For the past 3 years, I gave up social media for lent
Yup. That's 40 days without Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. Although every year I feel like a brand new person, I keep coming back and I get lost in the sauce again. There are many pros and cons to social media, but I strongly believe that we need boundaries to enjoy the benefits more than the downsides.
This year, especially, my fast was so different. I was living alone in Florida, working in a brand new hospital, and didn't know a soul. But I've never felt so connected, present, productive, and clear-minded. I was forced to talk to people, make conversations, sit still and just BE BORED. I even made small talk with strangers... I thought old people were so weird for that and here I am HA.
But since I had nothing else to do, I read A LOT and did all the things I'd been putting off. I took a lot of time to myself and established a routine that wasn't centered around my phone. There were so many little moments and signs in my day-to-day life that I never noticed before. I felt so much peace and reassurance. I was in tune with the real me, I wasn't trying to prove myself to anyone or felt like I had to show people what I was doing every second. I wrote letters and made more phone calls than I ever had. I found more hobbies, became more creative, and then ended up with a blog at the end of it!! I almost didn't download anything back. But I had to share the news and start this new journey. And now... I'm stuck again. LOL, jk. I'm finding BALANCE! When I find myself subconsciously clicking social media apps as soon as I open my phone, I know I need a break.
Ok, so that was my testimony, let's look at how seriously excessive social media can impact our mental health.
The negative aspects of Social Media
Anxiety
A 5,000-person study found that higher social media use correlated with self-reported declines in mental and physical health and life satisfaction.
— American Journal of Epidemiology, 2017
"The number one psychiatric disorder among teenagers is anxiety. Specifically anxiety around checking social media"
— Dr. Larry Rosen, Research Psychologist
"Fear of missing out (FOMO) causes issues in self-esteem, triggers anxiety, and fuels even greater social media use."
— Dr. Yalda Uhls, UCLA Centers for Scholars
Depression
One study provides evidence that greater time spent on social networking websites was associated with poor self-rated mental health, unmet need for mental health support, increased psychological distress, and increased suicidal ideation.
Another study found a 70% increase in self-reported depressive symptoms among the group using social media.
Another study revealed that depression and time spent on Facebook by adolescents are positively correlated.
More importantly, symptoms of major depression have been found among the individuals who spent most of their time on online activities and performing image management on social networking sites.
Another study assessed gender differences in associations between social media use and mental health. Females were found to be more addicted to social media as compared with males.
— From the National Library of Medicine, Curues, 2020
Self-harm
Social media use by minors has significantly increased and has been linked to depression and suicidality.
Simultaneously, age-adjusted suicide rates have steadily increased over the past decade in the United States with suicide being the second most common cause of death in youth. Hence, the increase in suicide rate parallels the simultaneous increase in social media use.
Online social networking also leads to increased exposure to and engagement in self-harm behavior due to users receiving negative messages promoting self-harm, emulating self-injurious behavior of others, and adopting self-harm practices from shared videos.
Greater time spent on social networking websites led to higher psychological distress, an unmet need for mental health support, poor self-rated mental health, and increased suicidal ideation.
— From the Journal of Indian Psychiatry, 2018
Attention-deficit
"The prefrontal cortex is not developed until the mid to late twenties so young people don't have the self-control or knowledge to know what is happening when they're on their screens. They ultimately get trained by their devices and become addicted to continuous input and stimulus of information. Being addicted to mindless scrolling takes away time from activities critical for development like nature, face-to-face communication, physical activity, and sleep."
— Dr. Yalda Uhls, UCLA Centers for Scholars
In a two-year study of more than 2,500 high school students in Los Angeles, NIH-funded researchers found that those who consumed the most digital media were also the most likely to develop symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
— NIH, 2018
Additionally, social media can lead to:
Self-absorption
Inadequacy about your life or appearance
Isolation
Cyberbullying
Brain fog
Sleep deprivation
Chronic comparison
Poor face-to-face communication skills
Social Media Benefits
That was a lot of doom and gloom but as we know, social media has a lot of positive potentials. These are just a few of the many benefits social media offers:
Staying up to date with family and friends around the world
Finding new friends, communities, networks
Join and promote causes, raise awareness
Seek or offer emotional support during tough times
Educating the public
Endless information at your fingertips
Being creative, expressing yourself
Establishing boundaries
There is a social pressure to have technical literacy- which is crucial in this new world. But we need boundaries and education to be responsible with our devices. Social connection is critical for our mental health. But as noted above, social media quantity and quality can do more harm than good.
Reduce time online
LOOK AT YOUR SCREEN TIME
Set screen time limits on social media apps and STICK TO THEM
Limit phone use as soon as you wake up
Do not bring your phone to bed with you!! Plug it in across the room or outside the door
Turn notifications off
Out of sight out of mind!! You don't need to see every like and comment as it happens in real-time
Schedule time windows to check notifications
Unfollow accounts that make you feel inadequate
Purge who you follow and don't feel bad about it
What you see on your feed everyday CHANGES you
Follow encouraging, educational, motivational accounts to perk up your life
Take a couple of days off social media once a month
Delete the apps from your phone and surrender to serenity!!
Especially, if you are in a busy season, with big projects, life events, etc. This is a good time to take a break and eliminate distractions
Things to ask yourself:
Are you using social media as a substitute for real life?
Social media may be quick and convenient, but there are often healthier, more effective ways to satisfy a craving out of boredom
Are you an active or passive user on social media?
Passively scrolling through posts or anonymously following the interaction of others on social media doesn’t provide any meaningful sense of connection
Does social media make you feel inadequate or disappointed about your life?
You can counter symptoms of FOMO by focusing on what you have, rather than what you lack
Productive alternatives to mindless scrolling
Make conversation with a stranger
Call a family member and tell them you <3 them
Read a book
Find a hobby or rekindle your love for an old one
Write a letter to your lover
Join a club or community group
Volunteer
Write down 3 things you are grateful for
Plan your week
Meal prep
Go for a walk and listen to a motivational podcast
Schedule a coffee d8 with an old friend
Think about all the time you would have to do the things YOU want to do- if you didn't waste away on Tik Tok 5 hours daily, 35 hours weekly, AND 140 HOURS MONTHLY.
I never believe anyone who says 'I don't have time for XYZ.' You do. But it's a choice. Make time. Be the victor, not the victim.
To learn more about social media algorithms, political disinformation, and discrimination watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix.
References
Collins, D. F. (2018, July 23). Study Associates frequent digital media use in teens with ADHD symptoms. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2018/07/24/study-associates-frequent-digital-media-use-in-teens-with-adhd-symptoms/
Karim, F., Oyewande, A., Abdalla, L. F., Chaudhry Ehsanullah, R., & Khan, S. (2020). Social media use and its connection to Mental Health: A systematic review. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.8627
Memon, A. M., Sharma, S. G., Mohite, S. S., & Jain, S. (2018). The role of online social networking on deliberate self-harm and suicidality in adolescents: A systematized review of literature. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 60(4), 384. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_414_17
Robinson, L., & Smith, M. (2021, October 21). Social Media and Mental Health. HelpGuide.org. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm
The Mental Health Dilemma. The Social Dilemma. (2021, November 29). Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/the-dilemma/
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