Overview
The darkness was suffocating. Each day, Amy sank deeper into a sea of postnatal depression and anxiety. Simple tasks, like caring for her newborn, now brought agony rather than joy. In a moment of sheer desperation, she turned to a place she never expected – social media.
As Amy poured her heart out about paralyzing depression attacks on social media, strangers showered her with compassion. Their empathy lifted her up in her lowest moments. By sharing her feelings on social media, Amy found the support she needed to seek professional help. If you want to harness the positive power of social media for your mental health, like Amy did, please read on.
Social Media Is Now a Dominant Force in People’s Online Interaction and Engagement
According to DataReportal [1], there were 4.95 billion social media users around the world (or 61.4% of the total global population) as of October 2023. When it comes to social media usage behaviors, it is revealed that individuals spent an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes (or roughly 15% of their waking lives) on social media daily.
With regard to the world’s most used social media platforms, measured by active global user figures, Facebook came first with roughly 3,030 million users, YouTube was a distant second reporting a user figure of approximately 2,491 million, and WhatsApp came third with around 2,000 million users.
The Americans were found to spend between 30 minutes to nearly an hour per day in 2023 on popular social media platforms. TikTok was the top attention-grabber (53.8 minutes), followed by YouTube (48.7 minutes), Twitter (34.1 minutes), Instagram (33.1 minutes), Facebook (30.9 minutes), and Snapchat (30.0 minutes). [2]
These statistics highlight the widespread adoption of social media on a global scale. Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, and individuals in the US dedicate a significant amount of their time to engaging with these platforms. Social media has inarguably become a mainstream and dominant force in how people interact with each other and engage online.
Benefits of Social Media Usage on Mental Health
One of the largest benefits of social media is that they provide a virtual way for people to stay connected to their family, friends, and other social supports, even when physical distances separate them. Interactions through social platforms allow users to engage with loved ones. This helps promote emotional well-being by reducing potential feelings of loneliness or isolation from a lack of in-person interaction. [3]
Social media provide opportunities to enhance mental health by facilitating social connections and peer support through online communities. These communities offer spaces for sharing experiences around health issues, life challenges, or daily struggles. This helps decrease stigma and promote belonging and support. During the pandemic, features like friendships, rewarding talks and humor on apps eased stress for many unable to physically meet with others. [4]
Additionally, when seniors engage with digital technologies over time through activities like some social media use, it can offer cognitive benefits by providing mental exercise that promotes brain health and sharpness as we age. [5]
Potential Mental Health Threats Posed by Social Media Usage
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, our brains are naturally programmed to utilize our senses in order to establish connections with others. Through observing facial expressions, listening to tone of voice, and noting reactions during conversations, we acquire vital social cues and develop effective communication habits.
Regular engagement with others helps us achieve continuous improvement in our social and communication abilities. However, substituting face-to-face interactions with social media can have a negative effect on the ongoing process of acquiring people skills. This negative impact is particularly pronounced among young individuals, whose brains are still in the developmental stage.[1] The potential threats of social media on our mental health includes:
- Comparison and self-esteem issues: Social media fosters comparison and self-esteem problems by showcasing idealized lives, triggering feelings of inadequacy and negative body image.
- Cyberbullying and online harassment: Social media enables cyberbullying and online harassment, which severely harm mental well-being and can lead to anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
- Fear of missing out (FOMO): Social media induces FOMO by showcasing others’ highlights and experiences, causing stress, anxiety, and dissatisfaction with one’s own life.
- Feelings of isolation: Without face-to-face interaction, online interactions tend to lack personal meaning. Moreover, excessive social media usage not only reduces real-world interactions but also erodes people’s social skills and intensifies feelings of isolation.
- Depressive feelings and negative content exposure: Continuous exposure to negative or distressing content on social media can trigger or worsen depression, anxiety, and stress.
- Sleep problems: Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin production, affecting sleep regulation. Additionally, excessive social media use before bed can disrupt sleep.
Social Media Can Be Addictive, Take a Quiz to Check It Yourself
According to research studies, social media platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are deliberately designed to activate the brain’s reward system and keep users engaged as much as possible. [7] These sites provide an endless stream of “likes”, shares, comments, and other notifications that stimulate dopamine, the same neurotransmitter involved in addiction to other pleasurable but unhealthy activities, releasing in the brain.
