Dr. Greg Kushnick and Muhammad Fahad Anwar
Depression is spreading through American culture like wildfire.
I see it as a psychologist, a consumer, an observer of our culture, and as my alter-blogging ego, the Social Media Lama.
Despite such remarkable advances in the diagnosis and treatment of depression, it seems as though more people are depressed than ever before.
It’s the era of social media. Not a single day we spend without consuming hours online. It’s a part of our lives. According to a stat of 2022, 61.67 million UK citizens use social networking sites. And is likely to cross the 65 million mark in 2027. Roughly 102 million people in Japan use social media, and the number is expected to be more than 113 million in 2027.
Everybody has a smartphone and access to social media. The constant notifications and scrolling pull us into its captivating world. An article in wired reveals that the average user of TikTok spends an hour and 25 minutes on the platform. He opens the app 17 times a day.
Connecting to social media has tons of benefits. But excessive use of it is not only affecting your physical health (such as vision and your body weight) but actually, it’s damaging your mental health the most. Your changed priorities, little to no motivation, constant comparison, and stressed state all the time are some signs. Stats on the negative effects of social media happens to agree. According to a study, teenagers involved in social media and electronic devices were expected to suffer more from mental health issues than those with less usage of the platforms.
Why is depression so widespread?
I’m going to share with you why social media and the media as a whole are increasingly responsible for depression’s attack on society and what you can do about it.
Once you understand how social media is hijacking your mental health, you can make smart adjustments to minimize its negative impact.
How You Can Overcome Their Negative Influence
1) Whether you realize it or not, social media is brainwashing you to believe that perfection is necessary for happiness.
Social media is constantly strengthening this association, especially photo-heavy sites like Instagram and Facebook, which are inundated with idealized versions of people and everyday experience.
Through the daily observation of your friends’ “perfect” lives and the subsequent pressure to look like you’re also living the ultimate life, you’re essentially being trained to adopt a perfectionistic standard for what life is supposed to look like.
Since the standards promoted via social media are essentially unachievable, those of us who don’t take mindful countermeasures will either exacerbate an existing depressive condition or pave the way for a more depressing life in the future.
The pressure to live up to a Kardashian-esque standard subtly depresses your mood and self-worth, even if you deny its influence.
The conscious manifestation of social-media-induced depression is felt as mild annoyance with someone else’s shared image of success or perfection, or a fleeting sense of longing to have what someone else has.
But make no mistake about it…the painful, perfectionistic and impossible standard harvested in your mind through social media wreaks havoc on your inner world behind the scenes.
Over time, it will put massive distance between your expectations for how reality is supposed to be and your actual experience of reality, especially if you don’t practice seeing through the grand social media illusion.
2) Social media creates the illusion that your life is riddled with problems.
Western culture is obsessed with labelling everything as a problem.
Our system for medical diagnosis and treatment of disease is based on finding problems.
Turn on any “fix it” reality show, daytime talk show, news program or just about anything you view on a screen. You’ll witness people obsessed with making changes to problems.
The problem with being brainwashed to search for problems is that it convinces you that you’re not supposed to struggle.
This mentality opposes self-acceptance and leads you to believe that suffering shouldn’t be a part of life.
In fact, this forced focus on labelling everything as a problem leads people to avoid problems.
Add the perfectionistic ideals transmitted via social media to the cultural push to see everything as a problem and you have the perfect storm for depression.
Why is this the ultimate formula for depression?
Because if you’re constantly comparing your current reality to an unattainable, perfectionistic standard, then you’re going to find a lot of problems!
Think of how many times a day you label something as a problem. If you hunt for problems, you will create problems.
Wow, look how skinny she is in her bikini. My body is a problem.
Look how happy they look together on vacation. My relationship is not like theirs. It’s a problem.
I should feel happy today. It’s a problem.
A problem-focused mentality promotes depression, shame, guilt and powerlessness, which obstruct your ability to make changes to correct what you consider a problem.
6 REASONS SOCIAL MEDIA IS DESTROYING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
Positive effects of social media:
Social media has undoubtedly brought loads of benefits to our lives. It helps in communicating with family and friends, and finding new people if you’re an introvert, have social anxiety, or reside in a remote area. It can entertain you, inspire you, motivate you, or educate you. According to a survey, 51% of Instagram users said they want to see funny content. 50% want creative, and 43% would like creative content on Instagram.
