Current studies suggest that there is a correlation between young people and mental health (Ehmke, 2017; Hurley, 2018; Jones, 2013). This paper will try to analyze the relationship between mental health and social media usage among young adults. Ehmke (2017) asserts that there is a significant concern for young social media users because they are the active social media users and this can impact their mental health. The most common types of social media the young generation of people are involved in are; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Telegram, and many more. However, at present there is inadequate research connecting social media usage and mental health; so, this paper will explore the social and individual researchers’ perspectives on the topic. Social media usage has contributed to over 25% of suicide rates among young adults since 2004.
The current individual and social research finding may help explain the correlation between social media usage and mental problems with young adults. Social media is accessible to nearly anyone in the modern world, however; young adults are the most active users of the sites (Jones, 2013). Although social media may have its adverse effects on human health in general, there are advantages associated with its usage. For instance, Jones (2013), states that social media helps people stay in touch with their friends and family members. Secondly, social media young adults use social media, especially Facebook to connect with other people with common interests and hobbies. Additionally, social media brings about self-disclosure which activates the intrinsic reward system just like food. However, social media has several adverse effects on the mental health of people, especially the young generation, commonly referred to as the iGeneration.
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Many studies link mental health problems to social media usage, such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, narcissism, cyber-bullying, a false sense of connection, cat-fishing and compulsive behavior (Amedie, 2015). A study conducted by the HomeNet Project concluded that continuous usage of social media led to signs of depression and loneliness (Hurley, 2018). Consequently, young adults who spend more time trying to manage their image online, especially on Facebook showed symptoms of depression. Additionally, young adults who spend more time on social media platforms are predicted to be lonely and are suffering from low self-esteem. However, Shafer (2018) disagrees with the findings and suggests that social media does not bring about depression, loneliness, and low self-esteem but instead provides an avenue for comfort. This finding is mirrored by Jones (2013), who states that a study conducted by the National Institute of Health suggested that young adults who had a strong face to face relationship frequented the social media sites for an additional avenue of interaction. He further asserts that, from observation, students from San Diego State University who had problematic social media usage depicted symptoms of depression, violence, and anxiety.
Various research have shown that quality of social media usage sites was a great predictor of perfect mental condition than the general social media usage. For instance, Jones (2013) states that adolescents who had a low quality of friendship and high frequency of social media usage depicted less likelihood of suffering from depression and related problems. However, Ehmke (2017) states that from research that has been conducted over time, the passive usage of internet by adolescents with low friendship quality was more prone to social anxiety and depression. Additionally, Ehmke (2017) asserts that greater depression rates were recorded from less use of social media than more usage of the sites from a study conducted in the Croatian Universities on 334 undergraduate students. Conversely, Jones (2013) asserts that there is evidence of reduction of risks of depression symptoms in young adults who used social forms of gaming and chatting.
Technological advancements such as Facebook, texting, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube have become the conventional ways of communication in the recent past (Jones, 2013). Further, only 7 percent of communication is based on verbal means while the rest is based on eye contact, the tone of the voice, and body language. Jones (2013) asserts that when looking at other negatives impacts of social media usage, such as withdrawal, jealousy, bipolar disorder, and addiction; it is still not clear which behavior is causing the other. For instance, it is not clear whether it is social media that is causing these anti-social and mental problems or whether it is these problems that are causing excessive social media usage. For that reason, I feel this field of study still needs comprehensive research to come up with the solution to these problems.
Social media usage is an integral part of our life, such that when one begin looking at it negatively; it will only take up back to the ancient times. Although social media can have negative impacts, I believe its impact depends from one person to the other and should be looked at from case-by-case. Consequently, social media usage is growing by the day and trying only to solve its negative effects on traditional human physical interaction, still there will be more problems and challenges arising. The topics still need comprehensive research, although I believe that social media usage has more positive effects on young adults than its adverse effects. Nonetheless, humans still need to ask ourselves if the society prepared to accept these new social media websites to influence change. Despite my opinion, I feel face to face communication should still be embraced as a means of communication.
References
Amedie, J. (2015). The impact of social media on society. Advanced Writing: Pop Culture Intersections, 2 . Retrieved on 15 November 2018, from http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/engl_176/2
Ehmke, R. (2017). How using social media affects teenagers. Child Mind Institute . Retrieved on 15 November 2018, from https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/
Hurley, K. (2018). Social media and teens: How does social media affect mental health? Vertical Health LLC . Retrieved on 15 November 2018, from https://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health
Jones, H. (2013). Social media's affect on human interaction. The HASTAC . Retrieved on 15 November 2018, from https://www.hastac.org/blogs/haley117/2013/06/07/social-medias-affect-human-interaction
Shafer, L. (2018). Social media and teen anxiety. President and Fellows of Harvard College . Retrieved on 15 November 2018, from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/12/social-media-and-teen-anxiety
