Michael Abrahams | Social media and mental health

Recently, I decided to decrease my social media usage and interactions, and I realised that doing so resulted in an improvement of my mental well-being. My stress level is lower, and I am not surprised.

The effects of social media on mental health have been and continue to be researched. There are many positive aspects of social media. It can help connect us with family and friends, and enable us to form new bonds. Social media platforms can be a powerful source of information, allowing us to observe global events unfolding in real time. Choose any topic, and you will find reams of information on it on multiple social media sites. If we want to learn a skill or become more proficient at it, we can find tutorials and courses on social media platforms. Social media can help us share our creative endeavours, promote our businesses, invite people to events, network with others, and promote worthy causes. If we want to find songs or comedy material to elevate our mood, access to these is literally at our fingertips.

Unfortunately, social media also has many downsides. For example, it is not only an excellent source of information, but also a source of misinformation and disinformation. And with the use of AI technology becoming more widespread, many purveyors of false information, including scammers, run amok on social media platforms. But apart from being deceived and misled, there are other ways in which social media can affect us.

The science of how social media affects our brains has been thoroughly investigated. Social media has a reinforcing nature. It activates the mesolimbic system, the brain’s reward centre. Activation of this area results in the release of dopamine, a ‘feel-good’ chemical associated with pleasurable activities such as sex, eating food, winning a jackpot, and engaging in positive social interactions. The owners of social media platforms know this, and they design these spaces to be addictive. Unfortunately, like anything else that can enable addictive behaviour, social media usage is associated with mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, and even physical maladies.

IDEA OF REWARDS

The idea of rewards, such as ‘likes’ and ‘shares’, keeps people coming back for more and tethered to their cell phones and other devices, becoming slaves to them. Receiving lots of likes and comments, especially positive ones, can boost a person’s self-esteem and sense of belonging, causing them to repeatedly check their devices for notifications, updates and comments. Not only is this distracting, but the comparison with the likes given and attention received by others can fuel anxiety and insecurity. Some people experience fear of missing out (FOMO) and feel anxious and uncomfortable over the thought of missing interactions and information that interests them. Social media is also filled with negative and disturbing content, including angry rants and posts about criminal activity, political propaganda and mudslinging, and graphic images and descriptions of victims of violent crime, warfare and natural disasters. So, if you are tethered to your device and fixated on the content on these platforms, it can take a toll on you.

A British study published in 2018 found a link between social media use and sleep disturbance, depression, memory loss and poor academic performance. The adverse effects on mental well-being can also be manifested by physical symptoms such as nausea, insomnia, headaches and chest pain, a phenomenon known as somatization.

Teens are especially vulnerable, and the earlier they begin to use social media, the greater the potential for it to negatively impact their mental health. They see hateful comments directed at them, photographs of friends having fun at events they were not invited to, and photos of their peers, often with filters, depicting them looking very attractive, which can fuel their insecurity over their own bodies. And cyberbullying remains a significant issue. According to the i-SAFE foundation in the United States, approximately 50 per cent of adolescents have been victims of cyberbullying, and a similar percentage have cyberbullied others. Those who experience cyberbullying are at risk of experiencing humiliation, feelings of isolation, depression and low self-esteem. They are also more likely to develop physical illnesses, perform poorly academically, and engage in self-harm or even die by suicide.

DYSFUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Social media can also enable other types of dysfunctional behaviour, such as narcissism. There are some people who are obsessed with incessantly posting selfies and other photographs of themselves. Some people feel a compulsion to overshare, including sharing details about their relationships and interpersonal issues. And some engage in risky behaviour in order to gain more followers and likes. People have even died while performing stunts aimed at increasing their visibility and popularity.

If you think social media is negatively affecting your health, cutting down your use or even coming off platforms may improve your well-being. There is research to back this up. For example, a 2018 University of Pennsylvania study found that when participants reduced their social media use to 30 minutes a day, it resulted in a significant reduction in levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep problems, and FOMO. Other studies have found a correlation between social media usage and internalising problems, such as depressive and anxiety symptoms, and externalising problems, such as bullying and attention deficits, among youngsters. Research has also found a link between social media use and body image problems and disordered eating, especially among young women.

There are pros and cons to social media, but we should all be aware that it is not innocuous. We should also be cognisant of the fact that human energy is a real thing, and that nothing can replace face-to-face and eye contact, and touching and being touched by others. The more you prioritise social media interaction over in-person relationships, the more you risk negatively affecting your mental health.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams.