Social Media's Negative Effects on Mental Health and Well-Being

Introduction

Nowadays, almost everyone with regular internet access has a social media account. Sites like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter are enormously popular around the world, allowing people to sign up for accounts they can use to socialize with friends and acquaintances online. When social media first emerged, many people praised these platforms for reconnecting long-lost friends and enabling individuals to share their lives with others. However, despite these well-known benefits, it is now becoming clear that frequent social media use can affect a user's mental health and overall well-being. A number of studies have already shown a direct relationship between frequent social media use and depression and low mood (Berry et al., 559). This paper investigates the possible negative effects of frequent social media use, exploring multiple works and studies to demonstrate that such use can affect life satisfaction, happiness, well-being, and self-esteem.

Social Media and Self-Esteem

A publication by Thomas Goldhar revealed that frequent social media use results in decreased social skills, narcissism, depression, anxiety, envy, and loneliness. For young people raised in the age of the internet, the effect of frequent social media use on self-esteem is particularly pronounced. Goldhar argues that users become excited whenever someone likes, comments on, or otherwise engages with the content they post, and that this excitement can quickly become addictive. Over time, users grow heavily influenced by the comments they receive and begin to see themselves through the eyes of those who engage with them online. If they receive likes or other forms of positive engagement, they take it as validation and feel very good about themselves. If they do not receive sufficient positive feedback, they also take that as truth and feel very bad about themselves. In short, Goldhar's publication reveals that frequent social media users are increasingly placing more value in the opinions of online others than in their own self-assessment (Goldhar).

Most popular social media platforms — such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter — are designed to enable people to share highlights of their lives. Users share their thoughts on topical issues, selfies, expressions of affection, photographs from unique locations, and vacation images (Goldhar). Although it may appear as though most people share everything on social media, this is rarely the case. In most instances, people share only positive information about themselves. As a result, while many users assume that their friends and acquaintances are living enviable lives, this impression is often inaccurate, since most people do not post about their hardships. The assumption that others are doing better is frequently one of the leading causes of low mood or depression among social media users.

A survey found that approximately 60 percent of social media users reported their self-esteem had been negatively affected by their frequent use of these platforms. Approximately 80 percent believed it is easy to be deceived via social media, while 50 percent admitted that social media had negatively affected their relationships (Goldhar). These figures indicate that people genuinely are harmed by social media and that frequent use can lead to mental health issues affecting overall well-being. Quite a number of users have reported needing to take time away from social media because the negative effects became overwhelming (Goldhar). One of the most significant negative effects is that social media leads users to place greater value on what others are saying, doing, or achieving, and less value on themselves — a pattern that erodes self-worth and typically leads to low mood. Many users, however, do not recognize this dynamic and are unaware that their continued heavy use may be harming them.

How Facebook Makes Users Unhappy

A 2013 research study published by Ethan Kross investigated how young people are affected by Facebook, seeking to understand their current moods and how frequently they used the platform. Kross reported that most young participants felt that using Facebook generally made them sad about themselves and negatively affected their sense of life satisfaction (Kross et al.; Hu, 484). His findings suggest that most participants were quite negatively influenced by their frequent social media use.

Several subsequent studies and news reports support Kross's major findings. A report published in The New Yorker revealed that the more people used social media, the more depressed or sad they felt (Konnikova). According to the report, initial use of the internet or social media almost always produces positive feelings; however, feelings of happiness and social connection tend to decline gradually over the following months, with the decline linked to increasing frequency of use. In attempting to identify why social media users so often report depression, a group of researchers concluded that these sites are inherently structured around social comparison, and that comparison frequently breeds envy. The more people compare themselves with the achievements of their peers, the sadder they become — a finding that aligns with Kross's conclusions and helps explain the loneliness, anxiety, and narcissism associated with heavy social media use (Konnikova).

Conclusion

People create social media accounts nearly every day, primarily to share positive information about themselves. Research demonstrates that frequent social media use can be addictive and can negatively affect mental health and well-being by contributing to depression, anxiety, bullying, envy, and related harms. Surveys of users themselves confirm the negative effects of social media on self-esteem and personal relationships. Some newer studies do, however, show that social media can also generate happiness and a sense of connection. Both positive and negative effects, therefore, exist. According to many researchers, the key variable is frequency of use: it is those who use social media most heavily who tend to suffer the greatest negative effects. Moderation, then, is essential for those who wish to enjoy social media's benefits while minimizing its harms.

Works Cited

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