Introduction
In the last decade, social media has become an integral part of most people’s lives. People, in particular younger ones, spend a large part of the day using social media, consuming content and posting it. A typical youngster’s day starts with opening an Instagram feed and scrolling through their friend’s and influencers’ stories; the final moments of one’s day are spent in the exact same way.
A person was never meant to be bombarded with this amount of information and imagery every second of the day. A human’s brain does not have enough time to adapt to the new reality that we live in; this, unfortunately, contributed to the mental health crisis that the new generations are going through. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate why social media should be under more control as it creates issues with self-image, creates addiction, and fosters a culture of perfectionism.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
In the past, people could only see their reflection in the mirror. If they compared the way they looked to someone else’s appearance, those were usually the few people that they knew in real life. Later on, when television and celebrities appeared, common folks, in particular women, were forced to try to adjust their looks to the standards set by the movie stars. The beginning of the social media era, however, marked at the same time the beginning of a collective self-image crisis.
There are several reasons why this crisis proved to be such a serious issue for society’s collective mental health. To begin with, modern technologies make it particularly easy to manipulate an image to the extent of making one’s face and body unrealistically perfect. This tool is abused by many influencers, and as a result, their followers see a perfect picture that is far from reality. The displayed image is unattainable; however, the brain does not realize it.
Researchers have also found that beauty filters that are so commonly used in social media now contribute to the negative self-image as well (Henriques & Debasis). According to them, women are conditioned to find defects in their appearances as continuous use of these filters makes individuals have a distorted perception of what they look like (Henriques & Debasis). All of this contributes to body dysmorphia in people, which is a serious mental health condition.
A New Drug
A new addiction gets discovered every once in a while, and social media addiction has become one of the most widespread yet one of the least addressed addictions of the modern age. Social media addiction presents the symptoms of any other addiction, such as spending an excessive amount of time on social media platforms, continuously seeking out new content or interactions on social media, and experiencing withdrawal (Hou et al.). Researchers have found that individuals addicted to social media report experiencing negative emotional states such as depression or anxiety as a result of social media use (Hou et al.).
On the other hand, these individuals also report feeling a sense of emptiness when not engaged in the use of social media (Hou et al). The most severe sign of a social media addiction is a loss of self-control. Many people have difficulties when trying to reduce the time they spend on social media; as a result, their personal and professional lives often get sabotaged.
An addiction is also manifested in the strong urge that individuals get when receiving social media notifications. These impulses are hard to control, which leads to people checking notifications and using social media in highly inappropriate situations. Overall, social media addiction is a real and serious issue that should not be ignored. The fact that this addiction is not as physically dangerous as substance addiction does not mean that it cannot significantly worsen one’s quality of life.
Perfectionism as a Side Effect
Appearance is not the only aspect that has acquired a distorted perception due to social media pressure. Expectations regarding one’s success and achievements are also formed under the influence of social media now. People watch, read, and listen to the stories of exceptionally successful people multiple times on a daily basis.
One finds themselves in a constant race to achieve more, earn more and do more so as not to feel worse than everyone else. Researches indicate that burnout, depression, and anxiety are common consequences of perfectionism (Harren et al.). When combined with social media addiction, perfectionism can be exacerbated to a dangerous degree and seriously affect one’s mental health.
Conclusion
Social media has become a source of many mental health issues and has contributed to a collective mental health crisis. It creates issues with one’s self-image, becomes highly addictive, and fosters unhealthy perfectionism. Some of the most widespread mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and burnout, are often caused by uncontrolled social media use. This is why the way social media is managed should be controlled, as humanity’s mental health and overall well-being depend greatly on it.
Works Cited
Harren, Nina, et al. “Studying social media burnout and problematic social media use: The implication of perfectionism and metacognition”. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, vol. 4, 2021.
Henriques, Mavis, and Debasis Patnaik. “Social Media and Its Effects on Beauty”. Beauty – Cosmetic Science, Cultural Issues and Creative Developments, 2021.
Hou, Yubo, et al. “Social media addiction: Its impact, mediation and intervention”. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychological Research on Cyberspace, vol. 13, no. 1, 2019.