The emergence of social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter proves that we are living in a technologically advanced society. These platforms have a major impact on our everyday lives. On average, most young adults spend around nine hours a day on social media, which culminates into a deeper understanding to the results of social media use. With the great amount of time that people spend on social media, individuals both benefit and suffer from their usage. The need to document the different aspects of our lives allows individuals to prove their worth, status, and our so-called “popularity.” Social media has allowed us to not only connect with others around the world, but it has also created a society that is heavily
With the growing pressure to fit in and gain acceptance, younger people tend to be more self conscious about their appearance. Research has shown that social media use correlates to the development of mental health issues. For example, research conducted by Dr. Mark Becker from Michigan State University found that there was a “70% increase in self reported depressive symptoms among the group using social media and a 42% increase in social anxiety.” (Armedie 2015, p.9). This rise in mental health issues can be attributed to issues such as body image and self-confidence issues, as well as, social stress and anxiety. For example, viewing photos on Instagram or Twitter can cause individuals to compare themselves to others in a harmful manner. When individuals see a post that they believe is superior to themselves, it has been proven that this leads to envy and depression as users stress about fulfilling an unrealistic image of perfection. With this constant stress and pressure to appear perfect on social media, research has shown that “The constant release of the stress hormone cortisol, from heavy social media usage, over time causes damage to your gastrointestinal tract (gut), which opens the door to an immuno-inflammatory response in the body and brain, leading to depression anxiety” (Armedie 2015, p.9). An example of this includes a
The emergence of social media in today’s world has posed as a pivotal and culminating factor in the progression of human society. These platforms have become a huge part of everyday life as many check their platform accounts daily, if not multiple times a day. Deciding whether or not social media is a blessing or a curse may be debatable. But ultimately, social media cannot be classified as solely being a blessing or a curse since it has both positive and negative aspects. Social media is both a blessing and a curse. It can be a blessing as it provides opportunities for expression and communication, But social media can also be a curse as it can be linked to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. No matter how people choose to look at social media, there is no doubt that it will continue to transform and impact our daily