All good things come in moderation, especially when it comes to social media. Most adults tend to jump to conclusions when it comes to social media; claiming it’s dangerous or causes loneliness/mental health issues. And although social media can be harmful if used too frequently, it is perfectly fine if used for a limited amount of time.
Social media can be a useful way of ridding loneliness, yet it can also be highly addictive and create mental health issues. “Social media has a reinforcing nature. Using it activates the brain’s reward center by releasing dopamine…The platforms are designed to be addictive and are associated with anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments.” (McLean Hospital) Due to social media being designed to be addictive people have a hard time putting away their phone and just enjoying life without it. Many people tend to fear they’ll miss out on an internet joke, or something interesting with their favorite celebrity, myself included. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what’s happening on the internet that you tend to forget none of that really matters in any way, and there are more important issues in life.
Another problem with social media is there are lots of beauty standards; and while yes there are beauty standards in life in general, it’s especially apparent on social media. With all of the “Instagram models” and trends that try and undermine others’ beauty, it’s quite difficult for people to not feel insecure or hold themselves up to these beauty standards. And although it’s never good to compare yourself to others it’s easier said than done; everyone has felt insecure in their life, it’s just especially difficult for teenagers currently. The people on social media who usually have the biggest platforms are models and other attractive people; in most of these cases the “influencers” have gotten plastic surgery or photoshop their pictures to make themselves seem more attractive. Although there is nothing wrong with plastic surgery or editing photos, it is the “influencers” job to make it clear they’ve gotten work done or edit their pictures, yet sadly many of them lie. It causes lots of young people to feel insecure about the fact that they don’t look the same as these “influencers.” Many teenagers tend to feel as though they aren’t good enough which can cause them to become depressed and tend to isolate themselves from others.
Although social media can isolate us from others, it can also help bring us closer if limited. During a study by the University of Pennsylvania 143 undergraduates were assigned, at random, to limit their usage of Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat to only 10 minutes per app; or to continue their regular usage of social media. The group of students who reduced their time, “showed significant reductions in loneliness and depression over three weeks compared to the control group.” Although, “both groups showed significant decreases in anxiety and fear of missing out over baseline, suggesting a benefit of increased self-monitoring.”
Social media can also be very beneficial when it comes to loneliness. Living through a global pandemic and self quarantining can be very depressing at times. Most people aren’t used to being away from others, and get extremely lonely. Social media is probably the best solution to that; you can post about your life or how you’re doing in general for others to see, and you can also see your loved ones posts and how they are. In addition you can interact with random people on the internet; there are loads of people on the internet that you can meet and talk to without having to actually go outside and risk getting sick or getting anyone else sick.
Social media can also be beneficial for people that live in a toxic home environment. Many people don’t have anyone in their life that they can turn to, they’re completely alone. Social media is a way for those people to reach out to others and receive help, or just have someone to rely on in general. It’s also a great outlet for people with mental health issues. Mental health issues are sadly a very common thing, especially in teens; a lot of the times we feel completely alone and as though our feelings aren’t normal or important. But due to social media, which brings lots of awareness on these topics, teenagers’ feelings are validated and are told that they aren’t alone.