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Cameron Funston

Dr. Adrienne Cassel

English Composition II

31 October 2019

Social Media and Mental Health

The dark side of social media often hurts the very users that enable it to exist in the first

place. The effects on the mental health of its users range from low self esteem to addiction and

depression, and all users of social media are susceptible. I experienced this first hand a few years

ago. I was challenged by a friend to boycott Facebook for one week. My friend believed that I

had become addicted, and with good reason. I would literally check for new posts several times a

day. No, to be honest, I checked several times an hour. So I decided to take my friend up on his

challenge and avoid Facebook for a full week. This was very difficult for me to do. Many times I

caught myself reaching for my phone and remembering that I would lose the challenge if I

continued. It felt like I was going through withdrawal. This research is meant to investigate the

many ways social media can and does affect the mental health of its users, both positively and

negatively.

Social media, also known as social networking, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a

form of electronic communication that enables its users to create online communities in order to

share information, ideas, personal messages and other content like videos. For most, it is part of

our everyday lives. Social media is a relatively new form of communication, with the first

website, SixDegrees.com appearing in 1997. Due to its success, several more quickly followed.

(ProCon)
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As more social networking sites cropped up, so did the users of those sites. On October 4,

2012, Facebook reached one billion monthly users worldwide. To get perspective, that equates to

one in every seven people on the planet had a Facebook account. In 2018, 69% of the American

population were social media users, a drastic increase from the 26% of reported users in 2008.

(ProCon) We must ask ourselves what this is doing to our mental health.

When something as invasive as social media occurs within society, there are bound to be

repercussions. A study conducted in 2016 by the National Institute of Mental Health, showed a

marked increase in mental illnesses in young adults, leaving one to speculate on the cause. There

were an estimated total of 44.7 million adults aged 18 and up who were diagnosed with a mental

illness. Of those, the 18-25 age group had the highest count at 22.1% of the U.S. population.

Compare this to the 26-49 year olds at 21.1% and those 50 and older at 14.5%. (Mir, et al.)

While no relationship to social media use is indicated, something is very wrong and needs to be

addressed.

Proponents of social media argue the benefits outweigh the risks. Prior to social media

networks, the world was a much larger place. It was more difficult to feel connected to the daily

lives of friends and loved ones. When a friend moved away it was sometimes difficult to stay in

touch. However, once Facebook and MySpace were created, doors opened with possibilities of

instant communication between not just individuals but whole groups of people. Suddenly the

world grew smaller, and casual or long lost connections blossomed into lifetime friendships.

Today social media connects everyone from elementary children planning birthday parties to

helping senior citizens stay connected to their families. It is easy to understand the desirability of

social media sites. A supporter of social media will argue this clear benefit to society is worth

any risks it may pose to its users mental health.

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No one will argue the many benefits to social media use, and a supporter of social media

would likely point out an article which recently appeared in Neuroscience News. The article

discusses a study conducted by the University of South Carolina, which targeted individuals with

social anxiety issues. The study group was shown a film clip from a horror movie and then asked

to answer whether they would be more likely to communicate their negative feelings through

traditional channels or in a social media environment. The majority of participants with social

anxiety chose social media over traditional communications. It was concluded that social media

use created a sense of wellbeing and reduced levels of negativity and stress by supplying a

communication buffer for the study group (Society for Consumer Psychology). While this

study focused on a group with social anxiety issues, most have faced the desire to reach out, yet

being apprehensive about the outcome In these instances, social media can provide a useful,

positive benefit to mental health.

The School of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences in Australia, conducted a study in

June, 2019, entitled,“Taking a Break: The Effect of Taking a Vacation from Facebook and

Instagram on Subjective Well-Being”. It explored the effects of avoiding social media sites by

very active users versus passive users. An “active” user is one who regularly engages with others

by posting pictures, communicating and expressing their feelings and responding to their friend’s

posts. A “passive” user, however, rarely participates, merely watching from the sidelines as an

observer. The results of the study are quite surprising. The study concluded that the active users

experienced lower positive effects from the break than did the passive users. This was opposite

of the expected results. The reasoning is that the active users engaged more with other members

of the sites and experienced positive interactions. The passive users, on the other hand, did not

actively engage while on the sites, so they did not miss the interactions with other members. This
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study illustrates that taking a step back from social media may actually have a negative effect on

the mental health of individuals who use social networking for meaningful communication.

(Hanley) As a self proclaimed recovering addict to social media, I must respectfully disagree

with this study. This was not my experience when I took my break from Facebook. However, in

my situation, I was heavily addicted, with all the negativity that goes along with that.

Of all the age groups that use social media, none come close to the role that social media

plays for adolescents and young adults. They are dependent upon this form of communication in

order to interact with their friends. They share pictures and express their ideas through social

media sites. The use of technology to communicate and stay in touch with their peers is a

valuable learning experience. By denying them this modern form of communication, they could

become isolated from their friend groups. However, the downside of allowing them access to this

communication tool are many; peer pressure, cyber bullying, depression, addiction, adult

content, and possible self esteem issues. It has been shown that the more social media sites an

adolescent uses, the odds of them experiencing depression and anxiety increases and the amount

of time spent on the sites does not change this outcome.. (Mir, et al.)

