The Dilemmas of a social media user

 Social media—this generation’s holy grail, the source of clickbait news, entertainment and a source of body image issues along with mental health dilemmas—is a dangerous place if not handled with care. Filled with influencers, celebrities and their faithful fan tribes, Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok are a few of the top social media sites used by teenagers and adults alike. These sites are futuristic and hypnotic from relatable content to cheap and easily accessible products. Once you get accustomed to them, detaching becomes a tedious task. 

There is one goal that all influencers on social media follow; make content so appealing that the viewers get consumed, no matter whether the content is reliable or fictitious. Itisha Nagar, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Delhi, claims that studies comparing mental health advice on social media between 2010 and 2022 revealed that the accuracy was significantly higher in 2010. One cause for this might be that some people now use mental health activism as a way to just produce content. It is a strategic plan that works so well that you wouldn’t even realise that you have fallen prey to it. 

Has this ever happened to you? You receive a dm from a friend and upon opening it you find out they have sent you a reel which talks about how to handle depression in ‘five easy steps. Your friend, with the good intention of assisting, sent you something that they thought would help you during your tough time. But little did they know that that was not a reliable source of advice, just cleverly crafted content made for targeting the consumer. Compared to professional assistance, advice given on social media is far more readily accessible because not everyone can pay the costs for professional help.  In these situations, people turn to pieces that discuss the matter in a more palatable way. And that is how the first step to consuming unreliable content begins.

As a psychology student, it is enraging to see so many psychology pages emerging on social media and giving advice on how to handle mental health issues without having a psychology degree. They word it in such a flashy way that the person reading it accepts the knowledge without thinking twice. “Quick and easy way to solve all your problems”, “Free Advice no one told you about”, and “Facts that you didn't know work!”. Clickbait headings like these lure people into believing these fictitious videos. When in reality, mental health services should only be provided by professional, licensed therapists who know how to tackle delicate issues with care.

This isn't the only place where mental health advice is being given by people without any background in mental health training. Our infamous influencers and celebrities are the backbones of social media. These people have time and again talked about mental health issues and helped spread awareness about how important it is to get help while struggling. Social media along with the use of celebrities has helped us reduce the stigma around mental illnesses. It is humane to have such obstacles in life and people should know that there are ways to handle them professionally. They provide many opportunities for discussing mental health without societal and cultural constraints. But talking about their issues and struggles and giving out advice on how to tackle mental illnesses are two different things. You won’t believe Kim Kardashian if she says that chemotherapy for cancer is unreliable. You’d go to a cancer specialist when it comes to such a serious medical illness. Then why not do the same for mental illnesses? These are just as serious as any other medical ailments. Won’t it be hilarious if you take advice from a sadhu for treating a medical condition? Well, it wouldn’t be surprising to know that there are people in our country who go to such faith healers when it comes to serious medical illnesses. When this is the condition for medical illnesses, it is obvious that people would blindly believe anyone and anything regarding mental health issues. Therefore, it is important to spread awareness amongst the easily influenced audience of today about how they shouldn’t trust everything they hear and see on these sites. When acquiring mental health assistance, people should contact a licensed professional or a clinically trained worker and not some uneducated teen dancing to songs for the sake of likes and views.

There are other downsides to consuming fake content as well. One of them is self-diagnosing. Due to the costly fares of professional mental assistance, people turn to cheap, mostly unreliable sources on the net to know more about their issues. This leads them to make conclusions about their mental health without professional assistance. To an extent, self-diagnosing isn't harmful. Social media conversations can bring to light behaviours or feelings that people didn’t know they should get help for. It may help people accept these emotions as normal and encourage them to seek medical aid. But these self-diagnosing individuals can also turn very rigid towards their self-diagnosis and it becomes difficult for the professionals to help them disabandon their original diagnosis to get them the right help. 

Both your mental health and the knowledge you take in are important so it should be done in the right way. Here are some ways in which you can determine whether the information and content you take in is true and helpful or just an algorithmic facade.

When you come across a page or a person who talks about solving mental health issues see what their qualifications are. People with the titles of ‘mental health coaches’ or ‘mental health experts’ without having proper educational backgrounds and qualifications in their bios shouldn’t be trusted. 

You can relate to celebrities talking about their experiences and struggles but don’t self-diagnose yourself with similar illnesses. It takes detailed assessments and observations for professionals to conclude when diagnosing a person. Every person has different experiences so the diagnosis is individually crafted. 

When you come across a topic on social media that captures your attention, try looking it up on the internet on web pages giving facts based on thorough research. Even while sharing news on WhatsApp, doing a 5-minute background check would go a long way. Opting for more reliable sources of knowledge than just Instagram or Facebook will not only help you stay informed but also help avoid online scams and frauds which are so prevalent in today's day and age. 

About the author

Muskaan Kalaria is a second-year student pursuing a BSc in Psychology at NMIMS SDSOS. She is passionate about creating art which is expressed in the form of painting, graphic designing and writing. Her passion for writing started as a method of expressing herself which later progressed into devotion towards scientific reading and writing. She enjoys her free time listening to music along with exploring and reading about topics that fascinate her. 

References

Rajan, S. (2022, October 16). Social media & mental health: The good with the bad. Moneycontrol. https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/health-and-fitness/social-media-mental-health-the-good-with-the-bad-9337371.html