The Dark Side of Social Media

Social media is an immense platform for communication, video uploads, and many other things. It has become deeply embedded in the daily lives of 4.95 billion people (Petrosyan, 2023). Although it offers connections, entertainment, and information at our fingertips, spending too much time on social platforms can harm several areas of your life. Here are five main disadvantages you should know about.

1. Body Image Issues 

Spending time on social media reduces body image (BI) perception by looking at the thin, ideal body. The article from Menna measures the social media “viewing Instagram-like “thin-ideal” and “average” BIs on BI in females and the moderating roles of self-esteem and age” (Menna et al., 2023). Women are the most affected users with this issue.

The study has as a sample 690 adult females between 18 to 60 years with various body types, which were assigned with no specific order one of four pictures showing “thin-ideal,” “average,” holiday moment, or stationary. The BI of the females was measured before and after viewing the pictures. And measuring their self-esteem. The result of the testing was that females who look at the image of the “thin ideal” with low self-esteem have higher BI, which makes them feel more motivated to reach the body they wish. 

However, The problem with spending long periods on social media is that it can make the body uncomfortable, and food restrictions and exercise can increase body muscles (Hannah, 2023). “A range of developmental factors contribute to elevated levels of appearance concerns during adolescence, including physical changes to the body during puberty and the increased importance of peer relationships and pressures” (Fardouly, 2018).

2. Damage Romantic Relationships

Sixty-six percent of adults in committed relationships report that smartphones and social media play a significant role (Bethtbf, 2017). Modern dating involves many social media interactions that can positively connect people, especially in long-distance relations. However, social media and online dating can promote unrealistic relationship ideals and appearance expectations, sexual self-objectification, and casual sexual encounters rather than committed relationships. 

A study made in 2021 stated that problematic use of social media was positively associated with sexual depression. Sexual depression involves feelings of disappointment and sadness, frustration, or anguish due to lack of intimacy in relationships and negative perceptions about one's abilities or competence to relate sexually to a partner. This condition can arise because sexual objectification is a standard feature on social media (Harren et al., 2021), where people post filtered and manipulated photos, and distorted realities are shown as truth, leading to sexual depression and difficulty in building meaningful relationships.   

3. Affects your Learning

If misused, social media can directly affect your learning, slowing your thinking and memory capacity.

In the article “How Social Media Affects Student Productivity,” Brigid Brew (2020) explained that dopamine is released in our brains each time we see a video online or receive a message. That is why people keep posting and logging into social media. That becomes a problem when talking about academic performance because students will keep choosing to get dopamine from social media rather than finish their assignments, which leads to unproductivity and procrastination.

People are spending more time on social media because of its growth. That makes students choose the comfort of scrolling on TikTok rather than having to write essays or solve math problems. Ghulam Murtaza (2023) explained that students who spend too much time on social media usually have a lot of issues with time management. They get too easily distracted, leading to less productivity. Also, because videos on social media are getting shorter and everything is getting faster, students are losing their capacity to pay attention to long classes or longer assignments.

4. Influence on Loneliness and Isolation 

The impact of social media on loneliness and isolation is a multifaceted issue, evident through various research studies. 

A report by BMC Psychology established a clear correlation between increased social media usage and enhanced feelings of social anxiety and loneliness among university students. The study states, "Social media use is negatively correlated with well-being and positively correlated with symptoms of social anxiety and loneliness" (BMC Psychology, 2023). This suggests that while social media platforms are designed to foster connections, they may paradoxically lead to increased feelings of isolation and loneliness. 

Further underlining this concern, a groundbreaking experimental study by psychologist Melissa G. Hunt, as reported in Penn Today, demonstrated a direct causal relationship between time spent on platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram and a decline in well-being. Hunt's research, published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, showed that "using less social media than you normally would lead to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness" (Penn Today, 2018). This finding is particularly relevant for those who were already experiencing depression, highlighting the potential negative impact of social media use on mental health and social well-being.

5. Causes Depression and Anxiety

Researchers have linked the pervasive influence of social media to the rising rates of depression and anxiety among the youth.

Primack et al. (2017) highlight the correlation between high social media usage and increased depressive symptoms among younger people. The constant exposure to curated and often idealized representations of others' lives can foster unrealistic expectations and social comparisons, leading to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Moreover, the pressure to conform to societal beauty standards, perpetuated by images on platforms like Instagram, has been associated with body dissatisfaction and anxiety (Fardouly et al., 2015).

The interactive nature of social media, where likes and comments quantify popularity, can create a virtual environment that amplifies social anxiety. Younger people may fear judgment or exclusion, leading to increased stress levels. The pressure to keep up a particular image online can make you feel fake and disconnected from real life. Even though social media gives us great chances to connect, we must recognize the downsides. It's important to recognize and deal with these issues to improve the digital world for the younger generation.

Social media have positive sides to offer but serious negatives that affect their learning, relationships, body perception, and mental health of being lonely. It is incredible how social media can change people's behavior worldwide to be accepted by society nowadays. People should develop a strong identity before entering into a platform network so as not to affect users' mental and physical health. 

References

Harren, N., Walburg, V., & Chabrol, H. (2021). Studying the relationship of problematic online dating, social media use, and online sexual behaviors with body esteem and sexuality. Sexuality & Culture, 25(6), 2264–2291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09876-z

Bethtbf. (2017, May 1). The dangers of social media on marriage and family. National University.https://www.nu.edu/blog/the-dangers-of-social-media-on-marriage-and-family/#:~:text=Sixty%2Dsix%20percent%20of%20adults,a%20half%20hours%20per%20day.

Petrosyan, A. (2023, October 25). Number of internet and social media users worldwide as of October 2023. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/#:~:text=As%20of%20October%202023%2C%20there,population%2C%20were%20social%20media%20users.

Fardouly, Holland. (2018). Social media is not real life: The effect of attaching disclaimer-type  labels to idealized social media images on women’s body image and mood. Sage. fardouly-holland-2018-social-media-is-not-real-life-the-effect-of-attaching-disclaimer-type-labels-to-idealized-social.pdf

Brew, Brigid. (2020). How Social Media Affects Student Productivity. St. Cloud technical and community college. https://sctcc.edu/news/10-20-2020/how-social-media-affects-student-productivity

Murtaza, Ghulam. (2023). The Impact of Social Media on Students' Academic Performance. Linked in. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/impact-social-media-students-academic-performance-ghulam-murtaza#:~:text=Distraction%20and%20Time%20Management%3A&text=Students%20who%20spend%20too%20much,the%20appeal%20of%20viral%20material.

BMC Psychology. (2023). Social media usage and students’ social anxiety, loneliness and well-being: does digital mindfulness-based intervention effectively work?https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-023-01398-7

Hunt, M. G. (2018). No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 37(10), 751-768. Retrieved from https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751

Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Colditz, J. B., ... & Colditz, J. B. (2017). Social media use and perceived social isolation among young adults in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 1-8. https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797%2817%2930016-8/pd

Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: the impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood. Body image, 13, 38-45. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-13600-008