Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

Abstract

Life without social media is unimaginable in today’s world. From waking up in the morning till going off to bed at night, humans remain glued to their screens for a considerable amount of time. In a world where information is keeping pace with the speed with which light travels, social media brings the world at your doorstep. It has transformed human interactions and has brought people closer than ever. Social media has also shaped avenues of communication, learning, business and education. The recent emergence of social media marketing has expanded the horizons and transformed social media as the busiest market-hub. Influencer-culture, social media trends are impacting people’s lifestyle and forcing them to rethink and remodify their choices to fit into the social moulds set by the internet. There is an extremely dark side of the internet that people tend to overlook. Usage of too much of the internet and consuming content are turning people into ‘phone-addicts’ as they get used to the dopamine high that compels them to remain glued to their blue screens. Depression, loneliness, cyber-bullying and threats are other issues that people face. The usage of social media can induce feelings of social rejection where the person feels invalidated and discarded by the society. There were extreme cases where people were forced to take their own lives. Striking a healthy balance to prevent overconsumption of internet and social media is the need of the hour.