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Affect of social media on mental health essay psychology university
Social media and its effects on relationships
Social media and its effects on relationships
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Social Media has changed our lives completely. People communicate more through a keyboard or touch screen, than through genuine human connection. Self-worth is measured by the number of likes and followers you receive on Facebook or Twitter. One simple like or comment could create and everlasting friendship or it could ruin one. It can help people who are socially isolated or shy connect with people, while being a detriment to people who may suffer from personality and brain disorders. Research shows that people who have been diagnosed with ADHD or addictive personalities, have a harder time adjusting back into reality after signing out. Relationships can either suffer from a lack of real communication, or grow after seeing a quick message …show more content…
You can literally look anyone up based on a specific criteria. Had social media not been such a great impact on society, relationships would be drastically different. According to Lenhard : “10% of internet users who are married or partnered say that the internet has had a “major impact” on their relationship, and 17% say that it has had a “minor impact.” Fully 72% of married or committed online adults said the internet has “no real impact at all” on their partnership.” It’s safe to say most people in married relationships do not see social media as a detriment to their relationship. Maybe that is because of the ongoing rise of social media some people have simply learned to evolve with the technology. Having individuals constantly airing their dirty laundry on the internet makes it fairly easy to compare your personal life to someone else’s, whether it be an old friend or a famous celebrity. Maybe some relationships are strengthened because people are thankful for what they have, especially after seeing some of the problems other people face, plastered on timelines. Although, things may sometimes not be as they appear, it’s easier for people to cope with some stress knowing that they are not the only person going through a hard time in their
“Social media, a web-based and mobile technology, has turned communication into a social dialogue, and dominates the younger generation and their culture. As of 2010, Generation Y now outnumbers Baby Boomers, and 96% of Gen Y has joined a social network” (Qualman 1). Social media now accounts for the number one use of the Internet, and this percentage is rising bigger every day (Qualman). As a consequence, people are becoming more reliant on social media, which has a led to a number of advantageous as well as unfavorable effects. The world is more connected today than it has ever been in the past, and this is all because of growth in technology. What has yet to be determined though
Social media has changed the way people communicate with each other and in turn, has affected our ability to empathize in both negative and positive ways. One of the most harmful consequences is the rise of cyber-bullying. Another negative issue has been the trend of trolling in comments sections of websites, chat rooms, and other online venues of communication. In spite of this, there have been constructive consequences due to social media such as the ability for family and friends to keep in touch on a regular basis. Because of social media, many people are finding support and resources to help them when they fall on hard times or experience tragedies like death and illness. Overall, social media is an exciting new world that changes as it grows and it will be up to society to utilize it for good.
The ideal concept of social media is to build relationships with others even when they aren’t present. 1.96 billion people in our world use social media, and its expected to grow to 2.5 billion by 2018. People around the world use it in many different forms, whether it is to talk to friends, do homework, or catch up with the daily news. Social media surrounds us. Social media helps us do all these things, but recent studies have shown it also has consequences which can broadly affect the brain.
One could argue that the effects of social networking sites could make an individual more inwards due to the lack of direct social contact. As the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine suggests (in Sigman, 2009) “Social networking encourages us to ignore the social networks that form in our non-virtual communities”. However as Lewis & West (2009) found, Facebook seems to have the opposite effect and encourages an individual to be more social in some ways due to the structure of the site as it is less direct than a phone call and with no monetary costs attached to it, but always with the ability to communicate with multiple people at one time with other individuals about to respond to a message and view others responses. If a person does become inward and slightly withdrawn from society through Facebook, then most likely they may have possessed these traits already as Dwyer’s research of behaviour offline suggests that even “some people will always be more inclined to socialise than others” (2000). This maybe due to their own personality traits rather than the effects of Facebook on an individual. As Amichai-Hamburger & Vinitzky discovered in their 2010 study, introverted individuals seem to transfer their pattern of behaviour from offline to online, which is reflected in the smaller volume of ‘Facebook Friends’ in comparison with those with extroverted personalities. As was stated earlier by Ross (2009), Facebook’s structure is mainly offline to online therefore those who are introverted in reality and have trouble forming friendships offline, will have fewer friends who can be added as ‘Facebook friends’ so their lack of social circle size is not a result of Facebook, it merely highlights it.
Social media is so popular that according to a recent article published by forbes.com, “72% of American adults are currently using social media sites; that figure has gone up 800% in just 8 years”(Olenski). Social networking was originally created to simply reconnect people with old high school pals, but in recent years it has evolved into a completely different operation. When social media first originated it was also intended for adult usage, which has in recent years expanded into the usage of all ages. Social media can create a negative affect on lives because it has been proven to be a dangerous addiction, for it takes away interpersonal relationships that are essential in life, and it has been proven to prevent people from being productive in life.
