Social Media and Mental Health
The uprising of social media has opened up a new virtual world that globally connects various people from all around the world. Social media fundamentally changed the way we communicate and express ourselves. From emoticons to slangs, or altered pictures, although a plethora of pros were introduced, we failed to see the subtle impact it was having in all of our day to day lives.
On average, an individual spends two hours a day surfing the social media. Majority of the content displayed across platforms usually consist of infotainment or simple luxuries of life. But have we ever stopped for a second to reflect on the questions we subconsciously ask ourselves every time we scroll past a new image?
Social media entered our lives in a twofold strategy of being a null situation. It often turned out to be the problem and the solution. Example; social media was supposed to connect all of us virtually thereby battling loneliness, however, this very medium has proven to be one of the leading causes to antisocial behavior.
Cyberbullying emerged as a much more frequent issue. From being anonymous in giving threats, to invading and terrorizing people’s freedom of choice and expression, social media proved to be the antihero in multiple occasions. Attention-seeking behavior was encouraged and normalized, while people were openly allowed to scrutinize another individual for their choices or appearance. Social media came with a handful of freedom that many of us overused. A wide ratio of adolescents emerged as depressed, anxious or bulimic with the social boom.
However, social media wasn’t an antihero explicitly. Identifying mental illnesses became much easier by studying individual behavior across media platforms. Support didn’t have to necessarily be physical anymore. People were allowed to explore and learn different interests and skills.
Like every other luxury provided to us in the 21st century, Social media also came with an instruction manual that many of us failed to read before fully utilizing or understanding the product. We failed to notice our decline in self-esteem and increase in negativity by constantly comparing ourselves to what we think we may know.
It is important for us to embrace the real world from time to time instead of submerging ourselves in the virtual reality. The social medium can be overwhelming, yet the perfect branding tool if used wisely.
Our mental health depends on much more than images or texts. It’s about the time we take to spend on ourselves, or how much we reflect about what all our body is capable of. It’s about pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones, but in your own time. It’s about investing in a healthy lifestyle by accepting everything modernization throws at us, yet remembering that we’re all social beings who deserve physically and haptic experience.