Introduction
The development of technology and, more specifically, the rise of social media explains why policymakers are becoming concerned about the impact of online platforms on the population’s mental health. The multi-faceted nature of the interrelation between communication apps and one’s well-being does not allow for any generalizations, especially when individual characteristics come into play. Thus, for example, the researchers confirmed that women are more likely to get affected by unhealthy patterns of conversing with others on the Internet than men, and they develop a number of alarming conditions (Ducharme, 2019; McLean Hospital, 2021). However, it is still unclear why this population group is vulnerable to the dangers of social media and what measures should be taken in order to prevent adverse outcomes. Considering these factors, the paper aims at investigating the influence of popular apps on female users and suggesting changes in this area to promote their mental health. The issues of this nature cannot be addressed while neglecting the particular tendencies attributed to this category of citizens, and the significance of self-image formed by online resources is the key to resolving the challenge.
Description of the Issue
The spread of apps facilitating communication on the Internet is directly linked to the conditions of the environment, which contributes to the creation of a space that can potentially benefit or harm individuals. As it was previously discussed in the case study analysis, the common beliefs about the advantages or disadvantages of societal practices rarely correlate with reality, thereby confusing (“Week 10 PPT,” n.d.). In turn, the misconstrued expectations of citizens lead to ignoring the emerging threats of interacting with peers in Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat related to one’s self-esteem and the overall appropriateness of promoted values (McLean, 2021; “Week 11 PPT, reading, video,” n.d.). Human behavior was confirmed to be connected to meeting people’s informational needs, but the risks are usually not taken into consideration (Kaplan & Kaplan, 2003). It means that the effects of social media on the population’s health are not viewed as equally important as their intentions to keep up-to-date with trends.
For women, this neglect indicates the impossibility of maintaining their mental health due to a variety of reasons. First, they are more susceptible to cyberbullying compared to their male counterparts and, consequently, suffer more from social isolation, which is the outcome of this practice (Ducharme, 2019; “Week 10 PPT,” n.d.). Second, this category of citizens is more likely to compare themselves with others, whereas the representation of users in the apps is far from reality (McLean, 2021). Third, the neglect of women’s posts serves as another source of stress as they depend on the approval of society more than men (McLean, 2021). The anxiety resulting from the formation of these erroneous perceptions about other individuals is critical for one’s well-being as mental health is negatively influenced by the described tendencies.
The significance of the described issue is related to the fact that it corresponds to various mental health conditions that are developed due to the impossibility for the affected persons to apply critical thinking. In situations when one’s image seems more attractive, they cannot distinguish between the misconceptions of a fake online persona and actual people behind the beautiful pictures. This circumstance explains why the emergence of problems, such as inadequate sleep, depression, low self-esteem, and even suicidal behavior, often goes unnoticed by specialists (Ducharme, 2019). From this point of view, the examination of the presented challenge is critical in order to ensure the mental health of the female population by timely addressing the mentioned obstacles and dispelling the illusions.
Literature Review
The available literature on the topic serves as sufficient evidence of the necessity to address the threat stemming from the inappropriate use of social media by women. As follows from the recent data provided by McLean Hospital (2021), hurt feelings caused by the impossibility of gaining popularity in an online space are the main reason for comparisons. Lately, the problem was recognized by the apps’ creators, who removed the dislike button, but this solution was inefficient as leaving comments is as harmful as directly demonstrating non-acceptance (McLean, 2021). In turn, the desire to be appreciated by others is promoted by the nature of social media designed in such a way that users become dependent on dopamine release after receiving likes (McLean, 2021). Since there are no methods for combatting the threats in this respect, additional measures are required, and they should address the existing gaps in online communication. In other words, the sense of belonging or fear of missing out as the phenomena contributing to the adversities of communication apps should be taken into account.
