Negative Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

There is no doubt that social media has its pros and cons just like any other influential factor in society. In the article 6 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health, published on June 30, 2017 by Forbes author, Alice G. Walton, she discusses the different ways that social media can affect people’s mental health. Walton speaks about the negative effects of sitting all day on social media because it affects our “collective psychology”, meaning that it shapes the mind negatively. She then discusses the way it influences social media users by creating an unhealthy mindset which ultimately causes their mental health.

How does social media affect one’s mental health?

Alice G. Walton includes truthful statements about social media because tons of people hold the same negative experiences with social media which is why there is a huge stigma surrounding the topic. Walton breaks down the different ways social networking harms mental health, stating that it creates competition, jealousy, delusion, and the desire for validation from other users on the internet. Before reading the article, I did not know that the stigma surrounding social media included direct effects to mental health, but that it only surrounded the idea that social media is making the youth less aware and intelligent. I believe Walton makes many valid points because social media can be a dangerous place that provokes cyberbullying, ultimately harming somebody’s perception of themselves and their mental health.

Walton discusses how social media can make people feel “socially isolated” because people tend to compare themselves with people they see on their feed. She claims that “comparing our lives with others is mentally unhealthy”, including a link to a study from Guilford Press that proves that social media comparison is linked to jealousy and “depressive symptoms”. Social media creates an envious mindset which leads to jealousy because users see people on social networks who try to portray their lives as perfect; which affects their mental health negatively when they feel as though they do not meet the standards of those people’s lives. Walton then includes another study stating that Facebook is the network where most of this behavior derives from because it “offers a breeding ground for invidious feelings”. I was always aware that social media was a place that allows people to depict a perfect image of their lives through any platform. However, Walton included several studies that have been done over the years that proved that spending too much time envying these people can lead to problems in somebody’s mental health; thus opening my mind about the more serious problems that come with social media.

Cyberbullying is also a serious issue that follows social media. Social media can be a dangerous pit for any users because they are vulnerable to online harassment and bullying on any platform. Walton connects cyberbullying to “sadness” and “less well-being”, implying that cyberbullying can harm somebody’s mental and emotional health. She also includes a study from The Royal Society that showed that being social on social on the internet does not mean someone is social in real life. The study showed that real social interaction has more of a positive and therapeutic effect than interaction from virtual friends. This can also lead to the desire for social validation because people only focus on follower numbers on social media sites in order to validate themselves and feel accomplished. The more followers or friends you have on social networks means that you are more popular or social. However, like Walton states, just because somebody is social on the internet does not mean they have an active social life.

Walton’s article opened my mind about the deeper issues that come with social media. I realize that the problems that come included with social media are much more complex than I thought. People do not always think about how social networks can negatively affect mental health because they often associate the youth with social media, and only think “Kids these days”. It is not all about the youth becoming less aware or intelligent with social media, but the impact social media has on people’s mental health. The results of constant social media usage on somebody’s mental health can be either subtle or drastic, but inevitably we all experience it and are all affected by the impact.

Works Cited

Walton, Alice. 6 Ways Social Media Affects our Mental Health. Forbes. 30 Jun. 2017.