Currently there are numerous online social networking sites which host billions of individual across the globe. Each day, people engage their friends via the platforms, and it has turned to be one of the most common means of communication (Andreassen et al., 2016) . There have, however, been beneficial and devastating effects of online platforms. As a result, a lot of interest has emerged regarding the impact that online social networking is likely to have on the wellbeing of people in the society. Most notably, engagement in this kind of networking has been linked to mental and associated disorders. For instance, the multiple psychological, behavioral, social, and individual factors which act as key determinants of an individual`s health. Moreover, the heterogeneous outcomes emanating from the various studies indicate that there is an even greater necessity to undertake additional studies regarding the subject matter. It is, nevertheless, apparent that despite the impact that social networking is likely to cause on individuals` health this cannot deter people from indulging in it.
Relationship between Social Networking and Mental Disorder
Currently up to 30 percent of all internet time is spent on Social Networking (SN) sites. The platforms have managed to bring people from different parts of the world close together, and hence many individuals delight in socializing an exchanging information via the system. Moreover, more than 1.8 million people are active members of these platforms, with Facebook having the greatest dominance and popularity among most people (Andreassen et al., 2016) . Also, increasing research is currently being undertaken on the damaging psychological effects of SN. Some research bodies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) established a phenomenon known as Facebook depression which affects the teenagers who spend a lot of time on social media ( Andreassen et al., 2016 ). In addition to this, the institution offered a warning regarding exposure to the kind of isolation that results from engagement with social media. Despite this being the case, some people have come out to refute claims that social media has a negative effect on individuals` mental state. It can, however, be argued that some relationship exists between Social Networking and Mental Disorder.
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It is apparent that the utilization of information technology including addictive internet for non-professional or non-academic purposes has a close association with depression and anxiety. This is due to the fact that people are likely to become susceptible to acquiring depression as a result of using technology for an extended duration of time ( Andreassen et al., 2016 ). Moreover, the same people tend to be detached from their occupational environments. Young people spend up to 9 hours on a daily basis on social networking sites an indication that people in the society are becoming increasingly addicted to social networking ( Andreassen et al., 2016 ).
Also, based on a survey undertaken on individuals between 14-24 year olds, some of the popular networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are extending mental harm to the minds of young individuals. In the same study, however, Instagram emerged as the greatest deterrent to individuals` mental development owing to the idea that it exacerbates feelings of jealousy and inadequacy as well as anxiety among the users ( Pantic, 2014 ). The kind of damage being experienced results for feelings of loneliness, cyber bullying and insecurities pertaining to the bodies an images of individuals. Despite this being the case, YouTube appeared to have no psychological effects on users other than contributing to lack of sleep.
Some more aggravating concerns emanate from the increased concern raised by parents, key stakeholders in various economies and also the health organizations present regarding the increasing incidences of cyberbullying, suicides and sexting. For instance, some Russian children playing a game known as Blue Whale ended up committing suicide thus indicating the great effects that are likely to emanate from social media engagement ( Pantic, 2014 ). The Royal for Public Health Chief Executive in the United Kingdom, Shirley Cramer expressed concern regarding the effect of SN on people`s heath. She indicated that Instagram and Snapchat are among the worst promoters of negative mental health incidences. This is due to the fact that the platforms mainly focus on the images of individuals (Pantic, 2014) . As a result situations where people are body-shamed to make them feel inadequate are very common. There are, nevertheless, some positive aspects such as the acquisition of emotional support and self-expression by individuals; aspects that increase their confidence.
Psychology today also came up with a report which indicated that Facebook contributes to feelings of jealousy among the adults which later translates to depression. This actually happens whenever people utilize the Facebook platform as a tool for comparison. Whenever they compare themselves with other people they end up feeling inadequate. For instance, in a scenario where people get faced with images of their past friends and schoolmates who appear to be more successful than they are they become demoralized and mentally depressed. If SN is, however, used responsibly it can end up being a positive tool. Also, in a situation where people experience inadequacies resulting from their interaction with such sites the can immediately deactivate their accounts or unfollow those friends they tend to deem as being “happy ( Andreassen et al., 2016 ).” Individuals also have to realize that SN platforms do not essentially represent real life. This can be gathered from the idea that people never post their worst moments instead, they select images which they glorify and those which they deem to be a true representation of their best forms most of which end up being exaggerated.
Also, despite the fact that a couple of studies have managed to establish a connection existent between social networking, depression and anxiety, this matter is still controversial in the field of psychiatry. Numerous factors have been established detailing the reason why SN causes depression. Kraut et al. in 1999, for instance, published some research showing that social relationship and participation in community are adversely affected by social networking. The study for example, indicated that SN engagement decreased association between individuals and their family members. Moreover, it resulted in a reduction in the user`s social circle thus establishing depression and loneliness (Kraut et al., 1998). Also, further research on the matter revealed that such computer engagement is likely to decrease the social development of young people. It is fundamental to note that at the time the study was undertaken a great majority of social networking sites were non-existent. The investigation had, therefore, focused majorly on the devastating effects of browsing the internet.
Recent research undertaken has managed to establish the existence of a connection between symptoms of depression and social networking sites. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) was utilized to quantify depression amongst the participants of the study ( Kross et al., 2013 ). It was, nevertheless, apparent that the BDI score did not depict a correlation with the duration of time spent watching television and interacting via social media. Further still, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 depression Screen was used among young people mainly attending university and it was established that people belonging to differing age groups are likely to react dissimilarly to SN. In another study undertaken by Kross et al. in 2013 on young adults, text messages were sent to individuals 5 times a day in a bid to establish their level of satisfaction, and loneliness ( Kross et al., 2013 ). It emerged that a decline in such interaction contributed to symptoms of depression, thus indicating the effect that SN is likely to have on individuals.
A significant reason why the duration spent on SN can be associated with depression is based on the idea that such computer-interfaced interactions my result in transformed impressions of personal traits of some people. In this case, people are bound to make illogical conclusions regarding what they observe on their social media friends. This does not, however, indicate that the perception that others are happier is likely to contribute to depression, rather, this is most likely to affect people who already bear certain psychiatric comorbidities resulting from their depressive nature ( Pantic, 2014 ). As a result, their mental health ends up becoming adversely affected.
To sum it all up it up, the association between depression and social networking is visible in most settings. The utilization of SN for non-professional or non-academic purposes is likely to cause adverse psychological effects. Some social media sites such as Instagram also emerged as the greatest deterrent to individuals` mental development owing to the idea that they exacerbate feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. Social networking also leads individuals to create perceptions about others which are non-existent. The idea that others are “happier” than they are ends being contributing to depression and anxiety. This is, nevertheless, detected mostly in individuals with comorbidities. It is, therefore, the high time that people came up with definitive solutions by managing how to utilize social networking positively to avoid becoming victims of mental depression.
References
Andreassen, C. S., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., & Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors , 30 (2), 252.
Kraut, R., Patterson, M., Lundmark, V., Kiesler, S., Mukophadhyay, T., & Scherlis, W. (1998). Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? American psychologist , 53 (9), 1017.
Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Demiralp, E., Park, J., Lee, D. S., Lin, N. ... & Ybarra, O. (2013). Facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being in young adults. PloS one , 8 (8), e69841.
Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking , 17 (10), 652-657.