Another source on the topic provides comprehensive data in the area, allowing to confirm that the situation is alarming from the perspective of mental health and remains more critical for female users. Thus, according to Ducharme (2019), present-day young people tend to check their social media more frequently, and this indicator is rapidly increasing over time. In turn, this trend correlates with general psychological distress and lower life satisfaction of the affected individuals (Ducharme, 2019). Also, the girls’ more vulnerable position in this regard is explained by the greater damage caused to them by the more frequent use of apps for communication compared to boys (Ducharme, 2019). Thus, the combination of mental health challenges and gender-specific patterns supports the formulation of the research question.
In addition, the presented issue is directly linked to the considerations of health discussed previously. For instance, the obsession with looks diverting women’s attention from the actual health expressed by objective criteria is exacerbated by the improper role models set by Instagram influencers (“Week 10 PPT,” n.d., McLean, 2021). In this case, “unrealistic, filtered photos” become the ideal everyone strives to achieve, whereas the indicators confirmed by healthcare specialists are neglected (McLean, 2021). From this perspective, the problem is not solely physical but underpinned by mental considerations as the impossibility to accept oneself is the main source of depression and anxiety (Ducharme, 2019). Meanwhile, “burdensome sociality” reflected by the rejection of peers, either alleged or real, does not allow managing these conditions without external assistance (Hendry, 2020). This evidence implies that no effective solution has been developed by medical specialists yet, and the threat is growing day by day, leading to the continuous deterioration of women’s well-being.
As follows from the analysis of literature conducted above, there is an explicit consensus on the topic as all sources have significant similarities in describing the challenge. First, all researchers emphasize the presence of the same conditions in their work, and this fact means that the threat is not imaginary (Ducharme, 2019; McLean Hospital, 2021; Hendry, 2020). Second, they highlight the significance of the problem for the female population and, more specifically, young women as opposed to the hazards affecting men (Ducharme, 2019; McLean Hospital, 2021; Hendry, 2020). Third, all publications include information regarding the prevalent impact of social media on mental health (Ducharme, 2019; McLean Hospital, 2021; Hendry, 2020). Therefore, it can be concluded that unity in opinions on the matter is achieved by scholars. This provision leads to the need for further examination of the challenges attributed to the described population group to minimize the accompanying risks.
The Selected Standpoint
The review of literature discussing the problems of women stemming from the use of social media showed that urgent measures should be introduced in order to adequately address them. In this respect, the most significant task seems to be the requirement of combatting the threat of developing trust in information presented online. In this situation, the most critical consideration is the images that are not real and, therefore, confusing for viewers (McLean Hospital, 2021). Hence, their prevalence in an online space is inevitable due to the tendency for comparison described above.
Meanwhile, the only possible way to decrease their impact is to inform the affected persons of their dubious nature. The failure to do so would indicate the growing desire of female users to request plastic surgeries in order to resemble “filtered Snapchat and Instagram photos” (McLean Hospital, 2021). What is more important, this intention is more frequently guided not by others’ seeming attractiveness but by the unrealistic pictures processed by online tools to make them more appealing (McLean Hospital, 2021). It appears significant for preventing adversities as humans cannot and should not compete with machines if they want to achieve happiness in life.
The mentioned negative results of this practice can be avoided if the awareness of both women and healthcare specialists is increased. This initiative can be performed on the basis of medical facilities involved in the task of addressing mental illnesses related to the conditions of the present-day world. An optimal solution to the problems connected to the impossibility to accept oneself and the focus on others instead of improving their own lives is to target the most vulnerable population groups by information campaigns. Currently, there is not much information on the Internet about such programs, whereas there are excessive generalizations as applied to what a girl should look like to correspond to the modern standards.
This gap is especially clear when examining other issues attributed solely to the female population. One of them is breastfeeding, which is crucial for their well-being as well as that of their offspring. This necessity is widely discussed by the specialists, who attempt to inform citizens on the dependency of this practice on positive outcomes for individuals (Leyte, 2013). In discussions devoted to this subject, the opinions are supported by the explanations of the feasibility of interventions (Leyte, 2013). Meanwhile, in examining the common mental issues in women caused by the specificities of social media, the information regarding their effects on the quality of life and the underlying psychological mechanisms is limited or not generally accessible to the wide public (McLean Hospital, 2021; Hendry, 2020). Therefore, the creation of initiatives similar to those targetting breastfeeding, among other challenges attributed to female citizens, is the key to preventing the risks of online apps for them.
