Safeguarding Mental Health from Impacts of Social Media
Safeguarding Mental Health, Mindset, and Overall Wellness from the Various Impacts of Social Media
By Leslie Wells, Social Media Specialist
Hope and Healing Therapy and Wellness Center
Social media platforms are only increasing in prevalence when it comes to communication, marketing, general information gathering, and beyond. In December 2021, TikTok.com officially surpassed Google as the #1 most popular domain on the internet (Forbes, 2021). With billions of current users, and new accounts created every day, an understanding of how our participation/consumption on these platforms can affect our mental health, mindset, and overall wellness is somewhat urgent. The evolution of social media is nothing if not rapid, and maintaining a proactive understanding of these extensive impacts can only benefit our societies in the long term.
Despite the many societal concerns that typically swirl around social media, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok did not grow to their immense popularity without a number of noteworthy benefits, so let’s start there. Before COVID-19 became a worldwide pandemic in early 2020, social media was already a preferred pastime by many. What seemed like seconds after societies started to undergo the suffrage of physical separation by means of social distancing, research shows that social media usage skyrocketed. According to pennmedicine.org, “social media engagement increased 61 percent during the first wave of the pandemic.”
As social media screen time went up, the sharing of ideas, entertainment, support, and resources also increased. Creatives and artists who found themselves out of work took to the internet as a means to share and continue to market their crafts and talents. A (safe from COVID) space to create, connect, and express authenticity was appreciated to say the least, but in some cases, a shift towards dependency started leading to some less positive side effects of more time spent on social media.
The top performing platforms utilize algorithms to organize and distribute content to those most likely to find it relevant. Since much of what is shared on social media platforms is visual, and users are shown the content with which we will resonate most, photos and videos of people we relate to are constantly available. Brief and curated windows into the lives of those whom we see some part of ourselves, can increase our tendencies to compare and calculate our own self worth against our limited perceptions of others. Superficial validation received (or not) via online community engagement ie: “likes,” “views,” and “shares,” become subconscious considerations after sharing a part of our day, mind, or life with the internet. Throughout the day, criticism and praise alike come through with a ping from our pocket, informing us whether or not we have earned the public’s approval at any given moment. Furthermore, mental presence in person is often compromised for the sake of documenting a special or significant moment in our personal lives for the world wide web. In summation, something as seemingly harmless as Snapchat, can have more implications in the long term than we may have ever considered.
So, how do we maintain the effective utilization of social media, and continue to enjoy its many benefits, while safeguarding against the just as numerous negative impacts? Establishing and upholding boundaries with social media platforms is a great place to start. As it turns out, screen time limitations are not exclusively for children. Many social media platforms include a feature that will alert the user once they have surpassed a predetermined “limit” of time on the app, to help users prevent from subconsciously scrolling their hours away. Additionally, implementing intentional selection over the content we are consuming can also reduce the negative impacts of social media by a great deal. For instance, unfollowing accounts that one becomes preoccupied with, and restricting access to one’s own content can preserve a sense of familiarity and trust with online community members. Furthermore, balancing time on social media with other hobbies, interests, and ways of interaction is another important consideration. Finding joy and stimulation from “unplugged” activities such as reading, exercise, cooking, etc. can reduce stress, feelings of loneliness, and provide more opportunities for appreciation and gratitude (silvermaples.org). If we aren’t mindfully balancing our virtual and in person interactions, we may be setting ourselves up for social anxieties in “real life” situations down the road.
Like most worthwhile things in life, social media is not without its flaws, but it's likely not going anywhere either. When used mindfully and intentionally, however, the potential of social media platforms to make a positive impact on our quality of life exists, and lies in the hands of each individual user.