Research Paper on Social Media and Mental Health

Introduction

The use of social media is highly prevalent across all age groups. For instance, young adults aged between 18 and 24 years use Snapchat, with 71% of them visiting the platforms many times in a day (Smith and Anderson). Additionally, 71% of Americans of the same age group use Instagram while about a half of them (45%) are active Twitter users. Moreover, 94% of individuals aged 18-24 are active YouTube users while 68% of U.S. adults are active Facebook users. Social media is the primary means of communicating different aspects of people daily lives to those within their social network (Steers et al. 343). Even though social media is an efficient way of communication, excessive use has been found to result in mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and suicide.

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Social media obsession causes an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are the most common health problems in the United States. For people who have social media anxiety disorder, being away from Twitter or Facebook for some few minutes lead to severe anxiety. Social media anxiety disorder is manifested by interruption of conversation to check social media accounts; impaired professional and personal lives because of social media usage; severe nervousness when one is not able to monitor social media notifications; and use of social media more than the time one had planned (Fader). Anxiety is also manifested through overwhelming urge to share things with other users; spending more than six hours a day on social media; withdrawal symptoms; loss of interest in other activities; inability to reduce social media usage despite trying to do so; and lying to other about how much time one spends on social media (Fader).

Excessive use of social media has also been reported to lead to depression. A teenager is more likely to manifest symptoms of depression following social media obsession. Depression is linked to the pressure or the extreme need of an individual to fit in with their peer groups (Nalin). Even though peer pressure existed long before the advent of technology, social media has powerfully magnified the problem. Most of the social media users want to show off to others when posting their daily lives through social media platforms. Consequently, they only post their best moments, e.g., attending concerts and achievements. Even though everyone has adverse events happening in their lives, these events are rarely posted by social media users. Consequently, when people scroll through their friends' newsfeed or timeline, they are easily convinced that their friends are living comfortable and happy lives. This makes social media users feel they left out (Nalin).

One of the reasons why excessive use of social media is linked to depressive symptoms is because computer-mediated communication leads to a wrong impression of the personality and physical traits of other users. By comparing the characteristics of other social media users and those of self, a person may incorrectly conclude that they have inferior physical attributes, moral integrity, intelligence, educational achievement, and physical appearance compared to those of other social media users (Pantic 653). For instance, in a recent study carried out to examine the possible effect of Facebook use on students' perceptions of others' lives, revealed that Facebook use is associated with user's impression that other users have happier lives (Chou and Edge 117). Consequently, these users feel that life is unfair to them (Chou and Edge 117). The wrong perception that others are happier and more successful leads to depression. The most susceptible group of social media users are those who already manifest depressive predispositions (Pantic 653).

Another negative impact of social media obsession on mental health is that it impairs users' self-esteem. The term self-esteem refers to how an individual evaluates himself or herself-the extent to which one likes, approves, values, and prizes oneself. Self-esteem is a critical element of the development and maintenance of good mental health and overall quality of life. In a recent study carried out to examine the impact of social media on self-esteem, it was established that about 88 percent of social media users used the platform to make social comparisons (Jan et al. 336). Out of the 88 percent, 98 percent of them make upward social comparisons. It has been found on that upward social comparisons decreases self-esteem because they make people feel inferior and to evaluate themselves negatively.

Another possible reason why excessive use of social media leads to impaired self-esteem is that social media platforms promote narcissistic behavior (Pantic 653). Also, it has been established that many Facebook users suffer from what is known as "Facebook envy", with those who do not regularly use the social media platform reporting higher life satisfaction than their counterparts who frequently use the popular site (Barr). When people derive their sense of worth on the basis of those of other individuals, they place their happiness in a variable they have no control. This is detrimental to their self-esteem.

Another devastating impact of excessive use of social media on mental health is that it increases the risk of suicide. Evidence shows that social media and the Internet in general influence suicide-related behavior. Multiple regression analysis has revealed that the prevalence of Internet is independently linked to the general population suicide rates. There are several ways through which social media use is associated with pro-suicide behavior. One of these ways is cyberbullying and cyber harassment. Cyberbullying refers to intentional and repeated threats, humiliations, and harassment to children or adolescents carried out through social media platforms and other Internet platforms. When the same actions involve adults, the term cyber harassment is used. Cyberbullying has been reported to be directly and indirectly linked to suicide (Luxton et al. 196).

