Undoubtedly social media can negatively affect a person’s self-perception and mental health. This is caused by comparing ourselves to unrealistic images on social media of what we believe we should look like. This can then lead to dissatisfaction with our appearance and self-perception.
How the media changes our perception?
The media can shape our attitudes about a multitude of things from what we buy, the people we admire (and those we don’t), our perceptions of political issues like immigration and health care, to social issues focused on diversity facets such as race, gender, sexual orientation, and age.
[1] A false reality is created as a result of frequently interacting with “friends ,” many of whom are obtained instantaneously. Social media also leads to unnecessary pressures and unhealthy comparisons. ... This is where social media can place an unnecessary pressure on individuals and cause psychological damage.
Social media use has also been associated with cyber bullying and cyber abuse by anonymous users online, which leads to problems of self-esteem, privacy ,etc. Most studies have shown that, social media’s violent games result in increase in violent tendencies and behaviours in children .
However, multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Social media may promote negative experiences such as: Inadequacy about your life or appearance .
FACTOR2: INCREASING DEPRESSING AND ANXIETY :- It has been found that increasing use of social media also leads to depression, anxiety, and stress in adolescents . A number of studies have found a correlation between heavy use of FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and emotional distress.
“Some people use this social media to create something that they are not,” he says, explaining that the virtual world can distract people so much from their real lives that they either forget who they are or become so involved in the reality they’ve created that they don’t want to work on their own issues.
Social media has the ability to both capture and scatter your attention . ... Not only does this lead to poorer cognitive performance, but it shrinks parts of the brain associated with maintaining attention.
In this way, social media may even benefit the developing brain , rather than stifling it. In fact, the American Institute of Economic Research (AIER) recently published a study on the connection between TikTok and human creativity.
The positive aspects of social media
Social media enables you to: Communicate and stay up to date with family and friends around the world . Find new friends and communities; network with other people who share similar interests or ambitions. Join or promote worthwhile causes; raise awareness on important issues.
Apparently, fame on social media has a considerable influence on how a person perceives their status in real life as well. The matter of fame has been proven to have an effect on people’s lives since the existence of civil society. ... By being called “social,” the media have a noticeable effect on socializing.
Too much use of social media can have adverse effects on students’ minds, and they may also be exposed to bad posture, eye strain, and physical and mental stress .
When people look online and see they’re excluded from an activity, it can affect thoughts and feelings , and can affect them physically. A 2018 British study tied social media use to decreased, disrupted, and delayed sleep, which is associated with depression, memory loss, and poor academic performance.
- cyberbullying (bullying using digital technology)
- invasion of privacy.
- identity theft.
- your child seeing offensive images and messages.
- the presence of strangers who may be there to ‘groom’ other members.
Social media is often seen as a distraction, a platform which has so much content linked to so many different connections that it quickly distracts users away from their original purpose of visiting or taking the user into a number of unfruitful channels.
