Discussion Social Media & Mental Health

[15dec]

Social media has been under scrutiny for years over the impact it may have on the mental health of children and adolescents, so I'm wondering what everyone else's thoughts are on this.

I'd originally disregarded these claims as older generations looking for scapegoats to blame for the growing mental health epidemic. I still believe this to an extent: I don't think social media causes mental health problems, but rather exacerbates existing ones and pulls them to the surface.

Personally, I think social media has made a lot of existing problems more prevalent. A big one I've seen blamed on social media is children and adults viewing themselves as ugly because they don't look as attractive as other people and celebrities they see online. This was clearly an issue before social media became popular, but now it's almost inescapable.

Another thing I rarely, if ever see cited is how social media platforms can pull you into using them frequently. I haven't opened Instagram in a few days and I've been getting one or two notifications each day telling me about who's been posting things and adding to their stories, and I've noticed it feeds into my anxiety. I end up with the desire to compulsively check social media several times a day -more so if I'm feeling particularly anxious about something. I'm not even sure why I do it. Facebook are the same -I deleted the app months ago because the constant notifications bugged me, but I still get daily emails every time someone shares a picture or updates their status. Snapchat doesn't do this, but the existence of streaks has somehow managed to make me drag myself onto the app every day for the past two weeks despite it making me ridiculously anxious, because I don't want to lose something so meaningless. It's a very sad and pathetic state of things.

Another issue I've seen recently is the link beteeen social media -specifically Instagram- and suicide. There are plenty of self harm pictures and videos on Instagram which some parents believe has led to their children committing suicide, and one girl who viewed these images claimed that seeing them made her feel it was 'okay' to self harm worse and worse, because other people were doing it worse than her so it didn't seem too bad. Personally I don't think social media has the power to make someone want to do these things, but it may give someone who has already considered it the incentive to.

Has anyone else had any particularly bad experiences with social media or any opinions on how it affects mental health (either theirs or in general) that they want to share?

 

[NumbItAll]

Another thing I rarely, if ever see cited is how social media platforms can pull you into using them frequently. I haven't opened Instagram in a few days and I've been getting one or two notifications each day telling me about who's been posting things and adding to their stories, and I've noticed it feeds into my anxiety. I end up with the desire to compulsively check social media several times a day -more so if I'm feeling particularly anxious about something. I'm not even sure why I do it. Facebook are the same -I deleted the app months ago because the constant notifications bugged me, but I still get daily emails every time someone shares a picture or updates their status. Snapchat doesn't do this, but the existence of streaks has somehow managed to make me drag myself onto the app every day for the past two weeks despite it making me ridiculously anxious, because I don't want to lose something so meaningless. It's a very sad and pathetic state of things.

They just want you to log on so they can sell more ads. I would disable the notifications/emails and log on at your leisure. :)

Has anyone else had any particularly bad experiences with social media or any opinions on how it affects mental health (either theirs or in general) that they want to share?

It's bad when it comes to comparing yourself to others and feeling inadequate... also makes it too easy/tempting to stalk an unrequited crush. x_x

I still like FB in general, but that's probably because I unfollow anyone who is insufferable and I don't have many "friends" ... just mostly family and people who I like / who are relevant in my life in some way.

 

[WayOut]

Bullying is a huge problem exacerbated by social media. Bullying at school has always been a problem. In the past generations, a kid at least got to go home and have a respite. Now the bullying follows them home. There's no escape. The increase in suicides of young people after this kind of relentless bullying is staggering.

 

[15dec]

They just want you to log on so they can sell more ads. I would disable the notifications/emails and log on at your leisure. :)

It's bad when it comes to comparing yourself to others and feeling inadequate... also makes it too easy/tempting to stalk an unrequited crush. x_x

I still like FB in general, but that's probably because I unfollow anyone who is insufferable and don't have many "friends" ... just mostly family and people who I like / who are relevant in my life in some way.

Yeah, I figured the same -just a money grabbing tactic really, it's a shame it's managed to influence my mental health though.

And I used to compare myself to others all the time, even before social media I would be doing it with newspapers and magazines m. Luckily I managed to mostly stop that by reminding myself that plenty of people just edit their pictures and whatnot.

 

[15dec]

Bullying is a huge problem exacerbated by social media. Bullying at school has always been a problem. In the past generations, a kid at least got to go home and have a respite. Now the bullying follows them home. There's no escape. The increase in suicides of young people after this kind of relentless bullying is staggering.

Yeah, even for really young kids who are still in primary/elementary schools :( it's so much easier when someone can hide behind an avatar and say things that they wouldn't dare to in real life

 

[NumbItAll]

Yeah, I figured the same -just a money grabbing tactic really, it's a shame it's managed to influence my mental health though.

And I used to compare myself to others all the time, even before social media I would be doing it with newspapers and magazines m. Luckily I managed to mostly stop that by reminding myself that plenty of people just edit their pictures and whatnot.

Indeed, social media doesn't really tell you anything about a person other than how they portray themselves on social media.

 

[15dec]

Indeed, social media doesn't really tell you anything about a person other than how they portray themselves on social media.

Yeah. I saw an article a few months ago about how a huge amount of couples admitted to acting as if their relationship is perfect on social media when in actuality they had a lot of problems. It's impossible to tell if someone is faking how good their life is and for some people it's easy to feel depressed when everyone else seems to be living amazing lives when you're not.

 

[netrezven]

Social media can be useful sometimes. But in most cases drives to:
1. Clicking an ad - buying products from scams, downloading player.exe to watch this very important funny cat video and ending up with empty bank account.
2. Posting where you are on a vacation can lead to empty household when you come back.
3. Accepting many unknown friend requests and posting too much personal stuff can make you a target to psychopaths/criminals
4. If you think your FB friends are your real friends - visit a doctor
5. If you care how many likes you got and you are not making money of it - visit a doctor
6. If you are interested in others pics and life so much - you do not have a life
7. Social media are really dangerous. Specially some ways of tracking: visiting a local store, accepting phone call or dialing someone else will trigger show up in the "people you may know" and many others. Last time: visiting the gym - all of the people with phones to the wi-fi ended up in my "people you may know". I personally don't wan't strangers to have my name listed in suggestions from FB. This works also visitig a bar, cofeeshop.
8. Sharing your mood on FB - nobody gives a F?
9. Sharing "smart thoughts" means - you are so stupid that you won't get it anyway.
If you are emotionally dependent from social media you got a problem.
It can be useful too, but the result of giving phones and cams to the monkeys should not surprise anyone with some brain.

 

[About_to_Go]

In this video, a former Facebook executive describes just how harmful social media is, and how it 're-programs' us.

 

[LasttoKnow]

Social media does get vilified a lot. I always find it interesting how the focus for so many things tends to be on an object, on a tool or thing, but not on an action. As someone said, bullying is a big problem. That's the action, the thing that is actually the problem, while social media is a means for it to continue, its just a form of communication someone can use for it. It feels to me like at one time, every new form of communication became the thing being misused and feared. Texts, chat rooms, forums like this.

I believe it just comes down to people, what they value and how they truly are. All communication that gives you anonymity, be it standing as one among many in an angry crowd, or posting something online without your name, lets people let out what they really are like inside. They act as if there's no consequence because they aren't individually 'responsible' for what they are saying or doing, they feel safe that what they have made as their identity won't be associated with it. So... we get this. Bullying from faceless sources. The desire to make a new identity by fitting in with fringe groups (the self harm groups, extremists, hate groups, etc). It still all comes from people who are willing to do this to other people, and I don't think reducing communication can affect that. It's not social media that programs us, it's what people have decided they want to do with it, and encouraging others to fit in, that does it. If those people were inherently 'good', it would be a wonderful tool. But that's just my take.

 

[15dec]

Social media does get vilified a lot. I always find it interesting how the focus for so many things tends to be on an object, on a tool or thing, but not on an action. As someone said, bullying is a big problem. That's the action, the thing that is actually the problem, while social media is a means for it to continue, its just a form of communication someone can use for it. It feels to me like at one time, every new form of communication became the thing being misused and feared. Texts, chat rooms, forums like this.

I believe it just comes down to people, what they value and how they truly are. All communication that gives you anonymity, be it standing as one among many in an angry crowd, or posting something online without your name, lets people let out what they really are like inside. They act as if there's no consequence because they aren't individually 'responsible' for what they are saying or doing, they feel safe that what they have made as their identity won't be associated with it. So... we get this. Bullying from faceless sources. The desire to make a new identity by fitting in with fringe groups (the self harm groups, extremists, hate groups, etc). It still all comes from people who are willing to do this to other people, and I don't think reducing communication can affect that. It's not social media that programs us, it's what people have decided they want to do with it, and encouraging others to fit in, that does it. If those people were inherently 'good', it would be a wonderful tool. But that's just my take.

