21UHV33 – Universal Human Values-I
2022-23 Odd Semester
“ILL EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA”
Submitted By]
2022-23
Table of contents
Sr.No.: Topic Page no.
1 Introduction 4
2 Pros and Cons of Social Media’s Effects 6
on Self-Esteem
3 Does social media impact how you feel? 6
4 The Negative Effects of social media on 7
Self-Esteem
5 Sleep and low self-esteem 7
6 Toxic social media breeds bad behavior 8
7 ‘Likes’ do not make you feel happier 9
8 Evaluate everything you share on social 10
media
9 Positive habits to increase happiness and 11
combat low self-esteem
10 Conclusion 12
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1. Introduction:
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of
information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and
networks. Users usually access social media services through web-based
apps on desktops or download services that offer social media functionality to their mobile
devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets). As users engage with these electronic services, they
create highly interactive platforms which individuals, communities, and organizations can
share, co-create, discuss, participate, and modify user-generated or self-curated content posted
online. Additionally, social media are used to document memories, learn about and explore
things, advertise oneself, and form friendships along with the growth of ideas from the creation
of blogs, podcasts, videos, and gaming sites. This changing relationship between humans and
technology is the focus of the emerging field of technological self-studies. Observers have
noted a wide range of positive and negative impacts when it comes to the use of social media.
Social media can help to improve an individual's sense of connectedness with real
or online communities and can be an effective communication (or marketing) tool for
corporations, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, political parties, and
governments. Observers have also seen that there has been a rise in social movements using
social media as a tool for communicating and organizing in times of political unrest.
Some of the most popular social media websites, with more than 100 million registered users,
include Facebook, TikTok, WeChat, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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A fascinating study by the New York Times Consumer Insight Group revealed the
motivations that participants cited for sharing information on social media which include
a desire to reveal valuable and entertaining content to others; to define themselves; to
grow and nourish relationships and to get the word out about brands and causes they
like or support.
A fascinating study by the New York Times Consumer Insight Group revealed the
motivations that participants cited for sharing information on social media. These
include a desire to reveal valuable and entertaining content to others; to define
themselves; to grow and nourish relationships and to get the word out about
brands and causes they like or support.
These factors have caused social networks to evolve from being a handy means for
keeping in touch with friends and family to being used in ways that have a real impact
on society.
Social media issues are often complex and there are typically no ‘right answers’ to
drawn on. Having said that, there is a growing body of research from which can be
gleaned some principles for wise usage. While social media is sometimes touted to
combat loneliness, a significant body of research suggests it may have the opposite
effect. By triggering comparison with others, it can raise doubts about self-worth,
potentially leading to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
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2. Pros and Cons of Social Media’s Effects on Self-Esteem
Of course, social media is not all bad. For some people, various platforms serve to
heighten self-esteem, not decrease it. But why does healthy self-esteem matter in the
first place?
Having positive self-esteem often leads to:
Psychological well-being
Success later in life
Healthy peer attachment
As you can see, healthy self-esteem is very important for a young, developing person,
and a young person’s self-esteem hinges largely on peer interaction and feedback.
With social media, this door can swing both ways.
3. Does social media impact how you feel?
While social media may help to cultivate friendships and reduce loneliness, evidence
suggests that excessive use negatively impacts self-esteem and life satisfaction. It’s
also linked to an increase in mental health problems and suicidality (though not yet
conclusively).
Rising rates of depression have coincided with the rise in smartphone use. A study
published in 2017 in the journal Clinical Psychological Science looked at social
media/smartphone usage, depression and suicide death rates in more than 500,000
US students in years 8 to 12. Between 2010 and 2015, they found a 33 percent
increase in the number of adolescents with high levels of depressive symptoms and 31
percent more died by suicide. The increase was driven almost exclusively by females.
The study’s lead author noted that the increase in depressive symptoms correlated
with smartphone adoption over that period. There was also a corresponding jump in
reports of students seeking assistance at counselling centers, mainly for depression
and anxiety. Conversely, those spending more time on non-screen activities (such as
in-person social interaction, sporting activities, and attending religious services) were
less likely to report mental health issues.
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Another study, just released in JAMA Psychiatry, looked at social media usage in
6,595 adolescents. They found that adolescents spending more than three hours per
day using social media may be at increased risk for mental health problems, especially
internalizing problems (suffering on the inside, including symptoms like anxiety,
depression, suicidal thoughts, negative self-image, and loneliness).
Furthermore, social media overload may lead to problems with self-esteem, particularly
in teenage girls. “Many girls are bombarded with their friends posting the most perfect
pictures of themselves, or they’re following celebrities and influencers who do a lot of
Photoshopping and have makeup and hair teams,” Dr Alexandra Hamlet, a clinical
psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, says in an article for Childmind.org “If that’s
their model for what is normal, it can be very hard on their self-confidence.”
Another reason why depression is associated with social media might be what
psychologists call displacement – which means what teenagers are not doing during
time that’s displaced by social media. This includes mental health-boosting activities.
4. The Negative Effects of social media on Self-Esteem
When one already feels as though their life is lacking, social media only serves to
amplify what other people have and what’s going well for them. After all, many people
use their social media profiles to project a perfect image with carefully chosen photos,
often showcasing different filters. As a result, one may begin to feel worse about
yourself.
Social media can also add stress to daily life, especially when it comes to evaluating
own posts. Each time post a picture or status update, one might worry about the
number of likes, shares, and comments the post will generate. This obsession to be
seen offers another opportunity for comparison, as you might wonder why another
person’s images or content got more attention and positive feedback than own.
