Is Social Media bad for your Mental Health?

Social media are better to be called asocial media, insofar it replaces the medium air, in which people talk directly with each other.

The greatest pitfall of social media, especially for young individuals, seems to be how it conditions humans towards instant gratification. One click and I can receive support and confirmation almost immediately. Life is not like that. I have to put in the work to reap the rewards. When people are exposed to this addictive behaviour from a young age, their expectation of life becomes warped. Many of them become entitled through the "popularity" they achieve on the internet. Many of them are not capable of handling stressful situations because they are used to clicking one button to make everything okay.

You mention many of the other problems. Anxiety/Depression, lack of self-worth if the expectation of instant gratification is not met. There are problems not just for those that do suffer though - but also those that dish out the suffering. There is a wide lack of recognizing the gravity of our words. Insults and statements are thrown around carelessly on the web. There is no immediate emotional reaction when I type text on here, so I can just be as savage as I want, with no clue how miserable I might make the other party feel.

There is the problem of misinformation. Bubbles. Echo chambers. This is related to my first point - simply put, social media reinforces ANY behaviour through the way the algorithms work. This is neither good nor bad in itself. It could be great if you surround yourself with the right people, could be terrible if you surround yourself with the wrong ones. It really does reinforce ANY behaviour. Be it pure narcissism or the spreading of fake news - you'll get likes, you'll get comments, you'll get confirmation - making you post more of the same.


Quoting TheQuestion

Are there more mental illness now vs. before Social media was discovered?

In conclusion, yes. It's by far not the only reason though. I think many of our social dynamics play together here, from the internet, to work culture, expectations, etc.

I was exploring the features of my uncle's smartphone and happened to come across Digital Wellbeing! Anyone know what that means?

Quoting TheMadFool

I was exploring the features of my uncle's smartphone and happened to come across Digital Wellbeing! Anyone know what that means?

you can see which apps and websites you use most, and set daily limits.

is pretty much a babysitter app to make sure you don't over do it.

Honestly I think being self discipline is the key to emotional wellbeing and not over do it when it comes to the virtual world.

Read a book instead of a PDF, go for a walk in the park or exercise. Just over all be more interactive with the world.

Quoting TheQuestion

Is social media making society more mentally ill?

Are there more mental illness now vs. before Social media was discovered?

I'm not sure you could demonstrate a causal connection between the two.

This is a very old style claim. Innovations in technology are generally said to cause social disruption and interfere with people's mental health - newspapers, movies, TV, cars, recorded music, social media have all been accused of promoting social ills and having adverse mental health impacts.

I don't use social media and have not been on it to find out.

Quoting Tom Storm

I don't use social media and have not been on it to find out

What do you call The Philosophy Forum?

Quoting TheQuestion

Just over all be more interactive with the world

What if The World is the internet?

Quoting Leghorn

What do you call The Philosophy Forum?

A hot mess.

Quoting Tom Storm

A hot mess

Sposed to be a crying/laughing emoji inserted in there Tom—but it didn’t take.

Quoting Tom Storm

I'm not sure you could demonstrate a causal connection between the two.

I agree that a casual connection of the two is not possible but there are indicators that society is experience more mental health issues. Take for example school shooting and suicide rates. If we were able to take a census from 1920 to 1980 and a census of 1990 to now it would probably be a very frightening revelation.

Apparently you can’t use emojis unless you have given money to the forum. Didn’t know this before now.

Quoting TheQuestion

Take for example school shooting and suicide rates. If we were able to take a census from 1920 to 1980 and a census of 1990 to now it would probably be a very frightening revelation.

But the point is, you can't tell from such a change what is responsible for that change. So many things have altered since 1990, how would you establish it is social media and not, say, inadequate education, political failure, inadequate parenting, consumerism, loss of meaning, junk food, movies, etc?

I also doubt you can compare mental health reporting from 1920 or even 1990 to today. People were so uneducated about mental ill health. It was most likely underreported by an enormous amount.

Quoting Tom Storm

But the point is, you can't tell from such a changewhat is responsible for that change. So many things have changed since 1990 how would you establish it is social media and not, say, inadequate education; secularism; loss of meaning, junk food, movies, etc?

Interviews and psychoanalysis of the people who were involved in the events. And find out when the algorithm was implemented. create a sort of a decade by decade comparison or year by year comparison of violence and how it escalated over the years.

Reply to TheQuestion Psychoanalysis? Involved in the events? What does this mean? No. Sounds like you have already made up your mind that this is a thing. It's certainly fashionable to make this claim about social media. And it could be true but how would we know? Oops, back here again.

Mental health is bad for your social media. Really.

[hide="Reveal"]You: (no posts)
Guy: How have you been?
You: Fine.
Guy: What's been going on?
You: Nothing much.
Guy: Haha cool man.
You: (no new posts)
Guy: Yo did everything work out between you and (so and so) i heard it got pretty bad
You: It's fine, thanks.
Guy: Alright cause I heard that (such and such) and you were all (such and said) and I was like dam.
You: I got over it.
Guy: Cause man if i was you i woulda started swinging on a homie you know. dam
You: (no new posts)
Guy: Yo man i just like to keep in touch see if your alright is all
You: Thanks, I appreciate it.
Guy: I'm going to go check out (so and so) I hear he's going through the drama with his (so and so)
You: *deletes posts* (no posts)[/hide]

Quoting Tom Storm

It's certainly fashionable to make this claim about social media. And it could be true but how would we know? Oops, back here again.

There have been studies by the Scientific American Association about it that validates this suspicion. I haven't made my mind, I am simply trying to get another perspective. Although the evidence isn't 100 percent conclusive it is leaning more towards that direction. Hence the debate in the STEM department and how many Engineers are contemplating the ethical implication about Social Media.

Quoting Tom Storm

Psychoanalysis

I mean the psychoanalysis of shooters and what motivated them to act on those impulses. If Social media was a factor in motivating there acts of violence. Which is a factor that needs to be considered when asking the question.

Quoting TheQuestion

I mean the psychoanalysis of shooters and what motivated them to act on those impulses.

Psychoanalysis refers to a particular therapeutic intervention. What you mean is a psychological or psychiatric assessment. These can be notoriously unreliable.

Quoting TheQuestion

I am simply trying to get another perspective.

This is not 'another perspective'. It is widely held today that social media is sending people bonkers hence endless article and discussion about bubbles and feedback loops and self-harm and other deleterious impacts. You are just restating what many people already believe.

Quoting TheQuestion

Is social media making society more mentally ill?

Yes.

Reply to Xtrix :up:

Quoting Leghorn

Sposed to be a crying/laughing emoji inserted in there Tom—but it didn’t take.

:up:

Reply to TheQuestion

netflix has that social dilemma, which is really scary. I was checking my phon e a lot when watching it, and so that proved its importance. I think we're all addicted to this stuff now and maybe there will be a movement to unplug or something but then we'll just move on to the next thing. There may not be a going back.

Quoting TheQuestion

you can see which apps and websites you use most, and set daily limits.

is pretty much a babysitter app to make sure you don't over do it.

Ah! I should've pressed the icon and dug a little deeper into the feature. So, Digital Wellbeing basically provides an overview of how you've used the internet - app & website history & time spent browsing/surfing. This should, if it works as intended, give you some idea of your inclinations - what interests you - but more importantly your addictions - those websites and apps in the form of most-visited and most-used. The objective then is to give one insight into one's own nature, one's digital life, that information helping you to exercise some degree of control over one's digital avatar.

Reply to TheQuestion
Quoting TheQuestion

Is Social Media bad for your Mental Health?

An quick, offhand answer: It depends on how one uses them, if one is gullible or sophisticated, if one has sound judgment and in general, on how one deals with information.
And it certainly also depends on one's age! :smile:

But I can elaborate on the subkect ... (I didn't have that in mind at start! :smile:)

Don't forget that "social media" are an extension of "live" socializing.

