6.1 Social Media Negatively Impacts Psychological Well-Being
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Feb 20, 2024
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6.1 Discussion-Social Media
Identifying whether social media is affecting our mental health can be difficult. But ask yourself, do you begin or end your day by checking your social media accounts? How often do you find yourself scrolling your news feed in the middle of your day? Maybe at the office during a workday or studying for school? Then, find yourself still mindlessly scrolling an hour or two later. How about dinner with family or friends? While you're in the middle of a conversation about something not social media related, are phones and social media scrolling taking place by multiple parties? It’s become the new norm. In an article by Alecia Carroll, Psychological Effects of Social Media on Students
, she states, “Social media attacks the human brain’s mental state, triggering mood swings, the failure to think and act rationally, a loss of confidence, and a decline in overall quality of life.” (Carroll, 2023) There is a ton of research that shows the positive and negative effects that social media has on our mental health. Similar to the scientific method, it begins with a question, moves to research, an opinion is formed, we come up with our theory of the topic, follow it up with an experiment, information is then reviewed, and then acted on. Before platforms like Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram appeared in the social media world, platforms like AOL, AIM, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger were the social media platforms we used. Today, we use social media for an array of things. Communication with friends and family, updates and news across the globe, nation, and community, blogging, entertainment, shopping and sales, personal updates, online business, building new relationships, and avoidance and stress relief.
Bailey Purnell highlights the unintended consequences, and the negative and positive effects social media has on our mental health during her TED talk
Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?
She identifies for the audience the similarities between social media and substance abuse in their behavior, feelings, and impairments. “You gain more of that social currency with every like you get a shot of that feel-good chemical dopamine.” ((TEDx Talks, n.d.)) We feed that feel-good chemical whenever we like, comment, share, post, etc. Comparing social media to substance abuse may sound silly to some people, but Bailey is correct. At least for me, they are like mirrored images in their similarities despite their differences and their consequences on our mental health. Let's talk about the highlight reel and social currency, two social media stressors Purnell highlights that can impact our mental health if they go unchecked. I've been on a path of healing and self-discovery for quite some time. But, at the beginning of 2019, life came to a screeching halt. I needed to start over, start fresh, on a new path and journey, and finally, a real
opportunity to stay clean and sober. I took it. You're probably wondering what this has to do with Bailey Purnell or social media. I'm here to tell you. Social media has been a massive piece of life since it hit the market. It's become almost like a security blanket, in a way. It was a communication tool
to stay connected, build and maintain relationships, blog, find entertainment, share special moments, and escape or avoid how I felt. Things quickly escalated, and I constantly posted, liked, checked, commented, watched, compared, etc. I was on a roller coaster ride. My self-
esteem, self-worth, and value were intertwined and attached toa everything I saw logging in. I spent more time on social media as other things fell aside. Social media seemed like the lesser of evils in terms of unhealthy coping mechanisms, so I excused the behavior. I am part of the population that has preexisting mental health issues that are increased by social media.
I already suffered from Bipolar, PTSD, ADHD, and substance abuse. So, the deep, dark rabbit hole I was headed down, social media only amplified that.
After getting clean and sober and rebuilding my life, I knew I wanted something different for myself. This meant seeking self-acceptance instead of outward approval. Which meant social media needed some adjustment. I wanted positive, healthy, uplifting influences to help me move forward, not pull me backward or back down. Part of early recovery is being willing to change everything, and I could feel social media's negative pull. After six months, I shifted my focus and found and built new inspirations and people to follow that were more positive and uplifting. Female influencers were motivating and inspiring to watch and follow. As time passed and online makeup businesses blew up, I wondered if I could do what these women were doing or if it was only something rich, wealthy, famous, pretty, and lucky women do. When an old friend from high school offered me an opportunity to become an influencer, I jumped in with both feet. It meant a little extra income and a chance to work through my fear of public speaking,
build a network and support group, and use social media as a platform for recovery. Women were successfully doing this all over, so why couldn’t I right?
Let's flip back to Bailey Purnell’s talk for one second, where she talks about the highlight reel. The highlight reel includes pictures, videos, audio clips, quotes, etc. You see, no one tells you what really happens behind the scenes, especially as an influencer, how people stop showing up to support you when you go into the online sales business. No one tells you how many hours go into making your personal life “look good” because now you are in a competitive, judgmental world where everything is picked apart. They don’t tell you that those above you (
your influencer or coach
) only make a bonus if you make an income, which is why they push you so hard. No one tells you online marketing leads to added stress, anxiety, insecurity, loneliness, FOMO, and resentment. I think you get the point.
What I'm saying is this. Social media can and does have a direct effect on mental health. It can quickly and efficiently take a favorable, hopeful, uplifting situation and turn it negative if mishandled. I agree with Bailey Purnell that social media is both good and bad. But, if we’re not diligent in how we use it, the positive can outweigh the negative. I learned a lot about myself from my short time as an influencer. Feeling unsupported, constantly
comparing myself to others through a phone screen, high and low days, and plenty of days questioning myself was a test of self-care and my emotional intelligence in a different way than I am used to practicing it, which gave it a lot of value. Social media is where I share the best and brightest moments
I have today, simply for my friends and family who are both near and far and
might want an update on my life, not for any other reason. I know today that
my self-worth and self-esteem matter more than seeking other people's approval. I am
proud of who I am today, and I am not myself without all of my experiences, good and bad included. TEDx Talks. (n.d.). Is social media hurting your mental health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czg_9C7gw0o
Carroll, A. (2023). Psychological effects of social media on students. About Leaders
. https://aboutleaders.com/psychological-effects-of-social-media-on-students/
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