Welcome to the digital age! With the advent of the internet, smartphones, and social media, it has become easier than ever for us to connect with one another, 24/7. We are living in a time where the potential for communication has drastically increased-- I mean, how many people do you know who aren’t nearly always reachable on their smartphones? For most of us the answer is probably, ‘very few’. However, despite having the tools and the access to enhance communication, the underlying question remains: are we really more connected? Or is too much technology (namely in the form of social media), causing us to become extremely disconnected in ways we never anticipated?
I’m betting on the latter--and guess what, so are the experts.
Psychologists posit that social media not only interferes with authentic, real-world human connection--leaving us feeling lonelier--but it is also detrimental to our mental health and it damages our self esteem. Namely, too much social media usage not only makes us feel lonelier, but also more depressed and insecure.
‘GIVE ME THE STATS’: BREAKING DOWN SOME STATISTICS ON MENTAL ILLNESS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (also known as the CDC) estimates that a jaw-dropping 50% of Americans will suffer from a mental disorder or illness at some point during their lives; this illness may be temporary or lasting/long-term (1).
Mental illness is also the third most common cause of hospitalization amongst Americans aged 18-44 years old-- and those who suffer from serious mental illness have an average life expectancy that is 25 years less than their peers who do not suffer from a serious mental illness (1).
Additionally, certain reports estimate the percentages of individuals suffering from a mental illness or disorder for any given specific period, as being around (20%) (2,3). However, it is important to understand that this number reflects only adults, and is also only reflective of a specific period of time (any given year). Remember, the CDC’s (50%) estimation was not age or time specific, and instead focused on whether individuals had ever, either currently or in the past, suffered from any given mental illness or disorder.
These statistics are staggering, and I think it's fair to say that most of us (myself included) had no idea the numbers were nearly this high.
SOCIAL MEDIA, DEPRESSION, AND LONELINESS
Recently in 2019, a poll was conducted by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which revealed that when prompted, (67%) of its respondents agreed that social media is linked to feelings of “loneliness and social isolation”4. The study also found that Millennials, at (73%), were more likely than Baby-Boomers, at (62%), to agree with the aforementioned connection between social media usage and feelings of loneliness and social isolation (4).
Studies like this are hardly stand-alone--in fact there has been a fair amount of research into the correlation between social media usage and mental health outcomes. The results are nothing short of truly eye-opening.
According to findings from a study conducted by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, a link exists between social media usage and mental and emotional well-being. In their experiment, the researchers divided 143 students from the University of Pennsylvania into one of two observational groups: 1.) The Control group, who were allowed to continue their social media use as they normally would, and 2.) The Test Group, who agreed to drastically limit their social media use to just 30 minutes per day (5).
Once the findings were in they revealed that the students in the control group, who continued their social media habits like normal, were more likely than their peers (those who had to limit their usage to only 30 minutes per day) to be depressed and lonely. In short, the researchers found a correlation between the time spent on social media, and increased levels of depression and loneliness (5).
So why is it that a medium such as social media-- which is supposed to facilitate more connection-- is leaving so many of us feeling perpetually depressed, disconnected, and lonely?
There are several different theories for why exactly our mental health is suffering as a result of social media usage.
As Alexandra Hamlet, a Doctor of Psychology explains, one reason is likely because, “The less you are connected with human beings in a deep, empathic way, the less you’re really getting the benefits of a social interaction” (6). To put it plainly, the internet is NOT a substitute for the meaningful face-to-face quality time that we spend with humans in real life--and not only is it not a substitute, but it's not even considered to be a healthy alternative. The more time we spend online, or “tuned-in”, the less time we spend physically interacting with the people in our life; in other words, we “tune-out”. Oftentimes, many of us will actually be attempting to do both of these things simultaneously; for example, we might be scrolling through Instagram or Facebook while we are supposed to be spending quality time with a parent, friend, or partner. This divided attention on our part could lead to less depth and empathy within our real life social interactions, leaving those close to us feeling “brushed off” or “unheard”--and our relationships with them might even begin to suffer over time as a result of this.
Another explanation offered for the increased levels of depression has to do with how social media can negatively affect our self-esteem (6).
SOCIAL MEDIA AND SELF-ESTEEM
Prior to the age of Instagram, many of the messages about beauty, body image, and relationships came straight from the silver screen in Hollywood, and from advertisements in magazines. Today, with the advent of social media, it has become easier than ever to criticize ourselves and our bodies, our relationships, our lifestyles, and every little thing in between! It has become easier than ever to feel like you’re simply not enough.
In an interview with well-known, albeit controversial women’s magazine, “Cosmopolitan”, Iskra Lawrence, a 24 year old model with a substantial Instagram following, stated the following of social media:
It is so much scarier than magazines. At least most people realize that magazines and campaigns have been airbrushed. But young girls are looking at selfies on Instagram and they're not realizing that some people are using apps to totally change what they look like. (7)
In her interview, Lawrence makes a great point about apps (and filters, might I add!), which possess the technological capacity to fundamentally manipulate and change the way we look in a variety of different ways. We are living in a time where unrealistic beauty standards have run wild, and oftentimes selfies are so heavily edited or filtered that many of us are left wondering what’s real and what is simply a convincing edit.
According to a poll by Disability Charity Scope, more than 50% of the 1,500 individuals surveyed responded with claims that social media makes them feel “inadequate”, with an even (50%) of 18- to 34-year-olds claiming that social media makes them feel “unattractive” as well (8).
