Social Media
Social MEdia
This is a dangerous characteristic many teenagers have, following herd mentality to fit society-defined expectations, because pressures to meet expectations are constantly emphasised through online posts, trends, advertisements etc. Recurring and unfeasible expectations being shown subconsciously sway teenagers to glorify certain characteristics which are unrealistic and limits individualism. Furthermore, the facade many teenagers put on is mentally pressurising. Hence, feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. intensify amongst teenagers as social media exposure increases.
As teenagers get “sucked-up” into social media, where perfection is defined by society and teenagers are fascinated by seeing people achieve perfectivity at a level they can’t. Constantly scrolling takes up time which impacts mental health and relationships because, spending time interacting virtually prevents teenagers from forming physical relationships with family members, pets or friends in actuality. This deteriorates relationships, intensifying feelings of isolation and mental illnesses. Although social media can strengthen relationships through its interconnectivity, without it, teenagers are unable to communicate well in “real-life” situations. Moreover, physical communication is the most effective way to overcome mental illness, which social media reduces, causing pre-existing illnesses to last and worsen.
In the context of mental health, an important idea to consider is social media which grew over the past decade, originating from inflations in technology, focussing on virtual networking that 92% of teenagers interact with. It is a controversial topic of whether social media is beneficial and how living off of “likes” affects mental health.
Studies conducted by the University of Pittsburgh displayed correlations between social media usage and “negative body images” (Psycom). The study describes that teenagers with more usage had nearly double the chance of reporting mental illnesses. It states that the more time teens spend scrolling through the realm of social media, it increases insomnia, anxiety and depression chances. One might question “but why?”, to answer, research studies conducted by UCLA Brain Mapping Centres discovered that more “likes” online activated the reward centre of the brain. Showing that teenagers thrive off of digital approval and it comforting. Simply put, teenagers like likes.