Over time, this cycle of reward-seeking can actually rewire the brain to associate social media use with feelings of pleasure, happiness and relief from negative emotions, conditioning compulsive checks and prolonged usage despite consequences. [8] For susceptible individuals, this pattern of brain changes and behavior could qualify as social media addiction.
If you’re wondering whether you’re addicted to using social media, the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, a short survey used in psychological research, may help you answer your question. The following are six statements for your consideration:
- You spend a lot of time thinking about social media or planning how to use it.
- You feel an urge to use social media more and more.
- You use social media in order to forget about personal problems.
- You have tried to cut down on the use of social media without success.
- You become restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using social media.
- You use social media so much that it has had a negative impact on your job/studies.
Here are the scales: “1” for very rarely, “2” for rarely, “3” for sometimes, “4” for often, or “5” for very often. If you scored a “4” or “5” (i.e., “often” or “very often”) on at least 4 of those statements, it could be an indicator of social media addiction.
How to Harness the Positive Power of Social Media Use on Mental Health
To optimize social media’s benefits and minimize its negative impacts on mental health, the following expert-inspired strategies [9, 10, 11] may help you:
- Set clear goals and boundaries: Before using social media, establish goals and limits. Know why you’re using it and what you want to achieve. This keeps you focused, avoids mindless scrolling, and comparisons. Set time limits to avoid excessive screen time.
- Curate your feed: Take control of the content you consume on social media. Follow inspiring, educational, and positive accounts. Unfollow or mute accounts that cause anxiety or stress. Manage your feed for a more uplifting online experience.
- Practice digital detox: Take regular breaks from social media for better mental health. Schedule time each day or week to disconnect completely. Use this time for activities that promote well-being, like spending time with loved ones, exercising, reading, hobbies, or mindfulness.
- Engage in meaningful interactions: Prioritize quality over quantity on social media. Instead of passively scrolling, actively comment, share, and join relevant communities. Foster a sense of belonging and support for a positive social media experience.
- Be aware of emotional responses: Notice how social media affects your emotions. If certain content consistently triggers negativity or anxiety, reduce exposure. Mindfully observe your emotions before, during, and after social media use, and adjust accordingly.
Final Thoughts
The line between social media’s positive and negative impacts on mental well-being is blurry. With a little self-awareness and effort, though, each person can shape their interactions to honor both connection and care for the mind. By setting intentions, limiting screen time, and listening to one’s own responses, one can discover what works best for optimized wellness in a digitally connected world.
By thoughtfully picking goals, managing time spent, and tuned-in to personal reactions, the impacts of our digital lives on mental health become clearer. Our daily choices online are ours to make. How will you choose to engage online?
Sources:
- DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. Retrieved May 17, 2024, from DataReportal – Global Digital Insights website: https://datareportal.com/social-media-users
- U.S. daily time on social media platforms 2023 | Statista. (2023). Retrieved May 17, 2024, from Statista website: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301075/us-daily-time-spent-social-media-platforms/
- Mayo Clinic Press Editors. (2021, November 12). The pros and cons of social media on mental health – Mayo Clinic Press. Retrieved May 17, 2024, from Mayo Clinic Press website: https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/mental-health/the-pros-and-cons-of-social-media-on-mental-health/
- Ágnes Zsila, & Eric, M. (2023). Pros & cons: impacts of social media on mental health. BMC Psychology, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01243-x
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- Social Media and Mental Health | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2023). Retrieved May 17, 2024, from Nami.org website: https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults/Teens/Social-Media-and-Mental-Health
- Social Media Addiction. (2023, December 7). Retrieved May 17, 2024, from Addiction Center website: https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/
- Cherney, K. (2020, August 6). What Is Social Media Addiction? Retrieved May 17, 2024, from Healthline website: https://www.healthline.com/health/social-media-addiction#how-is-it-addicting
- Robinson, L. (2020, January 17). Social Media and Mental Health. Retrieved May 17, 2024, from HelpGuide.org website: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm
- 6 Tips to Help Take Control of Your Social Media Use and Improve Well-being. (2023). Retrieved May 17, 2024, from Psychiatry.org website: https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/tips-to-take-control-of-your-social-media-use
- Capes, J. (2022, February 8). Stop social media negatively impacting your mental health: Four simple tips! Retrieved May 17, 2024, from SANE website: https://www.sane.org/information-and-resources/the-sane-blog/wellbeing/stop-social-media-negatively-impacting-your-mental-health