With all the good that comes from the use of social networking, there are many that are

not just bad, but dangerous. One of the negative consequences a user of social media may face is

social isolation. The definition of social isolation is the willful or unwillful lack of contact with

others. (Nugent) People who use social media as their preferred method of communication run

the risk of socially isolating themselves from society and subjecting themselves to one of the

main mental health issues; depression, which can result from a lessening of face to face

communication. An annual study conducted by the Center for the Digital Future, which explores

the impact of digital technology on Americans, found that in 2017, the percentage of users who
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reported a decrease of face to face time with their families while still living with them went from

8% in 2000 to 34% in 2011. (Cole) This is an alarming trend and one we should all take note of.

It is too easy to use online interactions as a substitute for personal communications.

While having an online support network is a great asset, social networking can be

addictive with many users having accounts on multiple sites. Social media addiction is defined as

the irrational and excessive use of social media to the extent that it interferes with other aspects

of daily life. (Hou, et al.) A study conducted in China by Masaryk University, looked at the

relationship between social media addiction and mental health, while taking into account the

participants’ self esteem levels prior to taking part in the study and again at the end. They

studied two groups of college students, one received no assistance with their addiction and the

other participated in an intervention program. At the end of the study the first groups results

revealed that their social media addiction did have a negative effect on their mental health and

that their self esteem was lowered because of it. The second group, who received an intervention

during the study, showed a reduced addiction to social media as well as better mental health and

higher self esteem. (Hou, et al.) These findings show there is a negative relationship between

addictive social media use and mental health. For the casual user these results will not be

relevant, however, users should be made aware of the consequences of social media addiction

and its effects on one's mental wellbeing.

As illustrated by Fig.1, since the rise of the internet and social media use, the hours spent

online each week has drastically increased. It has in fact doubled since 2000 to an all time high.

Only one year saw a drop in online use and that occurred in 2010, every other year has witnessed

an increase. As of 2016, online users spent on average, 23.6 hours of their lives each week in

front of a screen, be that a phone, laptop, tablet or desktop. (Cole) This equates to 3.37 hours
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each day, or even more terrifying, 1,230.5 hours each year. These are sobering statistics and it is

no wonder many people suffer from not just addiction but many related mental health issues

caused by so much screen time.

(Fig.1)

I found this study to be very informative and relevant to my previous struggle with

addiction. After researching this particular effect on the mental health of social media users, I

have come to realize I was not alone in my addiction, which is comforting.

Few things affect mental health more than an abusive situation. One which leaves the

victim traumatized, not just on a physical level. Whomever authored the old saying about sticks

and stones and breaking bones but words not hurting anyone, lived in a different era. Social
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media is made for words and sometimes those words hurt. A lot. The emotional scars they create

can remain for a lifetime. With the arrival of the internet and social media, bullies have an easy

and effective method of reaching their victims. Old school methods of bullying meant stealing

lunch money and giving wedgies, but at the end of the day the victims got to go home and escape

from the days harassments. Now, the bully follows them everywhere they go and the entire

world becomes an audience to the abusive behavior.

Bullying is a form of emotional abuse and in the world we live in today, it has found a

new home and a new name - cyberbullying. This term means the use of technology to harass,

threaten, embarrass or target another person. (“Cyberbullying”) The effects of continued

cyberbullying manifest themselves as anxiety, stress related disorders and depression. Over a

period of time and in extreme cases, the person being targeted may resort to suicide as an escape.

In an article published in USA Today, the results of a study which compiled data from the

Pediatric Health Information System found that the number of children and teens admitted to

hospitals for suicidal thoughts have more than doubled during the last decade.(Korte) During

this same decade we have watched social media grow from being a novelty to becoming

mainstream. Coincidence?

Depression is the most widespread mental illness in the world. It is considered the most

disabling disorder, with 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men having experienced it during their

lifetimes. It affects the thoughts, feelings, behaviors and physical abilities of those suffering from

it. There are many risk factors, including conflicts within one's support network, emotional abuse

and social isolation. (“Depression”) All three are found in the world of social media. Most

everyone who has frequented a social media site has encountered one of these. A study

conducted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed a link between social
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media usage and depression. The study found that social media use creates feelings of envy and

jealousy from viewing the overly positive representations of the lives of others. These feelings

may leave the reader feeling isolated and depressed. There is speculation that people with

depression use social media to fill a void. However, the exposure to social media can deepen

their depression - which leads to more social media usage. This vicious cycle will repeat unless

broken by the user himself. Many other studies have also found a direct link between the use of

social media and depression. It is widely accepted that the overuse of social media contributes to

or causes depression in its users. (Chowdhry)

In an effort to confirm or deny the findings of hundreds of other studies, Facebook

performed its own study in 2012 in which the news feeds of nearly 700,000 accounts were edited

to show only positive or only negative posts. This was done in an effort to see how the users

moods were affected. The study was controversial in nature as the human subjects of this study

had no knowledge they were to be experimented on. The results ended up confirming the many

studies that were done before it. It was found that users viewing all negative posts resulted in

negative posts being shared and the users with all positive posts created positive posts.

