Is Social Media a Labyrinth of Mental Health issues with No Way Out?

 

How often do we come across posts on social media that set-off a feeling in us, a weird sense of loneliness that we didn’t even know existed? That is the power social media holds over us. A major, if not the only, source of communication for most people is via social media and it has reached an extent to which people cannot differentiate between it and real life. A lot of the youth derive a good chunk of their self-worth and self-esteem from social media numbers. A person might feel like they have to document everything they do, to feel validated by an audience. They might not even do something because they enjoy it, but only so that they can match the standard of life that everyone lives online. In relation to this, the audience that watches these online documentations of exceptional lifestyles would imagine their lives to be extraordinary and far from reality. This eventually would lead them to often feel an unspoken pressure to keep up with the swiftly changing trends of unrealistic depictions. The prevalence of, and the failure to meet these societal expectations leads to a vast population feeling inadequate and lesser than. 

But the process is seldom so simple and straightforward. A personality trait known as Social Comparison Orientation (SCO) is found to make certain individuals, in possession of it, prone to comparing their social standings to others’. Even if these people try to keep up with the standard, they eventually fall down the rabbit hole, that is, comparison. It comes in different forms like checking the comments on their friends’ posts or even the number of events their friends attended. Through this comparison, they convince themselves that whatever they’ve done is still insufficient. Even when this encountered information about their friends’ social media life is not an accurate portrayal of their real life connectedness, people of high SCO develop a poor perception of self. This leads to high social disengagement and increased loneliness. On the flip side, it has also been found that people who frequently broadcast or present their lives on social media could be possibly seeking attention or support through these indirect communications. Failure to recognize these cues on the followers’ part leaves the broadcaster feeling isolated and unsupported as well. Hence, social media appearances have been linked to increased loneliness in both, the broadcaster and the audience. 

This was just an example of an action that was unintentional, but one which still takes a hit on people’s mental states. However, this is not where the effect of social media on our mental well-being ends. An example of targeted advertising to draw out emotional responses from people is how news channels regulate news on social media. News channels often try to sell their ‘boring’ stories by packaging them as ‘sensational’ to reach a larger population. But, the problem that arises with these ‘sensational’ stories is that they have an ability to provoke the public through their emotions. It was found through a study that ‘sensational’ news majorly consisted of news that was criminal in nature, which increased ‘emotionality’ among the masses. Both verbal and non-verbal content like the sounds, pictures and other media used can be utilised to achieve this response. Human brains are hard-wired to anticipate danger, which is why we are constantly on the lookout for more negative news as it tricks us into a sense of preparedness for adverse situations. But this pattern of feeling fear, sadness and anger triggered by negative headlines can lead to ‘frequent monitoring’ which would lead to conflicted mood and increased anxiousness.

In addition, on a platform such as social media where information is free of cost and accessible at all times, coming across negative news on a daily basis is not very uncommon. This ‘sensational’ news containing graphic sounds and pictures is very often propagated to gain more coverage by releasing it without essential trigger-warnings. This greatly distresses the viewer as they may not have anticipated the content of the story and come across something unpleasant which can cause them to exhibit some symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), due to possibly having had a similar or related past experience as shown in the post. This is where trigger-warnings, or a wider term such as content warnings, can be implemented. These warnings provide the reader with the crucial mentions of certain topics in the piece so that they can ultimately decide whether to go ahead with viewing the piece or not. They can also be vital in increasing inclusivity to encourage engagement from a population of people that would have otherwise avoided the material due to their past experiences.

Studies have shown that intensive use of any social networking sites can cause addiction to them and even depression, among several mental issues.  Of course, some of us may recognise these signs and quit social media altogether, but after all that has been said about the detrimental effects of social media on our mental health, why does the vast majority continue to use it? That is possibly due to the aspect of social media that is concerned with keeping in touch with people and having a wide network via texting and video-calling. No one can deny that a social media presence can make us feel seen or heard at times, and that the validation gained through it is unquestionably a great feeling. That is perhaps why we cannot break free from this cycle. 

So, the more doable thing would be to make these platforms a safer space. To make sure our actions and/or words do not cause uneasiness to others. To establish that we do not need to conform to one certain way, and that social media absolutely does not represent or substitute real life connections and experiences. And most importantly, it is imperative to understand and not do or publish things solely for personal gains, and disregard the well-being of people on the receiving end. There are way too many factors that contribute to mental issues as it is, so the least we could try to do is to not make social media one of them.  

About the Author:

Tanveer Saini

Member of PsyCreative Column

Psychology Committee, SDSOS, NMIMS

Tanveer is currently a first-year student studying BSc Applied Psychology. She considers herself to be introverted but loves filling awkward silences. She can be weirdly insightful about things you would imagine her last to be. She likes preserving her energy and derives most of it through activities like reading, journaling and swimming. She is extremely reliable and trustworthy, and is a better friend than she thinks she is. Oh, and she absolutely adores dogs.