Social Media has taken over society in recent years. The last thing most young people do before they go to sleep is check their social media, and this is also the first thing they do upon waking up. Many people even sleep with their smartphones in their beds. While social media was created for a reason and it provides many benefits to the world, it also can have negative effects on individuals. What exactly is social media? “We define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system” (Boyd, Danah m., and Nicole B. Ellison). According to this definition, the first social networking site was started in 1997, called SixDegrees.com and it “allowed users to create profiles, list their Friends and, beginning in 1998, surf the Friends lists”. But, each of these specific features did exist in some forms on different platforms beforehand. Since SixDegrees was created, social media has taken over.
Social media allows more people than ever before to communicate and educate themselves with the amount of information accessible. It is safe to say that, especially for young adults, most people we know are on social media, whether it be Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or Twitter. “According to DataReportal, there are 4.48 billion social media users around the world in July 2021, equating to almost 57 percent of the total global population. These figures suggest that more than 9 in 10 internet users now use social media each month.” The issue with social media is that these platforms were designed to be addictive. “As of 2019 and 2020, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 145 minutes per day, up from 142 minutes in the previous year” (Statista). Social media causes the brain to release dopamine, a ““feel-good chemical” linked to pleasurable activities such as sex, food, and social interaction” (McLean Hospital). Not only is social media addictive, it is associated with mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. The reported downsides of social media outweigh the benefits and society would be better off without it. However, censorship by the government is not the answer to these problems, and the best solution is for each individual to limit their own time on social media.
“Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which people understand their abilities, solve everyday life problems, work well, and make a significant contribution to the lives of their communities” (Karim, Fazida, et al). Social media has exacerbated mental health issues among teens and young adults and it has been shown through multiple studies. A specific study was conducted by Facebook, the owner of Instagram. “ ‘Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,’ the researchers said in a March 2020 slide presentation posted to Facebook’s internal message board, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. ‘Comparisons on Instagram can change how young women view and describe themselves.’” (Wells, Georgia, et al) Three major issues are associated with social media: anxiety, depression, and body image issues, among others. While social media is meant to connect people, it often ends up having the opposite effect. It promotes unrealistic beauty standards, and can cause young individuals to compare themselves and their lives to others. It allows people to see experiences that they are missing out on. Social media is a major culprit of “social comparison” which is “when people assess their own value in relation to the attractiveness, wealth and success of others” (Wells, Georgia, et al).
Jean M Twenge is an American psychologist who has conducted significant amounts of research on generational differences, specifically on iGen and how social media and smartphones affect mental health. She wrote an article for the Atlantic in which she presents her findings. She explained that teens are physically safer than teens have ever been because they spend so much less outside in the real world where they are in harm's way. She follows this with saying “Rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. It’s not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones.” (Twenge, Jean M). Twenge explains that there has been a large decline in the amount that teens “go out” and spend time outside of the house with their friends as well as dating. A decline in dating leads to a decline in sexual activity as well. There is even a decline in the amount that teens drive. These changes can be attributed to changes in the economy and parenting, but teens are also content with their low level independence because they can spend time at home on their smartphones. “I’ve been on my phone more than I’ve been with actual people,” said a teenager Twenge interviewed for the article, “My bed has, like, an imprint of my body, ” (Twenge, Jean M).
The Monitoring the Future survey is funded by the National Institue on Drug Abuse and is meant to be representative of the entire nation. It “has asked 12th-graders more than 1,000 questions every year since 1975 and queried eighth- and 10th-graders since 1991”. (Twenge, Jean M ) The questions in this survey are about how happy teens are as well as how much time they spend doing certain leisure activities. In recent years the survey has asked questions about smartphones, social media, and screen time, and has found that “Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time than average on nonscreen activities are more likely to be happy,” (Twenge, Jean M).
Although social media has its drawbacks, there are certain ways in which it benefits society and individuals. The first and most obvious pro of social media is that it allows for people to connect. People connect with and stay in touch with old friends far and wide. People also can make new connections whether that be for work or social purposes. “Meeting new friends online helps in obtaining emotional support that is not available off-line and also helps in knowing existing friends better and maintaining better relationships (Shu & Chuang, 2011),” (Khan, Gohar Feroz, et al).
Social media also makes it possible for anyone who makes an account to express themselves and their opinions. Another valuable aspect of social media is that it allows people to learn new information. “Literature reveals that information and knowledge sharing is an essential motivation for the usage of SNSs”( Khan, Gohar Feroz, et al)
Although social media is not the reason for mental health issues, it is associated with mental health issues in a number of studies. On top of mental health issues, social media leads to record high numbers of hours spent on screens per day and trouble focusing for long periods of time. Government censorship of the internet would contradict one of the most important values of America: free speech. The only real solution to not letting social media take over our lives is individual limitations on ourselves and our children.
Works Cited
“Global Social Media Stats - DataReportal – Global Digital Insights.” DataReportal, https://datareportal.com/social-media-users.
Khan, Gohar Feroz, et al. “Social Media Risks and Benefits.” Social Science Computer Review, vol. 32, no. 5, 2014, pp. 606–627., https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439314524701.
McIntyre, Karen. “The Evolution of Social Media from 1969 to 2013: A Change in Competition and a Trend Toward Complementary, Niche Sites.” View of the Evolution of Social Media from 1969 to 2013: A Change in Competition and a Trend toward Complementary, Niche Sites, https://thejsms.org/index.php/JSMS/article/view/89/43.
“The Social Dilemma: Social Media and Your Mental Health.” Here's How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health | McLean Hospital, 9 Feb. 2021, https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health.
Twenge, Jean M. “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 19 Mar. 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/.
Wells, Georgia, et al. “Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 14 Sept. 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739.
Boyd, Danah m., and Nicole B. Ellison. “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 13, no. 1, 2007, pp. 210–230., https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x.
Karim, Fazida, et al. “Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review.” Cureus, 2020, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.8627.
I think this is so relevant and important to assess. As you mentioned, social media is not solely responsible for mental health issues but there surely is a strong association. I also agree that government censorship may not be the most plausible solution due to the value that our country places on freedom of speech. It is important for us as informed citizens to understand that while social media provides us great privileges, there are equally as great responsibilities that follow suit. We must protect ourselves, our youth, and our loved ones from the corresponding threats that social media presents.
Social Media is such a tricky one. A lot of my friends and family don’t live nearby and I know that in a really simple way, social media allows me to stay up to date and connect with people who I don’t get to see often. But I really love all of the critiques you brought up and I totally agree. While connection might seem like the foundation of social media, it has seemingly become a sort of utopic euphemism.Because social media is now commercialized and people can make a living off of the insecurities of others. The marketization of social media seems to have ripped away its potential for innocence and now we are forced to dissect it and…
I think the world would be a better place without social media, especially in its current form. It’s designed to be as addictive as possible to sell us as many ads as possible. It’s sad to say because in principle social media is a great tool. But to keep it running takes a lot of money. If users aren’t paying directly, it has to come from somewhere else. I think that the world would be a better place if we didn’t have ad revenue based social media platforms. Users are the product in this rendition of social media. I don’t think this should be the case.
This post has been one of the most interesting to me because I think about this topic. I believe the world would be better place without social media because there is so much conflict that goes on through social media. At the same time though I don't know if people would be able to live without a social media because people make money from social media and make connections.
This is one of my favorite posts I have come across so far. The many issues that come with social media were highlighted throughout your article and I agree with many of these points. But with this being said I can't imagine a future where social media does not stay a constant in our lives. Overall the content is very representative of many societal issues we have and it was very awesome to hear your opinion on the topic.