Children who are victims of cyberbullying have been found to have a two-fold higher risk of attempting suicide than those who are not cyberbullied (Hinduja and Patchin 206-21). Additionally, cyberbullying offenders are 1.5 times more likely to have attempted suicide than non-offenders and victims of cyberbullying (Hinduja and Patchin 206-21). Even though cyberbullying is not the only factor associated with suicide, it can elevate the risk of suicide by increasing feelings of isolation, hopelessness, and instability for individuals who already have emotional, environmental, and psychological stressors (Hinduja and Patchin, 'High-Tech Cruelty').

Social media platforms have also been found to pose a risk for susceptible groups because of their ability to influence decisions to die by suicide. Specifically, interactions taking place through chat rooms and discussion forums may lead to peer pressure to die by suicide. Additionally, the same discussions may encourage social media users to idolize those who have ended their lives via suicide or those who have facilitated suicide pacts. Through interactions and discussions via social media, a reduction in doubts or fears of individuals who are ambivalent about suicide has been reported. There is also a new trend where individuals use social media to leave suicide notes (Ruder et al.). These notes are then shared with the public and may influence the decisions of other susceptible social media users who encounter them (Ruder et al.).

Another devastating impact of social media obsession is that it has been linked to eating disorders. For instance, a study conducted to examine the time spent on Instagram and body image revealed that a 30-minute use of Instagram make women to be excessively fixated with weight and appearance. Additionally, the use of Instagram was found to lead to body dissatisfaction. This occurs when Instagram users see idealized images of celebrities. That is, continually scrolling through perfect photos of celebrities and friend leave social media users feeling negative about themselves (Sandquist).

Body dissatisfaction has been associated with increased severity of eating disorders. For someone with an eating disorder, there is a tendency to compare with those perceived to be thinner or have the ideal body. According to Sidani et al. (6), there is a strong and consistent relationship between social media use and eating concerns in adults aged 19 to 32 years. Individuals with high social media usage have higher odds of having eating fears than those with lower social media usage. The combination of visual media and propagation of stereotypes carried out by social media users is also associated with elevated risk of eating concerns (Sidani et al. 2). For instance, a study conducted to examine the influence of Facebook on eating disorders revealed that maladaptive use of Facebook platforms, such as comparing one's self to others is linked with eating disorders and body dissatisfaction among college women (Fardouly and Vartanian, 82). However, studies have also established that even non-maladaptive use of the same social media platform is also linked to disordered eating and body dissatisfaction (Tiggemann and Slater 630).

Conclusion

In conclusion, excessive use of social media has detrimental health impacts on its users. Adverse effects of social media addiction are manifested in many ways. It can be displayed through anxiety disorders, depression, impaired self-esteem, increased risk of suicide, and eating disorders. Because of this, social media users should strive to limit their use of social media. This will help reduce the prevalence of mental health problems linked to social media.

Works Cited

Barr, Sabrina. 'Six Ways Social Media Negatively Affects Your Mental Health without You Even Knowing'. The Independent, 16 Apr. 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/social-media-mental-health-negative-effects-depression-anxiety-addiction-memory-a8307196.html.

Chou, Hui-Tzu Grace, and Nicholas Edge. '"They Are Happier and Having Better Lives than I Am": The Impact of Using Facebook on Perceptions of Others' Lives'. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, vol. 15, no. 2, Feb. 2012, pp. 117-21. PubMed, doi:10.1089/cyber.2011.0324.

Fader, Sarah. Social Media Obsession and Anxiety. https://adaa.org/social-media-obsession. Accessed 25 Nov. 2018.

Fardouly, Jasmine, and Lenny R. Vartanian. 'Negative Comparisons about One's Appearance Mediate the Relationship between Facebook Usage and Body Image Concerns'. Body Image, vol. 12, Jan. 2015, pp. 82-88. Crossref, doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.10.004.

Hinduja, Sameer, and Justin W. Patchin. "High-tech cruelty." Educational Leadership 68.5 (2011): 48-52.

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Jan, Muqaddas, et al. 'Impact of Social Media on Self-Esteem'. European Scientific Journal, vol. 13, no. 23, Aug. 2017. Crossref, doi:10.19044/esj.2017.v13n23p329.

Luxton, David D., et al. 'Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective'. American Journal of Public Health, vol. 102, no. S2, May 2012, pp. S195-200. Crossref, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300608.

Nalin, Jeff. Social Media and Teen Depression: The Two Go Hand-In-Hand. https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/social-media-and-teen-depression-two-go-hand. Accessed 25 Nov. 2018.

Pantic, Igor. 'Online Social Networking and Mental Health'. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 17, no. 10, Oct. 2014, pp. 652-57. Crossref, doi:10.1089/cyber.2014.0070.

Ruder, Thomas D., et al. 'Suicide Announcement on Facebook'. Crisis, vol. 32, no. 5, Sept. 2011, pp. 280-82. Crossref, doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000086....