Research connecting social media with lowered self esteem is backed further by another study from 2016, wherein Penn State University researchers came to a similar finding--their study revealed that, “viewing other people’s selfies lowered self-esteem, because users compare themselves to photos of people looking their happiest” 8. Further studies conducted by three other universities: (University of Iowa, University of Strathclyde,and Ohio University) revealed that, “women compare themselves negatively to selfies of other women” (8).
All of these studies can’t be wrong. The fact of the matter is, selfie culture is toxic! I’m aware that I’m making a pretty bold claim here, and that not everyone will unanimously agree with me--but the research doesn’t lie! I’ll be the first to say that I, myself, have likely taken my own unique part in perpetuating selfie culture. If you were to look at my own personal Instagram (@Hellllcatttt), you would find that it is mostly a collage of me looking my best--but I can assure you that I don’t look nearly so ‘put together’ or ‘perfect’ all, or even most, of the time.
KEEPING US WITH THE JONESES: HOW APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING
“Duck Syndrome”, is a term coined by researchers at Stanford University, in the face of rising suicide rates among young adults. It is the name given to the social phenomena wherein primarily young adults appear to be calm, happy, and doing well on the surface, but are actually internally struggling with emotional issues such as severe stress, anxiety, and depression (9). The term, “refers to the way a duck appears to glide effortlessly across a pond while below the surface its feet work frantically, invisibly struggling to stay afloat” (9).
Recent reports by the the American College Health Association (ACHA) indicate that since the 1950s, suicide rates have tripled among those 15-24 years old; suicide is also “ currently the second most common cause of death among college students” (10).
Here are some more statistics, courtesy of VerywellMind, an online resource for mental health (10):
“Suicides among girls ages 15 to 19 doubled from 2007 to 2015, when it reached its highest point in 40 years while the suicide rate for boys ages 15 to 19 grew by 30% from 2007 to 2015”
“In a recent study published in Depression and Anxiety of more than 67,000 college students from more than 100 institutions, one in five students have had thoughts of suicide, with 9% making an attempt and nearly 20% reporting self-injury”
In her article entitled, “Social Media and Self Doubt”, Rae Jacobson touches on “Duck Syndrome” when she mentions the following:
[Some] students who have died had projected a perfect image on social media— their feeds packed with inspirational quotes and filtered images showing attractive, happy kids who seemed to excel with minimal effort. But behind the digital curtain they were struggling emotionally. (11)
Jacobson touches on an important and crucial point: just because someone appears to be doing just fine on the surface, doesn’t mean that they aren’t actually severely struggling or suffering behind their carefully curated veneer. These suicide statistics aren’t just startling, they’re heartbreaking. These are our friends, family members, co-workers, and spouses. This is OUR generation.
While I’m not going to flat out blame the increasing suicide rates among young people on social media--I will say that I do believe, based on the research studies and statistics mentioned earlier in this article, that social media certainly plays a substantial role in our generation’s declining mental health and well-being. Too much social media usage is more likely to make us feel depressed, lonely, and insecure-- these feelings can then act as emotional precursors which could eventually develop into suicidal ideation, or even the carrying out of the act itself.
In sum, Instagram is a liar, Facebook is a liar--social media IS a liar; and we are all guilty of perpetuating these lies in our own unique ways. None of us are perfect and without flaws, and there is no such thing as the perfect, conflict-free life that many of us perpetuate on our social media. A picture might be worth a thousand words--but a picture NEVER gives the FULL story. I think it’s crucial that we keep this fact in mind the next time that we are scrolling on Instagram and we come across someone who makes us feel like we aren’t measuring up. It’s important to remember that each of us has our own unique physical appearance, talents, skills and abilities, etc., and that comparing ourselves to others doesn’t get us anywhere. If we want to be happy, we have to be comfortable and confident in who we are--and that itself is a journey that takes place within, not outside, of ourselves.
REFERENCES
“Data and Publications - Mental Health - CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 26 Jan. 2018, www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/data_publications/index.htm.
“Mental Health By The Numbers.” NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Health, Sept. 2019, www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers.
“Mental Health Information.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2019, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml.
“Americans Are Concerned about Potential Negative Impacts of Social Media on Mental Health and Well-Being.” American Psychiatric Association, American Psychiatric Association, 20 May 2019, www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/americans-are-concerned-about-potential-negative-impacts-of-social-media-on-mental-health-and-well-being.
Mammoser, Gigen. “The FOMO Is Real: How Social Media Increases Depression and Loneliness.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 9 Dec. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/health-news/social-media-use-increases-depression-and-loneliness#The-bottom-line
Miller, Caroline. “Does Social Media Cause Depression?” Child Mind Institute, Child Mind Institute, childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/.
Fleming, Olivia. “'Why Don't I Look Like Her?': How Instagram Is Ruining Our Self Esteem.” Cosmopolitan, Hearst Magazine Media, 15 Jan. 2017, www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/a8601466/why-dont-i-look-like-her-how-instagram-is-ruining-our-self-esteem/.
Brown, Jessica. “Is Social Media Bad for You? The Evidence and the Unknowns.” BBC Future, BBC, 4 Jan. 2018, www.bbc.com/future/article/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns.
Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne. “Duck Syndrome: Mental Health Symptoms & Definition.” MedicineNet, MedicineNet, 8 Nov. 2018, www.medicinenet.com/duck_syndrome/article.htm#duck_syndrome_facts.
Burrell, Jackie. “College and Teen Suicide Statistics.” Verywell Mind, Dotdash Publishing, 3 Feb. 2020, www.verywellmind.com/college-and-teen-suicide-statistics-3570768.
Jacobson, Rae. “Social Media and Self-Doubt.” Child Mind Institute, Child Mind Institute, childmind.org/article/social-media-and-self-doubt/.
Comments