Social Media and Mental Health-Part 1

"A silent killer of your mental health"- Unknown

There are over 20 social media platforms with user rates amounting to billions.

Social media offers its users opportunities for connection, networking, easy access to news, sharing, creating and collecting information. The benefits of social media in terms of accessibility, connection and creativity is immaculate and its reach cannot be denied.

However these same glorious factors have contributed to an era of trolls, bullies, segregation, hate speeches, anxiety, depression, low self esteem, keyboard violence and the recent “cancel culture”.

The rise of social media apps, it’s growing fan base and consumption has led to an increase in mental health issues and now what started off as a positive force of innovation has turned into a “black hole of despair, anger and division”.

More than a year ago I downloaded Twitter and Tumblr adding to the current platforms I had which were Facebook and Instagram. The idea behind that initiative was the need to consume more news and discussion related content instead of pictures and videos.

Now that move saw me having a total of four social apps on my phone which eventually doubled my screen time and information overload.

For the first four months I was blissfully unaware of the amount of time I was putting in to these apps or the toll it started to take on my mental space, behavior and thought process.

I woke up in the mornings and the first thing I did was go through all four apps, on my breaks or even during meetings I was on all four apps, before bed I was on all four apps, while eating, drinking, even peeing I was on all four apps. I was consuming content (both positive and negative) consistently without giving my brain or allowing my emotions to process anything else.

While I thought I was innocently consuming everyday content I did not realize that I was being consumed by said content.

It wasn’t until I saw a post referencing the “unnoticeable” impact social media has on its users that I started to observe my behavior and thought patterns.

These are the changes I documented:

1. I was desensitized to violence. I had no emotional reaction to seeing a post depicting violence in any shape or form.

2. I lost my confidence. I started to dislike everything about my body and wanted to change how I looked.

3. I began feeling hatred towards a particular race or group of people

4. I was anxious all the time and my anxiety levels rose to new heights.

5. I became a pessimist. To me the world lost its shine and we all deserve to die. Humans are horrible

6. I experienced bouts of depression especially after spending time on the apps

7. I became isolated and anti-social

What I notice about each platform from my documented changes:

1. Twitter is a breeding ground for hate, segregation, cancel culture and trolls.
   

2. Tumblr is overloaded with toxic fandoms who cannot separate reality from fiction.
   

3. Facebook is overrun with keyboard bullies and hate groups.
   

4. Instagram is now a place of pretense and false ideology where happiness is equated to owning a birkin bag.

Like I said social media is not bad thing, it’s one of man’s greatest inventions. However If you find yourself spending more than an hour a day consuming content on social media (unless it’s apart of your job or livelihood) then I would start looking for the signs I specified above.

Chances are they are there but you aren’t aware until the unnoticeable becomes noticeable.

Stay tuned for part 2 on how I reversed the damages done to my mental health.

Until next time!

Julz out!