Though social media has positive aspects on our lives too. But the lack of physical or real interactions among people especially teens and grown-ups negatively impacts your mental health.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA:
Excess use of social media platforms could have harmful impacts on you. They could be extreme to handle at times. Hurtful comments, cyberbullying, and body shaming are a few to name. Here’s how social media affects your mental health.
IT IS ADDICTIVE:
Social media is designed to make you addicted. Because the more time you spend on these platforms the greater their revenue would be. They would do everything to keep you active on it. In a survey from 2020, 58% of US parents told that their children were not sleeping enough. 57% stated that their teen did not get enough physical activity and over 50% said that their teenage child did not focus enough on schoolwork due to social media.
Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a major contributor to this addiction. The fear of missing something; since everybody is using it. You believe everyone is enjoying their life and you’re the one who’s missing all the fun. Perhaps a meme, a joke, a new trend, or any news that you’re not aware of. You spend more time on these platforms rather than with family and friends.
This addiction to social media affects your mental and physical well-being. According to BMC Public Health, high mobile phone use was associated with sleep disturbances and symptoms of depression for men and women at 1-year follow-up.
THE CONSTANT STATE OF COMPARISON:
The excessive use of social media puts you in a constant state of comparison. When you post something on either of the platforms. You compare yours like count, comments, and appreciation in general to others. If the post is not received well; you experience low self-esteem and confidence. Because you associate your self-worth with that appreciation and it affects your mental health.
Filters on social media were supposed to be a fun element. But people fantasize a lot and everybody wants to look the same i.e. perfect. A survey was conducted in 2020 among Brazilian teenagers. 84% of the girls said that they had used a filter or an app to change their physical appearance. About 78% tried to change or hide a body part before posting online. According to Washington Post, teenagers are suffering from Snapchat Dysmorphia.
Social media’s effect on mental health and body image can be dangerous. Instagram has taken a step towards positivity. You can hide the like count of others’ posts, your post, and even your earlier posts to reduce the impact of comparison on your mind. Another positive trend that went viral was Instagram vs reality, where people have shared authenticity.
CAUSES OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY:
Social media was supposed to connect you to others, entertain you, make you happy, and eliminate boredom. But extreme use of it can make you feel anxious, depressed, lonely, and lost in life.
Excess use of social media makes you depressed and anxious all the time. People under these vulnerable conditions try to find some sort of distraction. But in search of an escape from all these feelings. They spend more time on these platforms. And the cycle continues. Because of the constant use and social comparison, it can even lead to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Humans were never so depressed or mentally unstable until now. It doesn’t matter which gender, society, or age group you belong to. A study provides evidence that high social media usage is considerably linked to an increase in depression.
Another research shows that Facebook is negatively affecting family satisfaction and is positively associated with depression. Facebook and other social networking sites have a negative impact on your mental health.
THE DESIRE FOR VALIDATION:
People are living by their obsession with social media, which has increased their constant desire for more likes, appreciation, and attention. Because of this worrying state, you can end up being a self-obsessed or self-centered individual. The craving for validation makes you pull pranks, body shame, cyberbully, spread rumors, comment negatively, and even envy sometimes. According to Pew Research Center, 59% of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online.
A survey of 2021 from England states that 20.6% of youngsters with likely mental disorders confessed that likes, comments, and shares from their posts affect their mood. Even if you get validation, it still would be temporary. It puts a lot of pressure on your mind and affects your emotional and mental stability.
IT MAKES YOU SAD:
Nonstop scrolling on social media platforms makes you a procrastinator. You don’t get your work done. And it eventually makes you lose a lot, you don’t achieve your goals. You realize people are doing great in their lives. The feeling of being lost, left behind, not good enough or everyone else is winning in life. It makes you stressed, and lonely. You develop a sense of perceived social isolation. A study shows that young adults with high Social media usage feel more socially isolated than individuals with less social media usage. This comparison and perceived social isolation make you sad.
Social media is mostly consumed by teenagers and grownups, followed by adults and then mature individuals. Therefore, the impact of these social networking sites is upon teenagers the most. According to a global survey in 2021, 36% of Generation Z felt that social media usage had a negative impact on social well-being. This feeling declined with age; just 1 percent of Generation X and seven percent of mature individuals felt the same.
REDUCES ATTENTION SPAN:
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms out there. It was one of the most downloaded applications in 2021. The total number of Tiktok downloads has crossed the 3 billion mark with 672 million in 2022 only. The recipe for its success is the short format videos which everyone loves. Now Instagram with reels and YouTube with shorts are trying to achieve the same.
