Social Media: A Danger to One’s Health?
November 20, 2018
Pictures of beautiful, perfect people. Exciting adventures to exotic places. Everyone smiling as if they’ve never experienced a bad day in their life. This is the reality of what social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat have become due to easy to access filters and the human need to be seen as fun, busy, and perfect. It’s time to step away from these platforms and evaluate how social media makes us view ourselves.
Photoshop has always been present in magazines and ads, and that has become fairly recognized over the years. Women are now able to see pictures of models in magazines and acknowledge the fact that a professional edited it, realizing her body and face aren’t that perfect. But now, with the growth of social media, we have done a full circle, not only are professional and Instagram models all over our social media, but now anyone can Photoshop their images from home. Teens and even adults can download free apps such as Facetune, Perfect 360, and Adobe Photoshop Fix to modify their body and face to look more desirable. All though this may seem convenient, because now you can look as good as possible on your Instagram, this is actually doing more harm than good. Users often see these picture perfect images and wonder why they can’t live up to these standard, when in reality, no one looks that good all the time. Dr. Rachel O’Neill, a licensed professional clinical counselor, told Sheknows.com that due to the constant exposure and over editing of images on social media, “over time, it’s possible for an individual to internalize these feelings, which may result in low self-esteem, reduced self-confidence and feelings of sadness and depression.” What would happen to your mental health and well being if you stopped going on social media?
In addition, social media sets unrealistic expectations of how fun and exciting your life should be. All you see on social media is people going to parties, on vacation, or going out for a photo shoot with their friends. People only post when they’re either doing something exciting or are feeling good about themselves. This leads you to believe that your followers are always happy and constantly going out and doing something fun, when this isn’t the case. Everyone has bad days, but that’s not shown on social media, so this often makes you feel like the only bored or sad person, and that your life in uneventful. This could also lead to a feeling of isolation or even depression.
Social media has become a tool used for validation. It seems that the only reason users post on Instagram is to prove they are pretty or handsome, to justify their happiness, or to confirm that they go out and do fun and exciting things. But as much as users say, “I post on social media for myself,” that no longer seems to be the case. It seems the main reason to post on social media is to validate quality of life to other people, making social media one big contest. Wondering if you fall into this category? Ask yourself: Are you having a good time for the sake of having a good time, or are you having a good time to show people that you’re having a good time?
With that being said, please consider: What would happen to your mental health and well being if you stopped going on social media? It might help combat the state of isolation, self image issues, or depression so many in our society struggle with. Seeing fictional picture perfect lives every day can’t be good for us. So, why not take a step back and focus on your own life without sharing it all with other people?