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Ariana Motamedi

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1103

30 October, 2019

Social Media: #ThereGoesMyMentalHealth

Imagine you’re scrolling through your Instagram. You come across a picture that one of

your friends posted two minutes ago. So you give them a like and comment on how amazing

they look. They have the perfect body, perfect family, and, ultimately, the perfect life. Although

you’re happy for them and support them online, deep down, you wish you were as happy as they

were. You continue scrolling and see that three of your friends are all together. But then you start

to wonder why you weren’t invited to hang out with them. You love your friends, and you say

you don’t care if they hang out without you, but in reality, you feel left out. To prove to others

that you’re “living life,” you decide to post a photo of yourself. So you pick the perfect picture

where you’re smiling, photoshop some parts of your body to achieve perfection, and add some

filters to smooth out your skin. Finally, you add an inspirational caption and post it for others to

see. You get a few likes within seconds of posting, and you start to feel ecstatic. But then you

start thinking. What if I don’t get a lot of likes? What if no one comments? What will people

think when they see my picture? All these questions build up in your brain, along with your

anxiety and fear of what others will think.

Is Social Media That Bad?

This thought process can happen within only a few minutes, and many teenagers have

reported mental health issues because of it. When scrolling through social media, a young adult
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can find themselves suddenly feeling depressed and anxious because of the posts they see. Social

media has helped shape our society and allow communication around the world, but it’s also

caused mental illnesses to rise amongst young adults. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

reported a severe increase in major depression amongst young adults, ages 18 to 25, between

2013 and 2016 (Ehrenfeld). National surveys have also shown that rates of depression and

anxiety have risen among Americans due to the abundant use of social media. Users who spend

ample time on social media experience bullying and FOMO, the fear of being left out, and have a

higher risk of becoming more depressed or anxious. The topic of social media and mental health

is essential because young adults are susceptible to the harmful effects social media brings. It’s

crucial to address the issues social media can bring and raise awareness to users. Using an

abundant amount of social media, generally, more than two hours a day, has proven to affect

sleep, bullying, and mental health negatively (MacMillan).

Many users reported having symptoms of depression, loneliness, and anxiety after

spending long periods on social media. Researchers know that ample use of social media causes

mental health issues, but what types of posts are causing users to feel depressed? In a ​TIME

article written by Amanda Macmillan, she states that “while the photo-based platform got points

for self-expression and self-identity, it was also associated with high levels of anxiety,

depression, bullying, and FOMO, or the ