Does Social Media Hurt our Mental Health?

The 21st century has introduced the world to a new era, a technological era where everything can be found by the click of a button. The internet has transformed from an idea into a necessity, with over 3 billion recorded users and growing. And two-thirds of the internet users are also active on social media. It means that more than 2 billion people have used social media. The number of social media users shows that social media is very popular at the moment that almost everyone has used it.

But, have you ever consider exactly what social media is? Is it good for your mental health?

According to the Cambridge dictionary, social media is websites and computer programs that allow people to communicate and share information on the internet using a computer or mobile phone. There are many kinds of social media that exist at this time such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Whatsapp,  youtube, line, and many others.

In this increasingly modern era, almost everyone has used social media, there is no doubt that children to adults use social media in everyday life. At least almost everyone has one kind of social media accounts. Some even have accounts on every social media that is available and popular at the moment. It could be that many people will not believe it if you all say that you don’t have a social media account at all.

The rise of social media has meant that we as a global population are more connected than we have ever been in the history of time. It has definitely made it a lot easier to reach everyone in the world. Whit a click you can find out anything you want to know. However, our reliance on social media can have a detrimental effect on our mental health. The recent research conducted by the royal society for public health (RSPH) and the charity young health movement in the united kingdom, shows that social media has a bad effect on mental health such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

While social media platforms can have their benefits, using them too frequently is not good for your mental health.it can make you feel increasingly isolated and unhappy. Not only has social media been proven to cause unhappiness, but it can also lead to the development of mental health issues such as anxiety or depression when used too much or without caution. And not just it, there are so many negative impacts of social media on our mental health.

Of course, social media has a lot of advantages, but the fact that it’s taken away community is causing people to feel isolated and it’s causing people to feel depressed, anxious, and unhappy. If I was to formulate happiness it would be lower stress plus the quality of the people that you spend time with, and without community people supporting us, the second part of that formula will never exist. So start meeting new people, don’t just start meeting people in a virtual world.

Ban Oswald once said “communication must be HOT. That’s Honest, Open, and Two way” so the next time that you go out, start engaging in conversations rather than just reaching for your phone and messaging someone on WhatsApp. It’s time to appreciate life not appreciate likes. Every time you got a like on social media it’s been shown that you get hit of dopamine to your brain, which is the same chemical that’s released when you do things that you enjoy, things that make you feel good. Sex is one of them, drugs, alcohol, and now alike on social media also give you a hit of dopamine. How often do you publish something on social media and then keep refreshing and checking to see who’s liked it, who’s approved it, and who’s impressed by your beauty and your wealth, how does it make you feel when people start liking your post. A like on social media means nothing, focus on the community if you have a support network around you, you will not feel as isolated if you know that you can have a real conversation with people in real life rather than forever looking at your phone I truly believe that your happiness is going to increase. While you don’t necessarily have to quit social media for good, but if you feel like it’s beginning to bog you down, why not consider allocating social media free time slots during your daily routine? The slight change would do you a whole lot of good.

Thanks for reading!!

Share this post