Mental Health Research, Technology / 12.09.2024
How Does Social Media Actually Affect Our Mental Health?
When it comes to social media usage, you don’t need to complete a masters in mental health nursing to understand that the media we consume via socials can have a dramatic impact on our state of mind.
Of course, these impacts are not always negative. Inspirational, aspirational, and almost always aesthetically pleasing - engaging with social media content can help us experience a certain ‘joie de vivre’, it can fuel our drive and ambition to succeed, and in some ways, also enhance our sense of community, connectedness, and belonging.
On the flip side, however, it can also be argued that social media imposes immense societal pressure - particularly on the young and impressionable - as well as the tendency to compare ourselves to others. This can cause vulnerable content consumers to see themselves in a negative light - which can lead to emotional distress, and in some cases, even develop into serious mental health conditions such as eating disorders, anxiety, and depression.
