Bo van Kessel | ES4-2F | 19107749
Miss Kazarian
Academic Writing Part 1
1154 words
27 August 2021
Does Social Media Usage Negatively Impact Mental Health?
Mental health is a state of well-being that people can achieve and live comfortably. It
is defined as a state of mind where people are able feel confident and solve everyday
problems. Since the mid- 2000s, social media has become a part of everyday life. Its rise to
become an integral part of society has affected everyone, and it is only beginning to take
stock of its effects on society and the individual. Implications of individuals perceptions of
social media addiction and the active use of social media lead to depression, anxiety and
cyberbullying.
Social theories have shown how the use of social media can affect a person's mental
health. It has been stated that prolonged exposure to social media can lead to negative signs
and symptoms of stress and depression (van den Eijnden, 2008).
According to a study published by Baker, the increased usage of social media is at
least partially to blame for the current increase of depression. The source further states that
social media platforms are “significantly and positively associated” with not only depression,
as stated before, but also symptoms of anxiety (Baker, 2019).
Though social media provides the opportunity to socialize with other individuals and
is proven to form relations online, it actually also opens up the opportunity of addiction.
Moreover, concept called FOMO (fear of missing out) has become increasingly popular
between social media users. This “FOMO” has been defined as “a desire to continually stay
connected with friends, events, interactions, and comparisons to others through social
media” (Baker, 2019).
Diving deeper into the meaning of FOMO, as is literally described in the concepts’
name, this “fear” of missing out has been linked to a lack of psychological functioning in
young adulthood, as it can cause anxiety.
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, Bo van Kessel | ES4-2F | 19107749
Miss Kazarian
Academic Writing Part 1
1154 words
27 August 2021
By Blackwell, FOMO has been described as a fear of missing out on information
sharing, the rewarding experiences of engaging with social media, the fear that others are
engaging in enjoyable conversations or events without the individual, or a compulsive need
to maintain an online presence to allow individuals to constantly compare to each other
(David Blackwell, 2017).
FOMO, according to Baker, causes social media addiction as well as energy, sleep,
stress management, and well-being issues (Baker, 2019). As a result, this concept
unquestionably plays a role in the difficulties generated by excessive usage of social media.
Social media is a crucial element to one’s mental health. This is not to be
underestimated. It can affect both physical health and morality risk. The increasing
popularity of social media platforms has raised awareness of the impact on mental health.
This, of course can be seen as a positive effect. Although it can be very controversial, it is
argued to be beneficial for the development of mental health. This is partially due to social
media allowing individuals to share experiences and exchange thoughts.
A study by Berry indicated that for people who openly share mental health difficulties
on Twitter, it provides a crucial opportunity to seek assistance and learn about other
people's experiences (Berry N, 2017). In a poll of social media users with mental illnesses,
respondents said that sharing personal stories about experiencing mental illness and
learning about coping strategies from others were major reasons for using the platform
(Naslund, 2019). However, it has been found that individuals that are prone to mental
illness or symptoms of depression can often inspire each other.
Moreover, recent research published by Rideout, has found that social media usage
has detrimental consequences on young people's mental health, including social comparison
pressure and a stronger sense of social isolation after being rejected by others on social
media (Victoria Rideout, 2018). Comparison can often lead to invalidation of an individual’s
symptoms and or feelings. Therefore, it is not as harm free as earlier thought to share one’s
experiences online.
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