Evidence-Based Solutions to the Problem
The stance explained above leads to the need for adopting practical measures, and they should be based on the available evidence. Thus, the data provided by McLean Hospital (2021) appears to be the most useful for the specified objective due to the inclusion of a greater variety of factors. The researchers suggest that the addictive nature of social media should be addressed by the creation of other sources of boosting self-esteem and invoking a sense of belonging (McLean Hospital, 2021). First, the increase in the awareness of filters substituting the actual value of posted images should be in the center of the proposed information campaign (McLean Hospital, 2021). Second, further progress of online communication apps should be complemented by mentioning the incorporated technological elements, such as face recognition, and the possible distortions of reality (McLean Hospital, 2021). By respecting these provisions, policymakers can offer the opposing view on the problem by minimizing the risks for one’s self-esteem in the long run.
The above suggestions should be accompanied by particular attention to the visual elements as the essential components of social media platforms, which can be used for everyone’s benefit instead of harm. As follows from the article written by Sue Robins (2020), healing is performed more effectively when it includes creative aspects for supporting people in combatting their mental problems. In this case, women can rely on art therapy in the form of special sources informing them about the reality behind beautiful pictures. This idea will help them avoid depression and fatigue as the provision of factual data is advantageous for promoting critical thinking (Robins, 2020). As a result, the images posted by individuals willing to improve their attractiveness through applying technological instruments will not be as harmful as they are now.
Moreover, the proposed tools for balancing between erroneous perceptions of others and the truth behind a carefully elaborated representation of peers in social media will be more effective when accompanied by texts. Storytelling is confirmed to be extremely useful in gaining validation from others and finding like-minded people who are unwilling to accept the lies concerning others’ achievements or looks (Robins, 2021). This claim implies that the adoption of this method for sharing experiences with cyberbullying or reactions to the users portraying themselves as more beautiful or successful than they actually are will help avoid bias. In the end, the affected persons who develop mental conditions by constant comparisons with others will have better chances for rehabilitation. Their stories will warn others to be more careful when choosing who and what to believe in while being active members of online discussions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the conducted analysis of the negative impact of social media on young women showed that there is sufficient evidence for modifying the way they work. The particular susceptibility of this population group to the threats posed by online communication is explained by their desire to compare themselves with others and conform to unrealistic standards in order to be accepted in society. This behavior leads to the emergence of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, and they also cause physical problems affecting one’s value of looks over physical well-being. To combat the challenge, policymakers should elaborate initiatives focused on the increase in awareness regarding possible image distortions, the creation of resources revealing the truth, and the inclusion of textual data for credibility. These suggestions are feasible from the perspective of their capability of eliminating the risks for the targetted category of citizens, who are the most vulnerable to the inappropriate conditions of an online space.
References
Ducharme, J. (2019). Social media hurts girls more than boys.Time. Web.
Hendry, N. A. (2020). Young women’s mental illness and (in-) visible social media practices of control and emotional recognition.Social Media + Society, 6(4), 1-10. Web.
Kaplan, S., & Kaplan, R. (2003). Health, supportive environments, and the reasonable person model.American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1484-1489. Web.
Leyte, D. (2013). Mama milk [Video]. YouTube. Web.
McLean Hospital. (2021). Here’s how social media affects your mental health. Web.
Robins, S. (2020). Visual art as healing. Sue Robins Books. Web.
Robins, S. (2021). Grace for the storytellers.Sue Robins Books. Web.
Week 10 PPT. (n.d.) [Word Document].
Week 11 PPT, readings, video. (n.d.) [Word Document].