Social Media

Social media use is at an all-time high. There are many effects of overusing social media including sleep disturbances. Getting quality sleep can be crucial to your overall health and well-being. When you are not getting adequate sleep, you can be at risk for worsening mental health issues. You are not alone if you notice changes in your health from social media use. Help and support for the mental health effects of social media use are available.

Social media is more pervasive than ever – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and more all serve as tools to connect with others – to share moments of our lives, see what others are doing in their lives, and keep in touch with loved ones who may be at a distance from us. No matter how you utilize social media, it certainly plays a major factor in perceived social support. As human beings, we’re social creatures, and we rely on support to make us feel loved, wanted, and needed in the world. Dr. Drew Ramsey, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University stated on U.S. News,  “At its worst, depression is a disease of social isolation. People generally tend to be social creatures. We feel best when we are connected to others and to our community.” Since social media is a such a major part of our communication, it’s no wonder that many of us rely on social media to provide us with the social support that we need; even further, it makes sense that if we don’t feel we’re getting adequate support through social media, we’re bound to experience depression and/or anxiety. A 2016 study conducted by researchers from Australia sought to explore just how connected social media is with perceived social support and depression; researchers analyzed many studies that had been done between 2005 and 2016 to see if any major themes arose. Results from the analysis of these studies indicated that positive interactions, social support and social connectedness on social networking sites were consistently related to lower levels of depression and anxiety, whereas negative interaction and social comparison resulted in higher levels of depression and anxiety. Ultimately, it depends on how you use social media and what you’re getting from it that’s contributing to your mental health. Depression is common, and it can be treated. If you haven’t already, speak with a professional from a reputable treatment center to learn more about programs that could assist you on your journey to recovery. It’s never too late to seek the help you need.

Studies show that nearly 50% of all jobs today require some degree of technology, and it is predicted that number will rise to 77% within the next decade. Furthermore, Vision Council states that as many as 95% of Americans spend at least 2 hours or more each day on a digital device. Nearly one-third of Americans spend 9 or more hours a day. Between the amount of technology required for jobs and the number of people becoming addicted to the internet, it’s safe to say that technology is at the forefront. According to CBS News, many Americans report eye problems including dryness, irritation, and blurred vision. If you’ve experienced these things, you may have also experienced frequent headaches, back pain, neck strain, and more. Another report titled Diverse: Issues in Higher Education states that increased technology use has caused us to difficulty interacting with one another in person - while the ideal circumstance would be for us to cut down our use of technology, this is not always feasible. However, are there are some steps that we can take to ensure our health alongside our productivity:

As media is becoming more and more invasive, individuals see and hear messages within popular culture that promote drinking and drugs. As individuals receive these messages, they may feel that excessive amounts of drinking or abusing drugs is “normal” or “not too dangerous”. Especially for younger people who may not understand the consequences of partaking in these dangerous activities, peer pressure and the need to seem “cool” may make these messages more influential. Here are several examples of how popular culture plays a part in the addiction crisis:

Social media is a way for people to connect with friends, share pictures, or update loved ones on current events. With social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter being accessible from laptops, computers, and smartphones, some may find it useful to share their recovery with others. Some may even take pictures and post them on Instagram. The recovery community debates whether or not social media should be used during recovery. Part of the recovery process involves developing support networks and some may find this support through social media. While it is normal to want to share your recovery with others, one should consider their own recovery and the recovery of others. First, recovery is personal. Posting comments about your own recovery or another’s recovery will be viewed by hundreds or even thousands of other people. Some of the information should be kept private particularly if you are posting information about someone you met in recovery or someone you attend 12-step meetings with. Personal conversations related to recovery should be considered in a more private setting. If you meet someone at a 12-step meeting or other group meeting, that person has a right to privacy and any information shared should not be posted on social media. In addition, it is important that pictures are not shared as confidentiality is expected in 12-step and other group meetings. In early recovery, a person can be vulnerable to what other people think and take it to heart. If there are those we associated with during our drug use, they may be listed as a “friend” on Facebook. If you post information about your recovery, these “friends” might try to get you to sabotage your recovery. Social media can also be considered an addiction. If you are using social media as a way to avoid working on your recovery, then you should avoid using social media. There is a positive side to social media use during recovery. Recovery groups are available on social media who are dedicated to helping those in recovery. Caution should be taken when using these groups as you do not want private information getting into the hands of those who could jeopardize your recovery. Social media, including using laptops or smartphones, can also benefit recovery by providing information and connections to others in recovery. Many smartphones allow downloading apps that you can use to connect with others through support groups and meetings.

