It’s 2024 and social media platforms such as Instagram have over 1 billion monthly active users, these platforms help us learn new things, see what people are up to and meet new people, but social media also affect a person’s mental health in both positive and negative ways.
Let’s look at both the positive and negative effects of social media-
Positive effects
- Social Support: A lot of people on platforms like Reddit and Facebook create supportive communities where they support each other with the same cause, if you are going through something there is a subreddit for you where people like you help each other and I feel that’s a great boon of social media.
- Information and awareness: A lot of information is shared on social media which can be very beneficial for the person who belongs to that niche for example on our Instagram page we share awareness posts related to mental health disorders, what are they, and how to manage them which helps people know about various symptoms…etc
- They allow users to express themselves: People make reels, and videos to share their achievements, pain and happiness which help them clear their minds and express themselves.
Negative effects
- Social Comparison: When we see someone posting videos roaming in their expensive cars, enjoying their big home, where we work each and every to achieve our small dreams well all this leads to social comparison and feelings of inadequacy, these feelings fuel mental health disorders and can cause distress to a persons mind.
What I do to deal with these I try to keep my feed as mental health friendly as possible, I follow people who work hard every day, and who try to spread joy and content that makes me laugh. (Ohh how can I forget the cats and Dogs wholesome Videos 🙂 ) - Cyberbullying: Online trolling, hate comments and sometimes straight-up hateful or creepy messages, and online harassment because of these Individuals, especially young users, may experience significant emotional distress.
Report the users who cyberbully you or block them at the very least, and keep your profile private. - Addictive Nature: I have seen people mindlessly scrolling reels on social media for hours which consumes their day to a great extent and also kinda becomes an escape from reality for them which leads to less face-to-face contact with people and an increased feeling of loneliness.
Designate an entertainment period in your day and only use social media during that period only.
So yes social media has good and bad effects on our brains but with an approach to use it we significantly reduce the bad effects.