Social Media and What We Know

Social media is a relatively more recent phenomena and upon further research, there appears to be many pros and cons to the use of such programs. Some of the more popular social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. One pro of social media is that it connects people who might have a harder time connecting; whether that be due to physical proximity or something more daunting such as social anxiety. People, and more specifically teens, are “hardwired for socialization, and social media makes socializing easy and immediate. Teens who struggle with social skills, social anxiety, or who don’t have easy access to face-to-face socializing with other teens might benefit from connecting with other teens through social media” (Hurley, 2019). This can in turn reduce feelings of loneliness and help them to build stronger kinships with friends online so that when they come across them offline they feel more comfortable in engaging with said friend.

 

Use of such platforms can have positive effects and be used to connect and create friendships with others, but it can also be a way to fight negativity and hate by providing an avenue to confront cyberbullying, trolls, and toxic comparisons (Hurley, 2019). For clarification purposes, trolls are persons whose goal is to attack other people strictly for the sake of making them feel bad about themselves.

 

In some cases, it is hard to decipher if social media is to blame for proposed negative side effects. Studies have shown that “Facebook and self-esteem may be related in terms of Facebook usage, causing lower self-esteem, but this may also mean that people with low self-esteem use Facebook more often. In other words, it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to conclude which variable is the cause and which is the effect” (Pantic, 2014). This can complicate the process of determining whether social media is the “cause” or rather the “facilitator” in demonstrating a person’s already present struggle with their mental health or behavioral state. However, data can be said to link a person’s frequency of viewing his or her profile, including one’s own pictures, biographical data, relationship status, friend count, etc. could “lead to either a short-term or a long-term reduction in self-esteem” (Pantic, 2014). This more clearly demonstrates that at the very least, a correlation is present.

Another positive to the modern age of socialization is the ability for the younger generations to “build on social communication and friendships taking place at school or during sports and other activities and extend it to the online world. They are not necessarily meeting new people so much as enriching their currently existing friendships. Because of this, barring teens from social media use could potentially deprive them of valuable learning experiences and limits their social lives” (Mir & Novas, 2018). These platforms are at this point a staple in American society and restricting access to these forums can have damaging effects on a person’s capacity to participate with the larger collective; causing possible feelings of social seclusion and dejection. “A study from Nottingham Trent University revealed typical addictive behavior including neglect of personal life, escapism, and mood-modifying experiences appeared to be present in some people who used social media networks excessively” (Knudson, 2017).

 

Posting in social media forums has been reported to generate feelings of satisfaction with one’s self, which can subsequently become habitual, and consequently become time consuming. “An individual may spend increasing amounts of time online to generate the same pleasurable effect as before, taking over the majority of their attention and time” (Knudson, 2017). This takes time away from other, perhaps more healthy activities that an individual could be participating in.

 

“Social media has also been found to be associated with self-image. A study found that greater Instagram use was associated with greater self-objection and concern about body image” (Mir & Novas, 2018). This is one of the more heated topics as body dysmorphia has recently hit mainstream awareness. Most people (especially women) who are active in social media would quickly be able to confirm that they are regularly inundated with posts regarding what “beautiful” women look like. These societal pressures can play an active role in distorting self-perception and formation of toxic behaviors related to poor self-esteem; including but not limited to development of eating disorders.

 

It would appear that there is much more research to be done surrounding the effects of social media involvement; and it looks to be clear that a main factor that demands much of the focus would be activity participation and time spent on the sites in question.

 

Resources:

Hurley, K. (2019, March 7). Social Media and Teens: How Does Social Media Affect Mental Health? Retrieved March 17, 2019, from https://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health

 

Pantic, I. (2014, October 01). Online social networking and mental health. Retrieved March 17, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183915/

 

Mir, E., & Novas, C. (2018, October 17). Social Media and Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Mental Health. Retrieved March 17, 2019, from http://www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-mental-health/

 

Knudson, L. (2017, September 07). How Social Media Addiction Affects Your Health and Well-Being? Retrieved March 17, 2019, from https://www.psychreg.org/social-media-addiction-health-wellbeing/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 comments

  1. Thank you Cassie for the insight! It really is a wonderful avenue to share ideas to other parts of the world– hopefully those ideas are of the positive nature rather than the negative.

    The information on whether the usage of such apps is a good thing for now is limited but I believe we are just beginning to open the can of worms that is online presence effects.

    Thanks,

    Stefani

  2. Whoops, forgot to add my references –

    References

    Yuen, E. K., Koterba, E. A., Stasio, M. J., Patrick, R. B., Gangi, C., Ash, P., Barakat, K., Greene, V., Hamilton, W., & Mansour, B. (2018, January 18). The Effects of Facebook on Mood in Emerging Adults. Psychology of Popular Media Culture. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000178

  3. Hello!

    I appreciated the comprehensive nature of your post, as you included both positive and negative factors of social media usage. I agree with you and the research presented that social media offers incredible abilities to link people near and far, of all ages and for all purposes. This ability is extremely important in terms of communication and relationships, as it provides an ease of communicating for those who may struggle with social skills, but also for growth and advancement. I also find it fascinating that we have the ability to consult people around the world in nearly all fields of study. This is an unprecedented bonus, as it allows the exchange of ideas and information despite the distance, barriers, and even language.

    In terms of the negative effects of social media, I found the points that the presented research suggested about being unable to determine whether social media or pre-existing feelings and mental health are to blame for decreased moods were interesting. In a way, I agree with this because I, too, feel as though social media is often relied upon as an outlet for someone already struggling with depression or loneliness, as it allows them to indulge in social situations from the safety and comfort of their own environment; however, I do believe there are studies that currently exist that take this thought into consideration when conducting their research.

    For example, Yuen et al. (2018) conducted research to determine whether or not Facebook usage had a larger impact upon the moods of emerging adults than did general Internet (non-social media) usage. With the possibility of pre-existing conditions deterring the reliability of their study, they considered what could be done to eliminate the risk to ensure that their results were not swayed by participants who already had a lower mood before starting the study. The researchers opted into utilizing pre- and post-experimental questionnaires to evaluate the participants’ moods both before and after conducting the study. This ensured allowed researchers to compare the participants’ moods prior to using Facebook and after using Facebook, virtually eliminating the possibility of outside factors contributing to lower moods. Ultimately, the research did support the hypothesis that Facebook usage led to significantly lower moods in emerging adults than did general Internet usage.

    I think it’s only the beginning of exploring the effects that social media has upon each of us. I think, as you briefly touched on also, there are factors or content within Facebook itself that may contribute to lowering mood more than others. I have no doubt that research will continue to further understand the connections, and I believe it’s incredibly important to explore for our mental well-beings.

    Great points and information!

    Cassie

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