5. Sleep and low self-esteem
One crucial thing that social media can displace is sleep. A recent study by pediatric
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researchers Scott, Biello and Woods involving almost 12,000 adolescents found that
overall, heavier social media use was associated with poorer sleep patterns. Very high
social media users, for example, were more likely than average users to report late
sleep onset and wake times and trouble getting back to sleep after night-time waking.
The Child Mind Institute point out that lack of sleep can negatively affect teens’ mood,
and ability to regulate emotions and get along with adults. Sleep and depression can
become a vicious spiral, as lack of sleep leads to depression and vice versa.
Other research shows that 60 percent of adolescents check their phones in the hour
before going to bed. On average, they got an hour less sleep than peers not using their
phones pre- bedtime. The blue light from electronic screens is known to interfere with
sleep and checking social media doesn’t coax the mind to relax.
6. Toxic social media breeds bad behavior
Furthermore, social media can be a breeding ground for toxic behaviors. Some of
these include:
Narcissism – social media may encourage self-obsession. You’ve no doubt
seen people fixated on getting the perfect ‘selfie’ for their social accounts.
Facebook, in particular, has reportedly caused what researchers call a context
collapse, where users become locked into a single persona and “self-edit” what
they share on social media to comply with this persona. However, self-
absorption contrasts starkly with the attitude Christ calls us to – a selfless desire
to place God first and love and serve others
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The anonymity and distance afforded by the online environment can also
embolden behaviors that people may not consider in face-to-face interactions.
For example:
Lies – in their endeavors to portray a certain persona, people blatantly lie about
their lives, or distort the truth. Others pretend to be someone else, sometimes
by stealing identities.
Bullying – more than a third of young people are bullied online, according to a
2018 survey of 1,000 young people by mental health organization Reach Out
Australia. They also found that reported cyberbullying had doubled in 12 months
among 14 to 16-year-olds.
Spying – social media is an easy platform for prying eyes. Maintaining privacy is
an increasing concern. According to children’s digital safety organization Guard
Child, 39 percent of tweens and teens think their online activity is private from
everyone. Twenty-four percent of social media users reported they were not at
all confident using privacy settings.
Stalking – cyberstalking is harassing behavior using an online platform. It may
include threats, cryptic messages and sexual innuendo, usually with a goal of
creating fear or intimidation. For example, adult predators may create fake
profiles, pretending to be a young person to befriend and gain the trust of young
people online. An Australian Government Committee on Cybersafety found that
young Australians appear unsure of what cyber-stalking involves
7. ‘Likes’ do not make you feel happier
Adolescents often go to great lengths to get social media likes. Many teens and young
adults learn to think of themselves as “brands.” And to promote their brands, some
youth engage in what researchers call “deceptive like-seeking practices”—posting at
“high-traffic” times, using filters to make themselves look more attractive, or even
buying likes.
These behaviors may seem extreme to parents. But likes tap into key adolescent
needs. All humans have an evolutionarily-driven desire to belong. And during
adolescence, we are especially motivated to gain social status among our peers.
While getting ‘likes’ on social media posts might give a short-lived high, studies have
indicated they don’t make people happier. A 2017 study by the British Psychological
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Society found that receiving likes didn’t make people feel any better about themselves
or lift mood when they were down. Study author Dr Martin Graff said: “Although this is
just a relatively small-scale study, the results indicate that the ways we interact with
social media can affect how we feel and not always positively.”
8. Evaluate everything you share on social media
While much of what gets shared on social media seems harmless, it’s worth
remembering that not everyone has good intentions. Social posts can make great
fodder for internet trolls, cyber-bullies and, worse still, pedophiles. Much care should
be taken.
It’s conceivable that your young person’s posts could get into the hands of the wrong
people. A rash decision to post a revealing picture, for example, could lead to long-
term regret when it turns up in a search by an employer.
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9. Positive habits to increase happiness and combat low self-esteem
Social media is unlikely to help children develop self-worth. But there are proven things
that can be done for combatting low self-esteem and reducing the risk of anxiety and
depression.
Do what you love: The Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association
note that doing enjoyable activities, like hobbies or sports, is associated
with reduced stress and better psychological function. They explain that creative
or engaging hobbies can have similar effects to exercise on the brain and
mental health.
Helping others in your community: An overwhelming amount of evidence shows
that contributing to the lives of others has many benefits. For
example, volunteering can give you a sense of purpose, increase self-esteem,
reduce stress, relieve symptoms of depression and combat loneliness.
Seek healthy friendships: good friendships help to prevent loneliness and
provide a sense of belonging and purpose.
Exercise boosts happiness: The link between regular exercise and better mental
health is well-established. Regular exercisers have greater emotional wellbeing
and lower rates of mental illness. Exercise boosts mood, helps with sleep and
aids learning, as well as improving physical health.
Watch what you eat: Numerous studies have shown that what you eat affects
how you feel. It shouldn’t be surprising, given that feel-good chemicals are
made by nerve cells. Healthy choices are like premium fuel for growing brains
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10. Conclusion:
In summary, certainly social media is not all evil. However, the importance of
moderation and awareness of risks must be there. With youth depression and
anxiety such a serious problem, a focus on positive ways to build healthy self-
esteem is vital.
By ensuring usage of social media in balance – as part of a lifestyle that includes
activities like exercise, sleep, spending time with friends and serving others –
children have the chance of becoming the best of themselves.
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