Is Social Media “Destroying This Generation?”
Balancing the Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on Mental Health (With Practical Solutions).
By Abby Hernandez | July 19, 2024
Since 8 years old, I was given my first phone. It was only ever for texting and taking pictures, which later I’d post on Instagram with a vibrant filter and excessive emojis. At 13 years old, I learned the ins-and-outs about comparison on social media and started working out more as a reflection from what I was seeing. Later when I was around 15 years old, I created a platform on TikTok which amassed 500k followers where I was able to become a relatable outlet for teenagers like myself.
Needless to say, I’ve seen the (really) good, the bad, and the ugly from social media, and always have an impartial take whenever I see news articles vouching that social media is “destroying this generation.”
On the positive spectrum, social media has the power to empower people, giving them reminders to be kinder to themselves and their body. Positive reminder posts can help those healing with body image, toxic relationships, non-productivity guilt, and more; enhancing positive self-talk and personal affirmative thoughts.
Social media can also open up conversations between strangers, where people form a sense of belonging and community involvement. These connections can provide emotional support, validation, and a sense of community that might be lacking in their offline lives.
For instance, online support groups and mental health communities offer safe spaces for individuals to share their experiences, struggles, and successes. This can reduce feelings of isolation and encourage people to seek help when they need it.
Not only can it form community, but this community can be used to create jobs and help existing ones.
On Tedx Talk “How Social Media is Changing the Way We Do Business,” Company founder Austin Falter even admits that TikTok put his company on a trajectory for success, opening up his window to new clientele and community.
Many more jobs have come from social media, like content creating and digital marketing, transforming the employment landscape and creating opportunities that didn’t exist a decade ago.
Influencers, brand ambassadors, and social media managers are just a few examples of roles that have emerged, allowing individuals to leverage their creativity and social media savvy into lucrative careers. Companies now recognize the value of a strong online presence and actively seek professionals who can engage audiences, build brand loyalty, and drive sales through innovative digital strategies.
Even though digital jobs don’t directly correspond with a good mental health, it serves as a domino effect that advocates for a healthy work-life balance and opts for convenience and work-from-home options; which essentially can build a well-rounded lifestyle and mental wellbeing.
On the flip side, social media can create a mental health crisis amongst teens. In the Huberman Lab’s podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan Haidt adds that there’s an age in which teens transition and take in more information, leaving them susceptible to depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and fear from the content they digest.
USA Today also mentions how FOMO (the fear of missing out) can arise from comparison on social media, considering how it’s trendy to post your whereabouts and daily life updates online.
As we continue to explore the effects, we learn to understand that social media has the power to influence your perception of your body, and workout/eating patterns that you deem normal from adopting ideas on social media.
On a Wakelet project I did recently, APA Fitness shared their take, acknowledging that both negatively and positively, the content on social media can consume what we eat and how healthy we eat. It’s shown that enticing content in the food niche can sway our tendencies to eat more unhealthy food, and content about body image can influence eating food less, therefore creating eating issues and decreasing mental health.
Yet on the other hand, we’re also encouraged to make happy and healthy decisions through infographics and educational content.
So now that we know the pros and cons.. what do we do?
We come up with (practical) solutions to avoiding the negative effects of social media, and keep them nearby so we can stick to them.
As a personal task, it’s our due diligence to reshape our social media in a way that benefits us, and echos back to us positive reinforcement which will be a good contribution to our life. Rather than constantly viewing posts that we don’t like (or posts that don’t bring us good vibes), we should reshape our filter bubble and what we already see, to something we haven’t seen that’ll help uplift our mental.
Like Eva Amin says in the Tedx Talk, we have the ability to transform our feeds, making it easier than ever to get out of our current bubble, and replace negative content with information and ideas that allow us to see the world in a more positive light.
On the platform side, they should put a bigger emphasis on reducing screen time for teenagers by giving parents more tools, as well as hiding the negative interactions and even, creating opportunities to have more good reactions.
This could mean increasing the amount of visual positive interactions, like how LinkedIn does with the applaud emoji and thumbs up emoji, or hiding the like button on posts so likes don’t determine everyone’s reaction to their post.
By seeing both the positive and the negative, and implementing solutions known to work, it’s my hope that we will see a shift in our mental health for the better; without taking social media out of the equation.
