Social Media and Mental Stability

Social media has become commonplace and, in certain jobs, mandatory. It seems as though everyone and their grandmother has some sort of social media account in this present day and age. However, due to how social media has become the norm, this has changed and will continue to change how we communicate and interact with others. This change is not only on a social level, but also on an emotional and mental level. Depending on the person, this can heavily impact their mental stability over time.

As we browse social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, we tend to look at everyone else's feed and compare their exciting, perfect lives to our own, often perceiving our lives as sub-par in comparison. This can lead to a negative change in mood or behavior as well as incite symptoms of depression. While social media was initially created to share life events with friends, it has indirectly become a way to prove to everyone that your life is perfect and everything is fine. Anything discouraging or showing that life is not always okay is discouraged as merely seeking attention, or in some cases, completely rejected. This mentality allowed for the creation of the stigma that social media is all about sharing how great your life is going.

It's easy to get caught up in this vicious cycle of scrolling through our feed, liking a post or two, and repeating the cycle throughout the day. However, it is very easy to get caught up in that cycle to the point where that is all that we care about in our daily lives. This can lead to addiction and isolation. Isolation is especially dangerous because it has been shown to encourage addiction. When a person is isolated, their thoughts naturally turn to themselves and what might be causing their loneliness. In many cases, the only conclusion a person can come up with is that they are their own cause and that it is too late to make a change, causing depression and an overall clouded and potentially harmful state of mind.

Social media friends are important, but friends you spend time with in person are invaluable to one's mental health and stability. Even if it is for a short period of time, spending time with friends takes a person out of an isolated environment, which can be dangerous after extended periods of time. If a person is isolated and has little or no contact with someone outside of social media, this can have a detrimental impact on their mental health. This is why social interactions outside of social media platforms is imperative. While social media can be a useful tool to assist in planning social gatherings, it should not replace in-person interactions entirely.