Social media is a word that stands alone. The formal definition of social media is websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. However, what they fail to tell you are the side effects that come along with it.
Over the course of the years, social media has played an important role in people’s lives. Social Media has taken the place of a lot of things especially when it comes down to human interaction. Social Media and its impact on mental health is indescribable.
Specifically, the realms of Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook can affect a person’s mental health in so many ways.
According to the National Center for Health Research, the most popular social media platforms are Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The Pew Research Center shows that 78% of 18-24-year-olds use Snapchat, while 71% use Instagram, and 68% use Facebook. In addition, 94% of 18-24-year-olds use YouTube and 45% use Twitter.
Depression is one of the main effects on a person’s mental health due to social media. Other effects can be anxiety, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, a person’s sleeping habits and much more. The main problem is cyberbullying through hurtful comments that people choose to write.
People can be so bold behind a screen, but probably would not be bold enough to say it to the person’s face. Before the internet, you had no choice to confront the situation face to face.
The “keyboard killing” of the hurtful posts is causing people to be depressed and commit suicide.
No one seems to care until it’s their family member or friend who has taken their life. Often as a society, we are oblivious to the situation until it is our issue.
We must remind people that they are enough. Moreover, we do not listen. We hear the situation and issue over and over but choose not to listen or put forth the action. We were not created to die due to cyberbullying.
The time it took typing the comment, you could easily keep scrolling. Bringing someone else down due to your own insecurity to make yourself feel better, only makes you look worse. You never know what a person is going through and how your words can affect them. Before you write, think about the possible outcome.
