By Samartha Satarupa Patnaik
2nd Year, B.Tech (CSE)

Social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Snapchat, adore it or not, these social media have hugely modified the manner a whole technology communicates. Furthermore, like it or not, it is now no longer going away. Living at least a part of our lifestyle ‘online’ is becoming “the brand new normal” which is making us capable of navigating, without which we are far from today’s inescapable reality.

Social media has become mainstream. It is not only pretty much-constructing relationships with buddies and family but, social media has morphed right into an area in which customers connect to start-ups and influencers, hold research, distribute content or even buy products. Depending on our age and our relationship with fellow socialites, usage of social media might range dramatically. These eponymous apps and websites have created new ways to communicate with users. However, is social media to blame for some of the mental health problems young people face today? It seems to be yes and no.

The position social media holds in intellectual health

Human beings are social creatures. We want the companionship of others to thrive in life, and the electricity of our connections has a massive effect on our intellectual fitness and happiness. Being socially related can ease stress, anxiety, and depression, enhance self-worth, offer consolation and joy, save us from loneliness, or even enhance years of our life. On the flip side, missing sturdy social connections can pose extreme danger for our intellectual and emotional fitness.

Many of us depend upon social media systems to discover and connect in today's world. While each has its benefits, it is crucial to bear in mind that social media can by no means be an alternative for real human connection. It calls for in-man or woman touch with others to cause the hormones that alleviate strain and make our experience happier, healthier, and more significantly positive. Ironically for a generation designed to carry humans closer together, spending excessive time enticing with social media can make us experience greater loneliness and isolation and exacerbate intellectual fitness troubles, including tension and depression.

Especially for young and younger adults, online verbal exchange is displacing face-to-face (or even voice-to-voice) verbal exchange. In 1987, 38 percent of university newcomers spent at least sixteen hours in a week socializing. By 2014, that equal percent of newcomers spent most effectively five or fewer hours in a week socializing. However, 27 percent of today’s newcomers spend six or extra hours a week on social media. It is effortless to hide behind a username.

How does social media have a negative impact?

Everyone is distinctive, and there may be no precise quantity of time spent on social media, the frequency(with which) we test for updates, or the variety of posts we are making, suggest our use is turning unhealthy. Instead, it has to do with the effect that time spent on social media has on our temper and different life factors, in conjunction with our motivations for using it. However, when it comes to communicating with people, they may find it more challenging because they are not used to it. How do we handle a face-to-face relationship? Those are the abilities we will need to function as adults and parents.

Social media may promote negative experiences as :

Although we are aware that the photographs we see on social media have been edited, they can still make us feel anxious about our appearance or how happening others’ lives are, as compared to our own what is going on in our own life. However, whether we are going through a friend’s retouched images of their exotic beach vacation or reading about their exciting new job promotion, we cannot help but feel envious and dissatisfied.

While bullying has been around since the first Neanderthal picked up a rock and sneered at his smaller neighbour, cyber-bullying takes it to a whole new level. Around 10% of teenagers say they have been bullied on social media, and many others have received nasty comments. Twitter and other social media platforms can be hotbeds for spreading harmful rumours, lies, and abuse that leave emotional scars.

Modifying social media use to bring a change

Social media is essentially another instrument that can be a boon or a bane for us. Not only does social media keep us connected to our loved ones, but it also allows them to reach out or seek help whenever they detect something problematic in our posts.

FOMO keeps us ruminating on life’s failures and frustrations by causing us to compare ourselves negatively to others. Instead of being immersed in the present moment, we are preoccupied with the “what ifs”; and “if onlys ” that keep us from living the life we see on social media. We can learn to live more in the present, reduce the impact of FOMO, and enhance our mental health in general by training the mind.

Is there a greater way of spending more time on social media? Instead, if we are feeling lonely, invite a friend out for coffee. Do we all have a bad mood? Go out for a walk or visit the gym. Are we bored? Take up a new activity. Even though social networking is handy and quick, there are often healthier and more viable methods to satiate a pang of hunger. We should look for them rather than devoting our time to something that is hurting us gradually.

What pushes us to use social media?

The purpose of social media sites is to captivate our interest, keep us online, and keep us checking our screen for updates. It is how businesses generate money. However, like a gambling habit or a nicotine, alcohol, or drug addiction, social media use can lead to psychological cravings. Until we get a like, a share, or a positive reaction to a post, our brain releases dopamine, the same “reward” chemical that we get after winning at a slot machine, eating junk food, or lighting a cigar. The more we are rewarded, the more time we want to spend on social media, even if it has terrible repercussions in other areas of our life.