reasons thoroughly listed above, social media is, in fact, a powerful resource. However, it is up to the user ultimately to decide whether this tool does more harm than good to their mental health.