(Chowdhry) This serves as a warning that the dangers of social media use are real and awareness

should be raised.

The final and conclusive argument of whether social media use affects the mental health

of its users comes from the co-founder of Facebook himself. Sean Parker gave an interview to

Axios in 2017 in which he revealed,

The thought process that went into building these applications, Facebook being the first

of them, ... was all about: 'How do we consume as much of your time and conscious

attention as possible?'" "And that means that we need to sort of give you a little dopamine
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hit every once in a while, because someone liked or commented on a photo or a post or

whatever. And that's going to get you to contribute more content, and that's going to get

you ... more likes and comments. It's a social-validation feedback loop ... exactly the kind

of thing that a hacker like myself would come up with, because you're exploiting a

vulnerability in human psychology. The inventors, creators — it's me, it's Mark

[Zuckerberg], it's Kevin Systrom on Instagram, it's all of these people — understood this

consciously. And we did it anyway.” (Allen)

Earlier in the interview, Mr. Parker made the comment, “God only knows what it’s doing to our

children’s brains.” (Allen)

Based upon the hundreds of studies conducted over the years and the admission by

Facebook's co founder, Sean Parker, it must be concluded that social media directly affects the

mental health of its users. There are many positive effects, such as the feeling of being connected

to friends and loved ones. Yet, the negative effects are many; social isolation, addiction,

cyberbullying and depression. All users of social media must be made aware of the risks of

social media and should consider the following suggestions in an attempt to safeguard their

mental health. (1) Try turning off notifications to non essential apps. (2) Eliminate apps that

cause feelings of inadequacy and try adding apps that provide healthy benefits, such as fitness

apps or apps that track online usage. (3) Use an old-fashioned alarm clock rather than a phone. It

will be more difficult to check into a social media account if the phone is across the room and

not next to the bed. (4) Take a vacation from social media to focus on other things. Make this

routine, like one day a week. (5) When friends or family are present, be with them and put the

phone aside. These suggestions are meant to loosen the ties that bind rather than eliminate them.
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To finish my story of social media addiction, I found myself at the end of a very long

week without any social media, not just Facebook. At the end of my challenge, I celebrated by

jumping on Facebook and attempting to scroll through a full weeks worth of missed posts. I

thought this was a well deserved reward, but, after at least an hour of scrolling, I gave up and put

down my phone. Somehow, after having stepped away from it, I came to realize that most of the

posts which were so important before, no longer held power over me. Over the next few months,

I gradually weaned myself from my addiction. Four years later I am Facebook free. I still have

an account but I am no longer active and I am much happier for it. I do use other social media

apps but only with my closest circle of friends. Real friends, the kind you would invite over to

your house to hang out. I do not miss it and can never see myself going back. I wish everyone

would attempt this challenge, they may be surprised at how much happier they are without it.

However you look at it, social media is here to stay. At no other time in the history of the

world have we ever been so connected. With these connections, however, come inevitable

drawbacks; a lessening of face to face communication which may lead to feelings of isolation,

excessive use, or worse, addiction to social media, cyberbullying, the newest way to degrade

others and depression, caused by all or a combination of the aforementioned factors. These

negative occurrences are common. A healthy, well balanced individual may cope well when they

encounter the darker side of social media, however, a user who is already fragile may fall victim

to its negative effects. Social media use affects the mental health of its users, yet its effects vary

by individual, severity and even whether that effect is positive or negative. It is up to each of us

to find a healthy balance and be willing to take that step back when needed.
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Works Cited

Allen, Mike. “Sean Parker Unloads on Facebook:” Axios, 9 Nov. 2017, www.axios.com/sean-

parker-unloads-on-facebook-2508036343.html.

Chowdhry, Amit. “Research Links Heavy Facebook And Social Media Usage To

Depression.”Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 Apr. 2016,

www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/04/30/study-links-heavy-facebook-and-

social-media-usage-to-depression/#3a3a868c4b53.

Cole, Ph.D., Jeffrey I, et al. “Surveying the Digital Future.” PDF, University of Southern

California, 2017, https://www.digitalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2017-

Digital-Future-Report.pdf.

“Cyberbullying.” Edited by Larissa Hirsch, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, June 2014,

kidshealth.org/en/parents/cyberbullying.html.

“Depression.” Depression Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments, University of Michigan

Depression Center, https://www.depressioncenter.org/toolkit/im-not-feeling-well/learn-

about-it/learn-about-depression
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Hanley, Sarah M., et al. “Taking a Break: The Effect of Taking a Vacation from Facebook and

Instagram on Subjective Well-Being.” PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 6, June 2019, pp. 1–13.

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Korte, Lara. “Youth Suicide Rates Are Rising. School and the Internet May Be to Blame.” USA

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Nugent, Pam M.S. “What Is Social isolation? Definition of Social Isolation(Psychology

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