According to an article in Wired, Nearly 50% of users (surveyed by TikTok) said: “videos longer than a minute were stressful; a third of users watched videos online at double speed”. Watching short videos which are a few seconds long reduces your attention span. People can’t stay focused. It negatively affects your academics, profession, communication skills, your relationships and so your mental health.
What should you change to improve your quality of life?
Everyone is different and how much one should use it, depends on how much it affects you; professionally and personally. You need critical analysis for yourself. Analyze before and after using social media, how much it has affected you. You have to learn how to balance social media and mental health. Take regular breaks; try a week or a month away from social media.
Focus on yourself. Limit your screen time, block notifications, and live in the moment. Build strong connections with people offline. Reach out to a friend or someone from your digital circle, and arrange a meetup with them. Don’t worry about FOMO and focus on your own life. According to a study, people with reduced use of social media showed a decrease in loneliness and depression.
How to save your child or a younger sibling:
Don’t take away their devices, it’s only going to amplify the desire. A better approach is to communicate. Educate them, and make them aware of the consequences, possible aftermath, and dangers of social media. Encourage physical activities and habits. Set a deadline; they can be on social media once they are done with homework. Take back gadgets in the nighttime, but it should be mutually decided.
Sometimes parents have no idea what their child is going through. Keep a track of what your child is doing on these platforms, whom they are following, and what content are they into. It kind of tells you what headspace they are in. You should set an example for the house because action speaks louder.
Perfection via Consumption
Companies are also perfecting their marketing pitches aimed at convincing you that happiness and perfection can only be bought.
Daily exposure to images of perfection has the power to make you unhappy and unaccepting of who you are and what you have.
So what’s the solution?
Fight social-media-induced depression like this…
- Strive toward authenticity in your own life. The more true you are to yourself, the easier it will be to see through false appearances. You’ll see right through the illusion of perfection shown on image-heavy sites. If you’re authentic (and you convey it via social media), then you’ll function as a mirror reflecting back to others their own deception.
- Make yourself painfully aware of the price you and others pay for placing such a high value on a state of perfection.
- Learn to embrace your imperfections by posting imperfect photos on social media. For an easy way to do this, take a look at my suggestions for how to take a healthy selfie.
- Develop a strong observing self that studies your own reactions to advertising. I’ve learned to giggle to myself when I feel the appealing pull of an ad to buy something. If you practice observing your reactions to appealing media pitches, you won’t fall for the allure and promise embedded in advertising.
- Most importantly, strive to avoid judging people who fall for the allure of superficial appearances. Embrace them with empathy and understanding. This will help you in your own process of judging yourself less harshly. For more on this, see one of my favorite posts called, “Your Habit of Pointing Out Other People’s Faults Is Ruining Your Life.”
- If you’re in a sensitive phase where people’s feeds bother you more than usual, take a break from social media. Remove the app from your phone for a week or two. (Note: I’m not going to tell you to stop checking your Facebook feed all together because I know it’s a reality of the modern digital lifestyle.)
What’s the solution?
- Challenge yourself to stop using the word “problem.” You’ll promote greater self-acceptance and less shame.
- Accept the imperfect nature of your physical being and your life in general. Pay very close attention to the way you feel when you visit Instagram or Facebook. The observing self I referred to earlier will allow you to question why you’re suddenly preoccupied with your imperfections after seeing “perfect” people their lifestyles in pictures.
- Switch “problems” to “challenges”to give yourself a sense of personal control and hope. Challenges also promote the practice of searching for the lessons learned after the threat of the challenge is reduced.
Perfectionistic Standards + Problem Seeking = Holy shit! I am so depressed.
It doesn’t have to be this way if you can begin to accept that perfection is unattainable.
Imperfection is perfection!
If you stop labelling everything as a problem, you’ll feel more empowered to do something about the things you actually can change.
At a minimum, be choosy with what you verbalize to be a problem.
Depression is a part of everyday life and it exists in varying degrees. It’s not a binary decision of whether you’re depressed or not.
When depression makes it hard to function, work with it rather than against it.
Fighting depression begins with acceptance of what is as a starting point.
Please share your thoughts, opinions and experiences below. This post is intended to open a much-needed discussion.
Related:
NY Times Article on Rising Depression Rates
Originally published at techealthiest.com.