Very well said :)

 

[15dec]

Instagram vows to ban all graphic self harm images after suicide of a 14 year old girl https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-47160460

 

[21Neberg]

one girl who viewed these images claimed that seeing them made her feel it was 'okay' to self harm worse and worse, because other people were doing it worse than her so it didn't seem too bad. Personally I don't think social media has the power to make someone want to do these things,

Though you may not think so, I do think social media has this power. I'll give you a personal example - whenever I view pictures of other people's cuts, I feel like I'm a pussy and a fake for not going as deep. That (among other things) can cause me to try to cut deeper myself.
Instagram also has the ability to magnify my loneliness by a 100%, for example when I'm alone on friday night and I see friends of mine at a party. Thoughts run rampant: why didn't they invite me? are they laughing at me? are they talking about me? i'm not important to them at all, i'm in the background to them all...

 

[15dec]

Though you may not think so, I do think social media has this power. I'll give you a personal example - whenever I view pictures of other people's cuts, I feel like I'm a pussy and a fake for not going as deep. That (among other things) can cause me to try to cut deeper myself.
Instagram also has the ability to magnify my loneliness by a 100%, for example when I'm alone on friday night and I see friends of mine at a party. Thoughts run rampant: why didn't they invite me? are they laughing at me? are they talking about me? i'm not important to them at all, i'm in the background to them all...

When I used to self-harm social media posts never made me feel like I had to self-harm or do it deeper or anything like that. But we are all different after all, it's really unfortunate that social media makes you feel that way, and you're certainly not a pussy or fake.

I understand completely how it feels when you see all your friends hanging out without you, it's really awful, as if we're just 'there' and they wouldn't care or notice if we disappeared :( I dated a this asshole last year, he and my best friend would always go and meet up without me and never bothered inviting me. When I questioned it they apparently just 'assumed I was busy' everytime. They'd always message a group chat with me in it to confirm their plans even though they were the only two people going, to add insult to injury as well. Funny enough they're dating now, to be honest I wonder if there was anything going on while I was still with my ex.

Anyway sorry for the little rant at the end, thanks for sharing your experiences though. Sending you hugs! ♡

 

[21Neberg]

I dated a this asshole last year, he and my best friend would always go and meet up without me and never bothered inviting me. When I questioned it they apparently just 'assumed I was busy' everytime. They'd always message a group chat with me in it to confirm their plans even though they were the only two people going, to add insult to injury as well.

That is absolutely horrible. Especially them comforting their plans in front of your eyes, but not inviting you. I hope you cut both of them out of your life.

 

[15dec]

That is absolutely horrible. Especially them comforting their plans in front of your eyes, but not inviting you. I hope you cut both of them out of your life.

I don't have anything to do with my ex anymore but I still talk to the friend occasionally at college though

 

[21Neberg]

I don't have anything to do with my ex anymore but I still talk to the friend occasionally at college though

From what you described, they didn't sound like good friends at all.

 

[15dec]

From what you described, they didn't sound like good friends at all.

I could write a full essay on shitty things that ex did, most recently I heard that when he found out his acquaintance's friend died very recently he laughed and made a joke out of it. My friend isn't so bad I mostly worry that she's dating him of all people

 

[21Neberg]

I could write a full essay on shitty things that ex did, most recently I heard that when he found out his acquaintance's friend died very recently he laughed and made a joke out of it. My friend isn't so bad I mostly worry that she's dating him of all people

It shows how nice of a person you are that you care for your friend so much, regardless of the past :-). Good night!

 

[15dec]

It shows how nice of a person you are that you care for your friend so much, regardless of the past :-). Good night!

Aw, thank you! Night, sleep well ♡

 

[Sixfeetunder]

Studies show there does appear to be a link, and it doesn't surprise me. I was a teenager not too long ago and remember feeling happier when I got off Facebook and Instagram. But I think it's possible that people may be exaggerating the affects of social media just a little bit...

 

[fuckthis]

I blame myself for what I have become, the environment I grew up in and the things around me such as social media have only acted as catalysts as to where I am now. If I wasn't such a loser loner and did something with my life then I'd probably fit in and have friends, but instead I wallow in my self pity. Social media is generally a cocktail for disaster though for people like me.