SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

Social media. The one thing that makes you wake up in the morning and immediately pick up your phone without attempting to do anything else first. Social media has become so vital that almost everyone you see staring at their phone is probably scrolling through one social media app or the other.

According to Global social media statistics, 60.6% of the world population uses social media as of July 2023. That is a whopping 4.8 billion people! Still, there might be people reading this who do not know what social media is. Don't worry, I got you. Social media are simply platforms where people connect, share content, and interact with one another online. Apps like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., are social media apps.

Now moving to another subject matter discussed in this article – Mental Health. It deals with a person’s social, psychological and social well-being. It influences how we manage stress, our behaviour towards others, and our thought process when making decisions. At every stage of your life, having a stable mental health is essential.

POSITIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

A great deal of people, and I as well will testify that social media has tremendously improved their lives. From business owners looking to promote their brand to people hoping to make new friends, social media has granted their wishes.

From personal experience as a Twitter user, I have gotten a ton of information to solve problems by merely opening the app and tweeting about it.

As a tech sis, social media has brought me in contact with mentors that continually enlighten and motivate me in my career path.

A 2018 study, “No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression”, found that the less people used social media, the less depressed and lonely they felt. But social media has also been observed to lift the spirits of depressives. The comments from people saying kind words have gone a long way in making those that are depressed think about life from a more positive perspective.

Communication. Scrolling through a social media app can get you news about events occurring in countries miles away from you. Furthermore, social media allows you to stay in contact with family and friends regardless of the distance. So many long-lasting relationships and friendships would not have been possible without social media.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

There’s a saying that ‘There is no rose without a thorn’, meaning that every good thing has potential drawbacks also. In the case of social media, this is true.

One negative effect of social media is the spreading of misinformation. So many people have personal opinions on different topics, and social media gives them freedom to share their thoughts, right or wrong.

Another big problem created by social media is cyberbullying. This is when someone uses digital platforms to harass, threaten or target another person. Cyber bullies can follow the victim wherever they go on the internet, so they are hard to avoid.

Social media has made people see themselves through not only their eyes but their viewer’s eyes and how they assess them -causing an increase in low self-esteem and depression. Social media users also compare themselves to others they see online, which makes them start developing eating disorders, body dysphoria, insecurities etc. They feel the need to alter their pictures and fake online personas to seem perfect and more appealing to their online audience.

60% of social media users feel pressured to have a high number of likes, follows, and overall engagement. They deem social media likes, likes in real life. They start to think low of themselves if they do not meet their engagement target, and eventually get depressed.

TIPS TO BALANCE SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

• Limit the time you spend on social media by using an app timer. Most phones have built-in app timers.

• Touch grass. Spend time offline with friends and family, and engage in outdoor activities.

• Disable notifications for social media apps if they constantly distract you from doing other things.

• Volunteer to be part of something to keep yourself busy and reduce your screen time.

• Get a hobby that does not require using social media like crocheting or cooking.

• Ignore any form of negativity you notice while using a social media app. If you find it hard to ignore, you can mute or block the originator of the post. Your feed will contain more positive and motivating information.