Introduction
Due to its controversial nature, answering the question of whether social media is necessary today can be complicated. People can learn something online or find an idea for a new hobby, but at the same time, it can significantly damage self-esteem. Since social media use is associated with both negative and positive outcomes for mental health, it is pivotal to discuss it from the point of social psychology to set a direction for addressing the challenge.
Current Tendencies
One of the recent articles discusses how social media use affects users’ mental health. However, another detail can cause an unpleasant feeling in readers. It has been anticipated in Nursing Times (2020) that asking people about their social media use can become a usual practice, like asking about alcohol use or tobacco smoking, especially in patients with depressive symptoms. This assumption raises flags regarding the scale of the problem of social media abuse, as well as the extent of the adverse effects of spending life online.
Although social media provides a new modality of communication and socialization, it is associated with various risks. Some scholars consider it more addictive than alcohol or cigarettes (Nursing Times, 2020). Hence, the nature of dependency is more complex since social media is commonly acceptable and available anytime.
Connection to Social Psychology Theories
From the socio-psychological perspective, the use of social media has linkages to a range of theories about personality and behaviors. It is possible to suppose that the Internet has become a separate socio-cultural area with its own functioning principles. Aronson et al. (2022) described that in many non-Western cultures, especially Asian ones, people believe that the opinions, actions, and feelings of others determine their behaviors. However, one can admit that social media users also tend to pay acute attention to people’s reactions to their posts.
In addition, the social comparison theory comes into play because social media contributes to the development of so-called competition. According to Aronson et al. (2022), the concept of comparison is based on the assumption that one learns about one’s abilities by comparing oneself to others. It is possible to provide an example of users posting selfies from dangerous places, such as the roofs of high buildings or cliff sides, and some followers attempt to repeat them, resulting in damage to health or death.
Research-Based Findings
Nevertheless, one cannot unequivocally declare that social media is the root of evil because it can also have positive impacts. First, Sadagheyani and Tatari (2021) have investigated that extensive social media use contributes to depressive and anxiety symptoms, poor sleep quality, body image dissatisfaction, self-harm, suicide, and so on. Meanwhile, social media also allows people to learn about the health experiences of others, seek emotional support and professional help, create communities, and build self-identity through self-expression (Sadagheyani & Tatari, 2021). Thus, the main challenge appears not in plain limiting the time spent online but in developing a set of balanced and healthy principles for using social media.
Conclusion
Finally, social media can cause no harm when used in a balanced manner. Restricting the use of social media makes no sense because it has become a new social environment with a broader spectrum of opportunities for self-expression and receiving recognition from others. Moreover, the socio-psychological theories show that most people will not stop comparing themselves to other users. The key solution for preventing mental health problems is developing a comprehensive set of healthy practices for using social media.
References
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Sommers, S. R., Page-Gould, E., & Lewis, N. Jr. (2022). Social psychology (11th ed.). Pearson.
Nursing Times. (2020). How use of social media and social comparison affect mental health. Web.
Sadagheyani, H. E., & Tatari, F. (2021). Investigating the role of social media on mental health. Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 25(1), 41-51. Web.