So, certainly social media are not bad for mental health. They can be so, but they can also help/improve one's mental health!

Quoting TheQuestion

Is social media making society more mentally ill?

Now the focus is passed from the individual (which actually is the subject!) to the society.
Well, a society cannot me "mentally ill"! Its members only can. So, we are speaking about the average mental health of the members of a society.

One has to look here for statistics on criminality, suicide, mental hospitalization, etc. I don’t have such data but I think that unfortunately they are on an upward trend in all sectors. Social media may be responsible in part for that, but I think that the continuing and long economic crisis is much more responsible.

On the other hand, we must also look at the positive side of social media:
- Socializing in general is much increased. People, esp. young ones, can enjoy social contacting much more and easier than in the past, esp. those who were not getting easily out of their homes.
- Socializing makes one more extrovert, which is generally considered as a good thing.
- People's knowledge in much increased, because with the social contacts one learns new things.
- People's intelligence is increased, because one has to dial with more and diverse contacts, and communication is certainly an enhancing factor of intelligence..
- And more ...

So I don't know if the negative and positives sides compensate for each other or one of them outweighs the other ...

Reply to TheQuestion

I think the answer is very simple to your question. Similar to knives, it's the use of it which could be bad indeed for someone.
Social Media on their own are just fine.

But yes, since most people in general make bad use of it then yes I think mental illnesses have been seriously increased at the Social Media Era. And I m afraid that it will get much much worse at the near future.

Quoting dimosthenis9

But yes, since most people in general make bad use of it then yes I think mental illnesses have been seriously increased at the Social Media Era. And I m afraid that it will get much much worse at the near future.

I am keen to agree and I wonder where the responsibility lies.

Should Facebook be responsible for the creation of the algorithm or the people who use it?

In other words....

Who should take accountability? The user or the company.

It feels like Pandora’s box.

Also is not just a simple yes an no.

Is also about awareness, and I ponder other areas. Like are we living in a technological age of exploiting the emotions to make profit?

That maybe the algorithm is enhancing peoples negative thoughts like “shock jocks”

Example: Damn Democratic are trying to steal our Guns!

Obviously is a over exaggeration,

the algorithm takes a casual interest or curiosity and blows it up on your browser causing a sort of intellectual tunnel vision by using ads.

A sort of relational logic of end user psychology.

Is used to make profit.

Take PF, I have no interest in philosophy, I actually not fond of the subject.

But guess how I got here and posting my ideas here.

LOL!

The algorithm at works guys

I've read a few arguments in favor of the argument that social media is bad for your mental health, and I don't disagree with them, but I've always wondered that since social is just an extension of society, doesn't that mean society is bad for your mental health? I mean, sure social media can present everything through rose-tinted glasses, but Im able to remember a time when social media wasn't a thing. Folks still had the same kind of problems they have today. And you couldn't just exit out of life, like you can exit out of a website (I know there's a lot of baggage that would come along with not having social media, but if it's harming you, you gotta do what's best for you) .

Reply to TheQuestion
Wow! Not responding to any of my replies to two topics of yours!
Re: https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/616706
Re: https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/616744

:down:

Quoting TheQuestion

Is social media making society more mentally ill?

Are there more mental illness now vs. before Social media was discovered?

Social media is nothing else but a branch of "information technology".

To understand it's implications one has to answer 2 questions:
1. What's the purpose of information technology?
2. How did information technology evolve over time?

First information technology ever is the discovery of a letter.
Thanks to discover of a letter we have been able to conserve knowledge and discover new inventions that require concentration of existing knowledge.

It's not a secret that discovery of a letter is the biggest discovery ever, one without which nothing would be possible that we have today.
Discovery of a letter is a break point of human invention.

I don't know the motive behind this discovery or whether it was accidental discovery, but evolution of information is lead us up to discovery of computer, that is writing information down with 0 and 1.
Instead of reading zeroes and ones directly, we have simulation programs that let us enter into virtual reality.

