Happy Daze: Pros and Cons of Social Media

As technology continues to emerge, social media’s ubiquity throughout the world becomes more and more apparent. This renders avoidance of social media nearly impossible, especially as young adults in college. While social media can be beneficial in ways, there are many studies supporting the claim that it can also be detrimental to mental health, and because of this, it is important to monitor both what you are using social media for as well as the time spent on it.  

So, why can social media be so addicting? According to research conducted at Harvard, when one receives a notification from social media, dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental areas (VTA) of the brain become stimulated. This causes a neurotransmitter called dopamine to be released from these neurons and travel through a reward pathway, one of the primary responsibilities of the VTA. This neurotransmitter is involved in pleasure within the brain, demonstrating the danger and power of connection between social media and the brain. 

Whether aware of it or not, most people that are on social media spend a significant amount of their day interacting with it. According to Psychology Today, at any given moment, an average of 40 percent of the world population is on some type of social media. This alarming statistic becomes even more frightening when exploring the impacts of social media on mental health. It has been shown that, especially in people who are high users of social media, there is a correlation between usage and depression, loneliness, low self-esteem and social isolation.  

One reason for the negative impacts of social media is that we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. Whether this comparison is taking place in the form of physical attractiveness, successfulness in a job, happiness in life, etc., it can easily weigh heavy on self-image. What is easy to forget is that what is being posted by others is often how they would like to be portrayed, or in other words, it is the most attractive aspects of their life often without indication of hardships. In addition, social media is a platform for cyberbullying as it is easy to be anonymous and doesn’t require face-to-face interaction.  

Even knowing the negative aspects of social media, being surrounded by it can make refraining from social media completely difficult. Although overuse of social media may have consequences, limiting social media intake can help alleviate the associated repercussions. Also, there are benefits to social media, especially with the current global pandemic as it promotes connecting to others without having to physically be with them. Social media is also an effective way to obtain and deliver information to a wide number of people.  

Being aware of the impacts social media has on mental health is important to keep a healthy mind. Cutting down, or even completely cutting out social media, may induce an improvement in mood!