Social Media's Effects On Social Media And Mental Health

Decent Essays
A statistic shows that "3.17 billion people use social media." Social media 's effects on our mental health are dangerous to not only ourselves but the people around us as well. In order to clearly understand how social media affects one 's mental health, social media and mental health must first be defined and fully covered. Determining whether or not one uses social media excessively will also be discussed. The rise in popularity of social media poses a relevant question: Can we prevent mental health issues and still use social media?
Social media as described on whatis.techtarget.com says, “Social media is the collective of online communications channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration.” Some examples of social media are as follows: Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Tinder, Kik, Tumbler, etc. These social media outlets can be used to easily communicate with and keep in touch with friends and family. The use of social media can be especially helpful in long-distance relationships or for family members who live far away from each other.
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Mental health as described on mentalhealth.gov says, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It Effects how we think, feel, and act.” Examples of mental illnesses include depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors. These specific illnesses have the potential to result from overuse or misuse of social media.
Social media is addictive and can cause a variety of problems within our lives. “Studies show that 63% of Americans log on to Facebook daily, and 40% log on multiple times each day.” An article on computerworld.com says “There is a thing called FOMO, fear of missing out, which causes people to become addicted.” People fear that if they give up social media, they will miss something important related to their friends or

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