Therefore "information technology" leads us into a new reality and endless possibilities and applications.
However as with any technology there is a negative side of a coin.

Discovery of printing press, television, internet etc. is also used by one group to gain advantage over other group.

Propaganda, censorship, algorithms etc. is the tool used to limit free speech, and push agenda that serves no one else except those who push them.

This is major reason why social media is wrong, since it's easier to talk with other people over social media (ex. due to distance or lack of time), it is now possible to limit and eliminate thought that may be considered as "harmful" or something that is against some ones else agenda.

This answers your questions:

Quoting TheQuestion

* Fake News and how it is normalizing, paranoia and delusional thinking.

* Division in our Society - promoting prejudice thinking

* Creating a culture of wanting to be right

* How Social Media can distort our cognitive perspective because of algorithms

Mental illness here should be better called "enslavement of our mind"

Quoting TheQuestion

Is social media making society more mentally ill?

Are there more mental illness now vs. before Social media was discovered?

Such examples as....

* Anxiety and Depression

* Fake News and how it is normalizing, paranoia and delusional thinking.

* Division in our Society - promoting prejudice thinking

* Creating a culture of wanting to be right

* How Social Media can distort our cognitive perspective because of algorithms

I guess that social media CAN make people more mentally ill, but i would guess that just about any form of media or propaganda that came before it is as or almost as capable of causing just as much damage. I'm also guessing that part of the problems is that some people reading stuff on social media don't realize that anything there has as much validity to it as what people write in a bathroom stall.

I may be wrong but it seems to me that the issue itself may not be with social media itself, but with the way it is used and with the way our society is today. Social Media is merely a tool and like all tools created before it (like books, newspapers, movies, television, etc.), it can help or harm depending on what people want to do with it and whether or not such actions can harm others.

IMHO if the issues with social media is more of a symptom of a problem (ie since social media is a tool used in causing harm not the source itself) not the problem itself the better question to ask, what (or who) is real source of the harm or problems that are caused using social media and can anything be done about it.

Quoting TheQuestion

Is social media making society more mentally ill?

I think social media and technology in general are lessening the quality of the interpersonal interactions conducted through them, and this lessening of the quality then can have adverse psychological effects.

Handling the technology takes up too much brain power, so less of it is left for quality of the interpersonal interactions.

I wrote this on a smsrtphone and I feel like a retsrd now.

Quoting Leghorn

Apparently you can’t use emojis unless you have given money to the forum. Didn’t know this before now.

Neither did I.

People's inability to resist an easy dopamine hit is more of the root problem here imo rather than social media per se.

Quoting dclements

I may be wrong but it seems to me that the issue itself may not be with social media itself, but with the way it is used and with the way our society is today. Social Media is merely a tool and like all tools created before it (like books, newspapers, movies, television, etc.), it can help or harm depending on what people want to do with it and whether or not such actions can harm others.

IMHO if the issues with social media is more of a symptom of a problem (ie since social media is a tool used in causing harm not the source itself) not the problem itself the better question to ask, what (or who) is real source of the harm or problems that are caused using social media and can anything be done about it.

Agree.

Social media is a natural extension of human sociality and isn't some monolithic good or bad thing but a reflection of how we relate to each other in modem society and similarly complex and nuanced in its forms and effects.

Quoting TheQuestion

Are there more mental illness now vs. before Social media was discovered?

I wonder whether we can know how prevalent mental illness was in times past, which is to say, any time prior to creation of the internet, or earlier. Some of what is now considered mental illness wasn't discussed, or even taken note of, not all that long ago. Psychiatry and Psychology are fairly recent developments, in fact. For all we know the percentage of those with mental illness when compared with the population was greater two hundred years ago than it is now. Records of mental illness then and earlier would be sparse and likely limited to extreme cases. Those with mental illness didn't have the means to make others aware of it then to the extent they can now.

Reply to Ciceronianus What hasn't changed over the last several hundred (many thousand) years is basic humanness. Part of that is a variable ability to cope with stresses. Some people manage coping very well, others not. There are mental illnesses that apparently arise without excess stress, coped with or not, like schizophrenia and bipolar. Migraine and epilepsy have long histories. Intelligence varies now and has varied in the past.

