Social Media & Mental Health

Many of us use social media in one way or another, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat. The media is always talking about how social media is bad for us & is damaging our self-esteem & causing us to feel depressed, even FaceBook executives have admitted that the website is driving people apart. They want to change how users interact with the social media platform & want it to be “a place for meaningful interactions with your friends and family”. There are some positive effects, if it’s used wisely & here we’ll take a look at both sides.

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POSITIVE EFFECTS

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT

Using social media to actively interact with people, such as close friends or family who live overseas, is linked to a more positive well-being. We can get in touch with old school friends who have moved away, or even make connections with new people. ‘Liking’ posts is not quite enough - we need to leave comments to get that connection & get that positive feeling.

COMMUNITIES

People with mental health issues can be greatly helped by social media through specialised communities. These groups of like-minded people can support a person through a difficult time & relate to them as they suffer from the same issues. It gives people an outlet for their personal feelings which can often be difficult to discuss face-to-face.

Communities can be for anything & you can create your own, meaning that we all have access to a wealth of knowledge, advice, & support from around the world.

EXPRESSION

Social media is the perfect place to express yourself & allows you to showcase your talents to the world! If you're a singer, dancer, writer, game developer, anything at all, you can promote yourself & find the right people who will appreciate what you can bring to the world.

You can also express your views & spread a message to your followers. If you feel strongly about something you could start a social media movement & find others who share your opinion. Amazing things can happen from just using the right hashtag & going viral. Social media gives the previously voiceless a voice.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS

SELF-ESTEEM

Social media is full of gorgeous men & women with impossibly perfect bodies & we find ourselves comparing ourselves to them. Instagram models are the worst offenders, as they look like they have the perfect life, body, & clothes. The University of Copenhagen conducted a study of over 1000 people who use Facebook - half of participants were asked to stay on Facebook after a week & the other half were told to stop. The participants who stopped using Facebook after a week said that they were more satisfied with life. We are basing our self-worth on how we’re doing relative to others, but it’s important to remember that we are usually only seeing the positive side of people’s lives. There are multiple stories of Instagram models who have confessed to how long they take to get the perfect picture & that it’s all about flattering angles & Photoshop trickery. Looking back at your own profile & seeing all of your past statuses, photos & comments has been found to boost self-esteem, whilst users who scroll through other people’s profiles tend to have lower self-worth as social media envy starts to creep in.

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS

Humans are social creatures & we need to communicate with others & make connections. Spending too much time on social media means we are spending less time with real people as we are glued to our screens. We can become obsessed with what's happening in the online world & can actually become addicted. Once we're sucked in we can start neglecting jobs that need to be done which will lead to more stress in the long-run.

CYBERBULLYING

Cyberbullying is mostly aimed at teenagers, with girls bearing most of the brunt. It can lead to depression, anxiety, & suicidal thoughts. Social media can be completely anonymous which allows bullies to post false & negative things about a certain person & recruit others to join in, & can ruin a person's reputation. Threats can be made, sometimes very serious ones which have extremely dangerous effects on a person's self-esteem.

“LIKES”

The need for “likes” can cause us to obsessively check our profiles & if we don’t get ‘enough’ then we feel less confident & depressed. In teens it is especially prevalent as they try to fit in with their peers. It can sometimes lead to teenagers altering their appearance to be more accepted, or engaging in dangerous activities for views on YouTube. Likes make us feel validated, however it is dangerous to rely so heavily on them. Keeping a positive mindset & reminding ourselves that social media isn’t always real, we can start to move away from such reliant behaviour & use social media as a platform to connect with others & lead a more positive life.

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HELPFUL TIPS

Take a step back, & go through a social media detox. It's easy to get lost in the world of images, comments & likes, but remember to appreciate your surroundings & the real people around you. Go for a walk, have a cup of tea, read a book, whatever you like to do.

Remember that we only see the good side of people’s lives. No one posts their latest spot on the end of their nose, or about when they've spent the day doing housework. Posts are usually about the exciting things people are doing, their wedding, parties, beautiful holidays etc. Looking back at someone's profile can make it seem like their life is amazing & they're really happy with no problems at all, but this is just a snapshot. Try not to think that your life is bad compared to others when you don't know what's happening behind those posts & pictures.

Become more aware of how much time you’re spending on social media & log your hours. It may surprise you how much time you spend scrolling. Logging the time will allow you to evaluate how you use your time & you can then try using the time you would normally spend on social media to do chores, or something nice for yourself. Your self-esteem will benefit from the break & you'll be getting jobs done that you may have been putting off.

Social media isn't all bad, especially if we use it more wisely. Look for communities that you can join that are about things you're in to; such as films, books, or tv shows. There are lots of communities that are like support groups for people with mental health issues, or new parents who are struggling to cope with their new arrival. You can also find local community pages where you can volunteer to help clean up your area or there might be local projects you can get involved in. Doing more than just mindlessly scrolling through posts on social media can make it a much more positive experience.

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If you are struggling with low self-esteem & feel like you would like to talk to someone to become more confident & happy, then contact me & we can discuss coaching. Face-to-face & Skype sessions are available.

Thank you for reading!