What Harm Each Social Media Does To Your Mental Health And Some Tips For Preserving It
A poll demonstrated which social media attracts more insecurities for its users. Do you know which one is it?
Addiction to Social Networks was described as a dopamine rush which increases with each interaction and comment.
It’s the reward mechanism which prompts you to slip your finger (or cursor) down and up again and again in search of acceptance, confrontation or all types of interaction.
More than 91 percent of individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 are users of social networks, the maximum percentage of any age group, an additional statistic to quit denying that social networks are a part of our everyday lives; nonetheless, not everything is more optimistic from the digital world:
A study from the Royal Society for Public Health known as “#StatusofMind: Social networking and young people’s mental health” attempted to elucidate the impacts of the key social networks around the psychological health of the users.
The analysis consisted of interviewing 1,479 social network users between the ages of 14 and 24 about their experience. They conducted this analysis with the five most well-known networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. It consist about how they believe each one affects their health and well-being.
To do so, they have been asked to rate each social media created them feel based on 14 factors linked to their psychological wellbeing, like feelings of stress (feelings of stress or anxiety), depression (feelings of unhappiness), sleep (quality and amount of hours), body image (the way you feel on your own body ) or psychological support.
Users ranked each one.
The rated results from best to worst to your emotional well being were as follows:
- YouTube.
- Twitter.
- Facebook.
- Snapchat.
- Instagram.
Instagram: The Search for Perfection which Creates Anxiety
The system of photos has been the very damaging to emotional wellness and well-being.
The poll revealed a particularly negative tendency in the understanding of their body picture of its consumers, as the aesthetic which dominates Instagram strives to reveal ideal situations, bodies functioned along with a fantasy life which in most instances is an aspirational representation of an entire planet to that very few have access.
This trend can lead to reduced self-esteem and an incessant search for perfection which could manifest in stress disorders in certain users, particularly in women in their teens and twenties,” states the analysis.
Other things against Instagram were the decrease in sleep quality and also a phenomenon called FoMO (fear of missing something), that is made up of continuously reviewing their networks for fear of never being conscious of some significant fact, trend or event.
YouTube: construction community and enhancing comprehension
Mean while, YouTube, the video-sharing community made in 2005 and currently owned by Google, scored the most favorable for psychological wellbeing.
According to users, YouTube is the ideal system for enhancing their expertise and developing community. In addition to becoming a catalyst for self-expression and individuality.
This could help understand phenomena like the growth of YouTubers and DIY tutorials.
Some study indicates that excess use of this media, and particularly social media, might be related to symptoms related to depression and stress. Since a study by the University of Michigan points out.
In the study, it isn’t clear whether social websites would be the reason for depression and social stress, or if it’s individuals that are miserable and stressed that are resorting to those media as a means to prevent their problems.
But, it does look demonstrated that social media like Facebook can create certain conditions of frustration when they’re not employed for sharing however for social contrast.
In regard to this, it needs to be recalled that social websites mainly foster the growth of 2.0 identities aimed at projecting a positive image of these, so the chance of exaggerating particular attributes is quite current.
It’s a story exercise where we build our identity dependent on the range of particular parts of information, shedding others.
The end result is a continuous stream of information that could distort the perception we have of the others as well as of ourselves.
Some tips that can help us to manage our social networks in the digital environment are the following:
Put all the information in perspective. Avoid any feeling of envy from what you see or read.
In social networks there is a general tendency to present ourselves as happy, interesting, adventurous, etc. but we blatantly hide our human miseries.
Remember that old proverb that says, “Not all that glitters is gold.
Use only the social networks you find useful. Don’t try to have presence in all of them and don’t be around. Social media is not an obligation.
Set limits. If you don’t want social networks to become time thieves, try to identify times of the day when networks don’t negatively interfere with your daily activity.
Before sharing, reflect. It is neither necessary nor advisable to broadcast your life live. Let’s try not to be a source of noise.
Originally published at howtofind.com on April 14, 2019.