I think we can assume that there has been a more or less constant level of mental dysfunction. It may not have been recognized (or recognized as something else), and may have been more or less debilitating.

Reply to SpaceDweller

I find most social media to be tedious and annoying. I don't like to have information 'pushed' at me; I don't like the chaotic sharing of significant, trivial, and often enough completely false and misleading information.

Social media applications are designed to engage -- and keep users engaged -- for extended periods of time. It supplies rewards; new posts generate just enough pleasure/stimulation to keep you on site. A "sort of addiction" develops. That is slightly true even for The Philosophy Forum. One continues to use static sites (like dictionary or encyclopedia sites) because they supply a certain kind of service, but they aren't "addicting" to 99.999% of the population.

What social media and advertising are particularly good at is arousing us, to a greater or lesser degree. The arousal doesn't have to be pleasant or positive -- it can involve irritation, cognitive dissonance, strong disagreement, disgust, embarrassment, anger... all sorts of reactions.

Some people become over stimulated, excessively aroused, and so on. Excessive arousal and over stimulation over a long period of time are unhealthy and very wearing. Outright false information (Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election) is believed by some share o the social media audience and can lead to social conflict. People who believe Trump won, that Covid 19 was a fraud, that vaccinations are very dangerous, and so on may run into a lot of friction when they air their false beliefs.

People whose base line mental status isn't all that stable to start with can end up much worse off from engaging in too much social media.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/us/tiktok-hand-signal-abduction.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

It seems to me is "Freedom of Speech" that went hay wirer. Not saying Freedom of Speech is bad but if you add anonymity to the equation. Society will be more keen to express themselves compared to someone who is identified.

Take my avatar name I wish to remain anonymous because I have questions about topics that may come across as absurd or to put it simply "stupid". Also, I don't wish to validate my reasoning or sanity if I want to express a random thought either. It is a way to say what I want without any real consequence except for the occasional embarrassment or foot in the mouth.

But it does lead me to believe that corporations has exploited this attitude as a means to make a profit and create a sort of "Emotional Milking Farm" in other words they figured out how to profit off your feelings.

Think about YouTube Platform for a second and how every time you like a video and subscribe to the channel the owner gets paid. The channel gets commercials and everytime commercials are viewed the owner gets money.

But here's the catch the audience needs to stay engaged. That's where "Emotional Milking" comes in. By providing information whether it is true or not that is irrelevant to the platform, is all about the reaction of the audience.

In other words "negative thinking sells" it doesn't care if the information is true or not it just wants a reaction from the audience to rank up its ratings because ratings means "$$$". Negative reaction proves to be more profitable than positive thinking.

Compare it to tobacco, alcohol and cannabis companies down playing the negative effects to promote good business. Like in the 50's they advertised cigarettes are good for your health and you should smoke at least a pack a day. Now we have Lung Cancer and COPD.

I am wondering is Social Media is the new tobacco company? And the health side effect is on the mind?

Reply to TheQuestion Just the philosophy forum is bad for your health

Is any media good for your health?

Ne quid nimis (Nothing in excess) & Dosis sola facit venenum (The dose makes the poison) but then there are some things so toxic that botulinum with a LD50 value of 1 ng/kg seems as harmless as a dove.

[quote=Paracelsus, 1538]Alle Dinge sind Gift, und nichts ist ohne Gift, allein die Dosis macht dass ein Ding kein Gift ist.

All things are poison, and nothing is without poison, the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison.[/quote]

I don't think social media is designed to propagate human well being. I think it's largely designed for commercial purposes. As such, I don't think we should be surprised at all if there are substantial ill effects.

Reply to TheQuestion
Social media I think might in many cases increase the level of fragmentation, scattering the mind to a greater level than a population has ever experienced. Fragmentation of information could do nothing but fragment the thinking, I fear this may be so, any thought on it out there?