Social media has created a culture of voyeurism where we spend hours of our time examining the online lives of other people, wondering about their real lives on the other side of the screen. In the meantime, you are spending your real life on the other side of the screen, looking at the screen.

There’s no shortage of body shaming media available to consume and make yourself feel badly with. However, the world of the internet and the brave vulnerability of men and women have created a new movement in media that is “body positive” instead of body shaming. If the media you are looking at makes you feel like you are not enough, like you are meant to look like someone else, like the way you look is wrong in anyway, you are consuming the wrong kind of media. Images of bodies and the words used to describe those bodies should be empowering. Media about the human body should be all inclusive, positive, encouraging, and self-esteem boosting.

Our Facebook pages say a lot about us. That is what they are designed to do. A public profile is like an avatar of ourselves, a virtual representation of what we want people to know. Social media accounts are often criticized for glamorizing the lives of the people behind them. It is a rarity on social media to come across someone who is completely and totally honest with themselves and with others about who they are as well as what really goes on in their lives. One creative artist used an instagram account to post lavish pictures of themselves all over the world. Gaining popularity as an Instagram icon, the user received comments about being lucky to live the life they were living. What few followers were able to recognize was that in every picture, the user had a drink in her hand or there was a bottle of alcohol. Later on after she revealed her motives, the artist explained that the social media frame of her content eliminated the focus on the fact that the girl in the photos had a drinking problem. According to new research conducted on over eleven million Facebook profiles, what we post on social media, in terms of status updates and likes, could indicate if we drink and/or if we do drugs.  UC Berkeley researchers analyzed the Facebook profiles as well as 22 million other status updates from 150,000 people. The software used for the analysis was able to target certain keywords, including expletives, and the kind of things someone “likes” on Facebook. With anywhere between eighty to eighty-six percent accuracy, the study was able to identify risks of substance abuse or those who were already struggling with substance abuse. These findings are significant for a few reasons. First, many addicts and alcoholics believe they are “getting away” with their behavior. When they try to cover up their drinking and using, they truly believe other people don’t notice the changes. While many alcoholics and addicts do successfully cover up their problem, many more fall for the delusion that they are in control of the substances in their lives. Analyzing Facebook profiles could be a tool for early intervention if technologies like the software used can advance more.

We live in an immensely voyeuristic and exhibitionist world thanks to social media. At first, with a simple post using words of how we were doing, we could create small statements to describe the events of our lives. Next, came photos, opening a new world of possibilities. Soon, we became professionals on the latest news, sharing links, sharing videos, and leaving behind us a digital breadcrumb trail about every aspect of our lives. Today, instant sharing allows people to document every moment of their day and night, letting people in, and showing their lives off. Social media falls under scrutiny for promoting fake identity and falsism rather than authenticity. There is never a way of knowing the truth behind every photo and post, the pain behind every smile, or the eating disorder and severe body dysmorphia behind every “insta-perfect” body. Numerous “insta-famous” “insta-stars” have come forward about the truth behind their picture perfect looking lives. It takes hours to frame a shot the right way, obsessive takes and retakes, endless editing, and filtering, before that one shot of perfection can be ogled over by millions upon millions of followers. Dangerously, there are the use of hashtags which perpetuate unrealistic and severely unhealthy idealistic standards of perfection and beauty which drive particular populations toward eating disorder behavior. Without understanding the truth behind the image, people are shown just an image and a message: this is how you should look, do whatever it takes to get there, it is worth it. Hashtags like “thinspo” “fitspo” and others have sparked controversy, in addition to the multiple body “trends” which problematically place a high amount of focus on specific body parts. Professionals have the most worry about pro-eating disorder hashtags and posts in which users encourage one another in their eating disorder behaviors. “For people suffering with anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder,” explains a contributing author to Huffington Post, “obsessions over self-image and feelings of shame over eating food consume a person’s daily thoughts and actions.” In addition to documenting every physical achievement, perfect angle, and healthy meal, social media users feel compelled to talk about their version of acceptance-- maybe they “indulged” today and ate “bad” thereby “cheating” on their “lifestyle”, but it’s okay, because they will work out and eat clean tomorrow, because that is the meaning of “balance”. “With the multitude of environmental stressors already influencing disordered eating habits, social media has new been added to the list. Now more than ever, since social media is used by individuals of all ages and backgrounds, it has begun to play a larger role in the influence and development of social media.”