The Mental Health Impact of Social Media

Currently, social networking makes us closer than ever; on the other hand, it has subtle effects on the mental state of the individual. Studies have also established that overreliance on social networks such as Instagram, Facebook Facebook, and Twitter has a negative impact on anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. This often arises from the so-called ‘comparison’ where a user feels like they are a failure compared to the image superimposed on the site. Also, because many notifications bombard us hourly, users may get stressed and consumed, granting little time to the development of interpersonal relationships.

Social media can also cause what is known as FOMS (Fear of Missing out), an increase in anxiety, and the need always to update. It is established that increased screen time results in poor sleep quality which consequently impacts mental health.

In regard to these problems, the key solution is building proper relationships with social networks. The first thing should be to install more strict time barriers for using social networks and attempt to limit oneself using the services during certain hours of the day. Secondly, perhaps one can use the ‘social media break’ once in a while, or perhaps a month without browsing through any of them, and the mind refreshes itself.

If you want to become a happier person you should also try to minimize the use of social media as a source of comparison and to follow only those accounts that encourage people to be positive. Finally, live communication more often replacing online communication because the former, unlike the latter, has a positive effect on the human psyche.

Acceptance of more mindful use of what we affectionately refer to as social media may go far in promoting digital health, and by implication, augmenting the quality of our online as well as offline lives.

Thank you for reading!