People should be aware of the ways social media can harm their mental health, especially as the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns have further increased social media usage.

Mental health issues have risen significantly over the last decade, and nearly one in five adults in the United States have a mental illness. That finding parallels exponential growth in social media use, and recent studies suggest that the rise of social media might be driving increased mental health issues. 

That’s not to say social media is inherently bad. The ability for people to share media of police violence against Black Americans has sparked important debates and protests. Social media can be useful, but it can also negatively affect users’ mental health.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 72% of U.S. adults used at least one social media site, the Pew Research Center found. Whether people are actively using social media, the apps are there from the moment someone wakes up to the moment they fall asleep, said Ashley McGirt, a licensed mental health therapist.

The problems with social media use are varied, according to experts. Users may struggle to present an idealized view of themselves, become addicted to the instantaneous feedback and develop a tendency to compare themselves to others.

This altered perception of reality magnifies social media’s negative impact, since users compare themselves to carefully-curated images of their peers and of celebrities, McGirt said.

“Comparison is the thief of all joy,” she said. “When you don’t know the full story behind something, your mind makes up those stories.”

The more time people spend on social media, the greater their mental distress, said Roger McIntyre, a professor of psychiatry at University of Toronto and CEO of AltMed Capital who recently completed a study of social media use and mental health in China. The effects that excessive social media use has on mental health and wellbeing can partially be blamed on the many anonymous, unsafe and negative interactions on the platforms, he said. 

Humans have evolved to spend time with people who share similar beliefs and desires, McIntyre said. 

“Social media doesn’t do that,” he said. “Social media brings together different groups and tribes of people.”

Spending so much time living in a fantasy world may also make people feel anxious when faced with reality because they’re not accustomed to confronting adversity, said Hans Watson, a psychiatrist at University Elite PLLC. 

Social media also caters to different human needs, said Gerald Nissley Jr., a licensed clinical psychologist. 

“With social media, we can consistently find any purpose out there that we are looking for,” he said. “Many things we may not be looking for.” 

When people’s primary motivation for using social media is for something other than social connection — such as branding and voicing dissent — social media use is more likely to lead to negative emotions, Nissley said. In those cases, other users are more likely to react negatively to their posts, further alienating and polarizing the poster, he said. 

Social media can also cause people to present themselves in an idealized way, which creates two problems. Users who go to great lengths to present themselves in the best possible light may feel anxiety as the gap between their real selves and their social media personas grows, Nissley said. They may also feel insecure about their self-image after seeing others’ glossy posts. 

Moods and emotions expressed on social media may also be contagious. A negative post on Facebook triggers more negative posts from that user’s friends, said Nissley, referencing a study from the University of California at San Diego. 

People forget that social media is a highlight reel, and people depict an extremely exaggerated version of their lives, said Dmitry Ostrovsky, staff psychiatrist at Brooklyn Minds. Users feel that their own accomplishments aren’t enough, which leads to the development of increased anxiety, particularly during social interactions, Nissley said.

“When we view ourselves and our relationships negatively, that’s a recipe for mental health concerns,” he said. 

Users can get addicted to social media, Ostrovsky said. Psychiatrists have yet to develop specific diagnostic criteria for identifying social media addiction, but research shows that 40% of online users in the U.S. ages 18 to 22 years reported feeling addicted to social media.

Scrolling through social media and refreshing the feed can be very similar to pulling on a slot machine, Ostrovsky said. The uncontrollable urges to compulsively check and use social media can cause people to devote so much time and effort to the activity that it interferes with their daily lives, he said. 

“You never know what you’re going to get, and it kind of exploits the intermittent reinforcement system to get people addicted to social media,” he said. 

The rise of social media has made everyone little fishes in a big pond, Ostrovsky said. As a result, people are realizing much earlier in life that they’re mediocre, making them more susceptible to low self-esteem and low self-worth if they’re not mature enough to handle that realization. 

This effect has also caused people to think of social media as a necessity. Three people complimenting a person’s outfit in person is incomparable to 2000 likes on Instagram, he said.

Unfortunately, trivial matters such as how many likes, comments or followers people have are also becoming more important because of the social validation it provides, he said.

“It diminishes the relative importance of real and meaningful relationships,” he said. “You get more reach but much less depth of connection.”

Digital relationships on social media can also harm a person’s mental health because self-disclosure potentially occurs much faster, Ostrovsky said. People are more likely to share intimate details about their lives on social media with people they’ve never met.

“The venting, the feeling of perceived anonymity and the freedom that comes with that by most people is misjudged,” Ostrovsky said. “You don’t understand how much everything that you say is actually recorded and can and one day may be used against you when you’re an adult.”

Social media is not inherently good or bad, but people should be aware of its negative effects on their everyday mental health, McIntyre said.

“It’s about moderation and portion control,” he said. “Many people who would have a glass of wine would say, ‘Hey, I like it. It enhances my quality of life. I see friends. I have a drink. It’s lovely.’ Others drink alcohol to excess or operate a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, which I don’t think is healthy.”
Jenna Wirth is a junior studying magazine journalism. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at jwirth@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter at @jenna__wirth.

Published on September 13, 2020 at 11:09 pm