Front Range Community College Technology, which has evolved so much in the last decade, is used for nearly everything. Communication is one of the most obvious. In 2018, 90% of those aged 18-24 have an account on social media, such as Facebook, Snapchat, or Twitter. About 80% visit the sites on a daily basis. All this is harmless, correct? Although it may appear that way, this isn’t the case. Social media has been shown to be harmful to mental health in many studies. Mental health includes our emotional, cognitive and behavioral well-being. Social media can have many negative effects, including depression, addiction and self-esteem.
Today, computers are in our pocket and on the tip of our finger. Most young adults use social media; we call it “staying in touch”. Pew Research Center, an online database that provides statistics, facts, trends, and information on technology and the internet, reported in 2018 that more than 80% (and sometimes even more) of young adults are using social media. Like any other addiction, social media use is on the rise. Social media addiction has been a research topic for many psychologists, but it is also a concern among older generations and their friends. Operant conditioning is responsible for this addiction. B. F. Skinner developed this theory as a learning method that occurs through rewards or punishments. Social media can provide positive feedback. The ability to follow, connect, and connect with people and models we admire leads to us using social media more often. Cecilie Andreassen created the Facebook Addiction Scale, which was used to measure young adult Facebook addiction in 2012. Andreassen created, with the help of many authors from the University of Bergen, a questionnaire containing this Addiction, Tendency, and Online Sociability Scale.
Scale mood changes, tolerance, salience and withdraw. The survey was sent to 423 college students. The results of the survey confirmed that social media addiction is a problem among students. This theory was followed by a questionnaire to determine the sleep quality. The dependence on facebook could be due to poor sleep. These results were based on. Addiction and overuse can have negative effects on daily life. Social media is a major part of our daily lives today, particularly for young adults. In some cases, we define and rely on our social acceptance. Self-esteem can be defined as the way that we determine our own worth. Many people do this by posting photos of themselves, their travels or cars on social media. In this way, we can not only “stay connected” with our friends and families but also get approval from followers. This is to receive likes from others and to seek acceptance. This is directly tied to Skinner’s operant-conditioning theory. When we follow models, friends and those we admire, it is a way to compare ourselves. Most people only share edited photos that show the best aspects of their lives. This is how we compare ourselves. Comparing oneself to something we consider perfect is not healthy. When our self-esteem drops, we are more susceptible to mental illnesses.
Mehdizadeh has published a report on a study conducted at York University. 100 students filled out a questionnaire about their self-esteem, personality and other aspects. The students who had lower self-esteem used social media more actively to promote themselves. The study was conducted by Gonzales Hancock and they provided students with several different settings including their Facebook profile as well as the control setting. Results show that the facebook profile was associated with their highest self-esteem. The controversy is likely to be linked with the timely use social media. Media use, self-evaluation, comparisons, and competition are all linked to depression, low self-esteem and jealousy.
Many studies have concluded that social media use can lead to depression by creating a false impression about the physical and personal characteristics of those we admire or follow. Low self-esteem can result from this, as well as jealousy, loneliness, addiction, cyberbullying and other negative emotions.
Chou & Edge published an interesting article about the impact social media has on how people view others. The study included 425 undergraduates at Utah State University. Students were shown social media images and given the impression that they had a better life. Overall, the results of the research showed that those with preexisting depression are more likely to be impacted by their mental health. A 2013 study by many University of Michigan psychologists involved a text messaging study. Participants were sent five texts per week for two weeks, to gauge their moods, social interactions and feelings of loneliness. The participants also completed questionnaires that rated their answers. This study did not provide any useful information about the decline of their well-being. Social media has many effects on mental health. These include depression, addiction, and low self-esteem. In an age where technology is so prevalent, it’s important to be aware of the time you spend on these sites. Many of these problems seem to be directly linked to overusing social media. For our own families, as well as for those we love, it’s important to become aware of these negative effects.
