A number of studies have linked social media use
with increased levels of depression, anxiety,
and isolation. Social media lovers have twice the
risk of depression, compared with their less enthusiastic peers.
Research
has revealed that younger and older users alike are in danger of breaking under
the pressure of unachievable standards of beauty and success, which are often
inherent in the workings of social networking websites.
A study published last
month found that among children aged 10 who are active on the Internet, social
media accounts "could have [a negative] impact on well-being later in
adolescence and perhaps throughout adulthood," the authors explain. Among young adult
users, social media notably increases the incidence of
anxiety and depression, according to the results of a sizeable study conducted
in 2016.
In
fact, the researchers saw that users who frequently checked their accounts had
a more than twice as high a risk of depression than their less social
media-oriented peers.
This
may partly be due to the fact that social networks create an artificial need to be available 24/7, to respond to messages and
emoji reactions instantly. But this attitude creates an unnecessary amount of
low-key stress that takes its
toll on our emotional well-being. And, despite the fact that such platforms are
supposed to enhance our sense of connectedness with other people, research has
found that they actually have the opposite effect: they render dedicated users lonelier and more isolated.
However,
this shouldn't really surprise us. The hyper-connectedness takes place at a
superficial level, eliminating all of the extra elements that make
communication more valuable and psychologically constructive. Such elements
include eye contact, body language, the possibility of listening for changes in
our interlocutor's tone of voice, or the possibility of physical touch.
Article courtesy of Medical News Today
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