Oversharing Online

 The Mental Health Quandary of Social Media 

(Image courtesy of Sott.net)

"Risk Versus Reward"

The effect of social networking stimulates our brain's “pleasure reward” system and unleashes the pleasure-invoking neurotransmitter dopamine. This neurochemical, dubbed the “feel-good hormone”, is correlated to experiences such as sexual pleasure, drug use, euphoria, and social connectedness. Given these powerful characteristics, and the fact that these sites are designed to be psychologically addictive, these platforms are severely intertwined with increased levels of depression, anxiety disorders, and certain physical maladies.

(Image courtesy of Omegazadvisors.com)

Moreover, given the increasing population of netizens, and the frequency with which they interact with these addictive social media sites, there is a large portion of this populace who are increasingly feeling these maladaptive effects. According to the Pew Research Center’s (PRC) findings, as of 2017, a total of 69% of adults and 81% of teenagers frequent these sites daily. An equally illuminating 2012 study, conducted by the PRC, and reiterated by the National Institute of Health (NIH), suggested that ~83% of 18 – 29-year-olds are visiting these same sites on a daily basis. This equates to an extreme number of at-risk individuals.

(Image courtesy of SlideShare)

Instagram has made strides forward in the realm of promoting users’ mental health by inhibiting the usage of “likes”, with the hopes that users' psychological experience will not be negatively impacted by this function. This system of “likes” is akin to online popularity contests, as many people aim to achieve more “likes” than other peoples’ posts. Thusly, we arrive at a situation that can create greater feelings of alienation and a lack of validation in their efforts. The common sentiment was, “why didn’t I get as many likes as this person” or “why did you like their post and not mine”? According to psychologist Jacqueline Sperling PhD., this corresponds to “a small step in the right direction”, however, she relents that “even if you remove the likes, there continue to be opportunities for comparison and feedback”.

(Image Courtesy of Sott.net)

In a more promising study conducted by the NIH, they found that utilizing these “platforms” for the encouragement of mental health awareness campaigns, accomplished promising results. In a qualitative study coordinated over the course of five months, these affiliated “campaigns” were able to reach a broader base of individuals and promote “more effective dissemination”. These movements included The Buddies for Suicide Prevention, #Iquittobacco, and #Migranethepainfultruth. (Click here to be redirected to the full NIH article  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7325786/#ref8 )

In our final assessment, regarding only the Facebook and Instagram posts of these crusades, it was concluded that these pages were able to reach ~10.3 k individuals. The NIH concludes that the usage of these platforms to conduct/promote mental health campaigns is indeed effective, as several people can be reached in a “short amount of time”, and this will indeed be the developing trend of the future. In our current and modern world, social media will be an "indispensable" asset in promoting mental health, as its forums provide a "safe" space and on that is an extremely cost-effective alternative to more traditional methods.  

Sources Cited:

Latha, K., Meena, K. S., Pravitha, M. R., Dasgupta, M., & Chaturvedi, S. K. (2019). Effective use of social media platforms for promotion of mental health awareness. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 9. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_90_20

Smith, A. (12^th January 2017). Record shares of Americans now own smartphones, have home broadband. The Evolution Of Technology Adoption And Usage. Pew Research Center.

Record shares of Americans have smartphones, home broadband | Pew Research Center

Sperling, J. (21^st January 2022). The Social Dilemma: social media and your mental health. The Digital Age of Vulnerability. McLean, Harvard Medical School Affiliate.

Here’s How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health | McLean Hospital