Effects of Social Media on Mental Health

Social media is one of the best ways to connect with the outside world remotely especially during this coronavirus pandemic. People are using social media in different ways like marketing to earn a living. Besides the positive effects, there are negative effects of social media on mental health that need to be watched for and corrected.

Many people have never realized how a human being is a social creature that needs a companion. Some of the mental disorders that may arise from social media addiction are as follows.

Top 3 Effects of Social Media on Mental Health

1. Depression and anxiety

Research findings show that a man-to-man talk with someone who cares about you relieves anxiety and stress. When people ignore person-to-person talk and spend more time on their phones, they often develop depression, anxiety, and mood disorders.

2.Fear of missing out

Fear of missing out may have been there even before such platforms as Facebook and Instagram came. Social media has accelerated that perception when one feels like other people are living a better life than they do. When you start believing that you are short of items that others have, you tend to get anxious and depressed. Some people become more attached to those social media platforms to a point of addiction. Social media can make you a slave where one tries to respond to every comment even to a point of depriving yourself of sleeping time. Other people will even chat while they are driving due to the addiction.

3.Inadequacy about your life and appearance

You know very well that some images on social media are not real but they still influence people to believe them. Some people get discouraged and their self-esteem goes down when they see others sharing the better part of their lives. We often fail to remember that people like sharing their good days and not their bad ones. Reading about people enjoying their holidays, winning awards, and getting promotions only worsen your mental status.

Social media should be used in moderation. Doing this will avoid the negative effects of social media on mental health. Social media should improve your social life but should not be a substitute for physical interaction.

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