According to Tufts University social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks (www.tufts.edu). Current research indicates that there is a connection between increased social media use and deteriorated mental health. Unfortunately, young adults, the most active social media users, have a predominantly high risk for developing mental health issues, making this connection particularly concerning. Many lives may change to fit the mold of social media, and it may be consuming to the extent that one would miss out on real life scenarios in their immediate surroundings. It turns
“I didn't know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time –Betty White (“Betty White Quotes,” 2014, para. 1).” This quote can be interpreted to fit with several of the social media avenues that many people spend their time on. Day in and day out people post, tweet, share, and pin countless times throughout the world. These different forms of communication were first created for an easier way for people to connect with others. Yet now, so much time is spent on these social sites that it has warped the interactive part and is causing more damage than good. Many are growing a desire and are living for the amount of “likes” they can receive on a post or how many re-tweets they can generate. Instead of going to these outlets to participate in a partial portion of their social lives, people are filling that time with the technological aspect of communication. As White said, this can become an inordinate amount of wasted time and can ultimately grow into further damaging circumstances. These different social media channels can cause emotional harm through disparaging the relationship between friends, conjuring of a narcissistic personality, and the retrogradation of ones self-esteem.
Social networking can connect strangers across the world. As the evolution of communication continues, technology progresses and social networking grows. Social networks like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have grown to have billions of users. In fact in today’s society, it is necessary or nearly expected to use one if not all of these technological communication networks. The increasing use of social networking has had both a negative and positive effect on communication in relationships. The purpose of this literary analysis is to answer if social networks are helpful or harmful to relationships.
When you think about social media what do you think of. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Vine. Well social media is more than that. Social media is not just Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Social media is any online website that lets you interact with other people, share photo and information and keeps you updated. Or do you think about how it’s made a positive or negative impact on today’s society. In my personal opinion I think social media has made both positive and negatives impacts on today’s society .Some of the negative impacts are cyberbullying and addiction, and the positive impacts are spreading the word and increasing business sales.
Forming and keeping healthy balance on a relationship is complicated enough for couples these days. Busy work schedules, the ease of technology closing in on the distance gap, and the lack of feeling towards others in today’s society makes it already hard for people to embark on the crazy journey that we call love. Social media has a negative impact on relationships. Love is the universal language; it can destroy us, enhance us, confuse us- the limits are endless. Songs have been written about it, movies and novels dedicated to it, and philosophers have been studying it for decades. There are many unknowns about love, whether it is the love of someone or something, there are always questions involved when the heart is involved. Amongst the millions of uncertainties involved with love, there is always one thing that remains the same. Everyone has the capacity to do so. Because love is such a vast subject, it is easily impacted, and our views are impressionable. From a young age, we see what “should” and “should not” be. Unfortunately in today’s society, social media has a negative affect on relationships, and the gender roles that should be played.
There are many problems related to the internet but I will focus on one that is very important which is relationships on social media. Social media might cause many people to feel lonely and make that the people break up or cause damages in any relationships because those people are not able to socialize or interact with people around them. Social media is harmful tool the we have to use with caution because sometimes it helps you, but sometimes it goes against you, especially Facebook and Twitter. Information sharing and relationships on social media are problems that need to be addressed for many reasons. Some of these reasons are the people who are active on social media, interact and socialize with
which people communicate. How people form and maintain relationships are evolving in light of Internet-based technologies, most recently with the rise of social networking websites. Furthermore, these sites alter previously held beliefs related to identity formation and maintenance, as users may choose to share as much or as little personal information – whether true or fabricated – as they like with other users. These changes impact relationships in the offline world both positively and negatively. Although today people carry out their day-to-day relationships online, social media have weakened the meaning of friendship and emotional connections. In discussion of whether or not social media affects relationships positively or negatively, a differing viewpoint has been offered by William Deresiewicz in his essay “Faux Friendship” and Clive Thompson in his essay “I’m so digitally close to you”. On one hand Deresiewicz ridicules the use of online social networking in today’s society. On the other hand, Thompson contends and talks about how Facebook has positively changed the world.
In the US, 6.7% of the population over the age of 18 is suffering from depression (Sunstrum 2014). In today’s society, there is technology dependence. Although social media can enhance learning and facilitate habits, it can also have a negative effect on the individual because it can affect their ability to form relationships.
Many individuals today are easily distracted by the use of technology, in staying connected to the virtual world that online social networks have created. This time consuming activity appears to be more important to individuals, as they end up missing valuable life lessons and talents because they needed to update their news feed, talk about the latest gossip, or take a selfie to post for everyone to see. These kinds of individuals, who are glued to technology, lose the opportunity for face-to-face interactions that will help them obtain better communication skills. Social media will start to take over the lives of individuals who allow these unhealthy habits to form. These are individuals who are truly losing sight of what is really important in life.
Social media can be used in our days as a very helpful tool for many things in changing any person’s life ant attitude. It has a positive impact on the society level. These media will keep the person socially active and open to all what happened in the world. Sharing the latest news, photos, finding new friends and knowing the culture. Also, it allows for millions to keep in touch with each other and update for all the new technology. And, it helps people who have difficulties in communication with others to be more socialized and stronger and develop more confidence to feel more comfortable, protected and relaxed just sitting behind a screen. “It saved me time and money without ever requiring me to leave the house; it salvaged my social life, allowed me to conduct interviews as a reporter and kept a lifeline open to my far-flung extended family” says Leonard(231).