Pros And Cons Of Using Social Media On Mental Health

Social Media and Depression Name: Institution: Course Code: Date: Evaluating the Pros and Cons of Using Social Media on Mental Health; A Proposed Solution to Mitigate the Negative Effects Technology has revolutionized our lives, and it is almost unimaginable to live without our phones, iPads, laptops among other technological inventions that have flooded the market in the last few decades. These devices have enabled us to connect with friends and family through the internet at any time irrespective of our location. They have birthed social media, and it has transformed how we communicate, connect and relate with one another. Social media has a profound impact on its users, and it has been linked to poor mental health especially to young adults and teenagers. Depression can be caused by a variety of reasons, and according to (Pantic, Damjanovic, 2012; Primac et al., 2016; Shaw, Gant, 2002), it can be caused by the use of social networking websites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The popularity and widespread use of these websites among teens and young adults has prompted researchers to further investigate the relationship between social media websites and depression. Pros Social media helps improve the self-esteem of its users. Most of the users who visit social media platforms are driven by the desire to get positive reviews, evaluation and encouragement from their friends and families. They are often addicted to the ‘likes’ and positive comments which come when they update the world on various happenings in their lives (Kuss, & Griffiths, 2017). These positive reviews help boost their self-esteem as they feel appreciated, relevant and important to their online community. Some studies show that social media usage has either a positive or no effect on the level of depression of people (Eickhoff, Jalenchick, Moreno, 2012; Shaw, Gant, 2002). Social media comes in handy to those individuals who are shy or have low self-esteem to initiate a face-to-face conversation with other people. Young adults with high SMU seem to feel more socially isolated than their counterparts with lower social media useCITATION BAP17 \l 1033 (Primack, et al., 2017). Social media use is significantly associated with increased depression CITATION Liu \l 1033 (Liu yi Lin, et al.). They find it easier to do it behind a screen and helps them to get friends and build their social circles. Most social media users aged 15-24 primarily visit these sites to engage with their friends as they seek peer approval. All these innate interests are geared towards boosting their self-esteem. If they get negative reviews, these young adults and teenagers are adversely affected psychologically, and it lowers their self-esteem. Social media have become powerful tools to disseminate information, and they have surpassed the efficacy of traditional media houses in informing the public on news CITATION Ogi16 \l 1033 (Ogidi & Utulu, 2016). Social media users have an edge in knowing the latest happenings around them and globally. Though this advantage has played a critical role in uniting and promoting the societal agendas, it has been exploited by some people to advance their selfish individual goals especially politically by orchestrating fake news. However, s...