I cannot fall asleep at night without at least 30 minutes of Reddit consumption. It’s an addiction, an obsession, and a tool.
As an avid Reddit user, I rather enjoy the anonymity of the social media platform. I find myself enthralled in the information at my fingertips and enjoy that I can post my opinions freely without my name written above it. As much as I like learning new tips for productivity and conversing with fellow “New Girl” enthusiasts, I’ve found that avoiding the politics page helps my mental health.
I didn’t discover this community until a couple of years ago, though. To my parents’ dismay, I began my social media journey with a Facebook account when I was 12. I wanted to connect with people in my community and watch silly cat videos.
Then I got into Instagram, a private space from the adult world where I could post what I want and make connections. Soon, it became a place to learn the newest trends and slang. I would post photos with my best friend, edit them with filters and obsessively check my phone for notifications that read, “Someone liked your photo!” It was rewarding. It felt good to be noticed and liked.
Unfortunately, those good feelings didn’t last. Instagram transformed into a place of jealousy and falsity, filled with fake comments, bodies, faces and designer products. It influenced users to fit themselves into rigid beauty standards they thought were acceptable, even if that meant posing as someone you aren’t.
I rarely strayed from posting unedited photos (besides the typical filter), but I began posting less. Although I was previously an outgoing girl, social media instilled anxiety and depression in me. I questioned why I didn’t look like the girls on my screen, or why I didn’t have as many followers as them. It poisoned my mind into thinking I wasn’t good enough.
Social media is detrimental to our society and especially impressionable young adults. I wasn’t the first young mind that social media molded to
feel lesser or persuaded to be someone else, and I definitely won’t be the last. These harmful effects aren’t limited to kids; when adults see pictures of others who seem happier or more successful than they are, it can create or worsen depression.
Kids and adults alike should be learning new skills and hobbies, interacting face-to-face and enjoying the great outdoors. While you can use social media to assist you in these activities, it doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Studies have found that creative thoughts and activities naturally boost dopamine and reduce anxiety, stress and depression.
Cell phone and media consumption addiction can be debilitating, and it instills young users with incredibly harmful beliefs. It convinces them that their self-worth is based upon the likes they receive, their follower counts or the type of clothes on their backs. This develops a habit of seeking validation from the outside world, instead of loving yourself for who you are.
The American Psychiatric Association reported that 40% of women aged 18-34 felt depressed after using social media, and 37% felt jealousy. The majority of men felt indifferent (55%) while using social media, and 45% felt worried.
Of the adults who use social media, 44% reported that social media has “hurt society at large,” and even 59% of adults who don’t use social media agreed. 34% of adults who use social media believe that it causes “more harm than good” for their mental health, while 63% of adults who don’t use it believe the same.
Why does the opinion of people who don’t use social media matter? I’ll tell you why. They are observers who put their phones down and see society without a filter. Maybe they’re former social media users who felt happier once they stopped scrolling, or maybe they’ve never made an account. Regardless, I trust those who can see social media’s effects on users’ behavior to judge its effects on society.
I deleted my Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest accounts. I turned notifications off for FaceBook and Instagram and I rarely open them outside of occasional curious searching. After two years of substantially reducing my social media consumption, I’m happier, more focused on my ambitions and less anxious or depressed than ever before.
I suggest spending less time online and more time in mother nature, reconnecting with the true world around you. Studies have found that soil contains a bacterium called mycobacterium vaccae, which promotes the production of serotonin, a brain chemical that creates happiness. Therefore, you can quite literally improve depression and anxiety by simply walking barefoot in the grass.
If nature is just not your cup of tea and you thoroughly feel positivity from social media, then I have one request: please be unapologetically yourself! Let your true colors, face and body shine. Share your interests and passions. Advocate for yourself and others. Be an inspiration for adolescents and your peers. Stop copying and start living. As Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
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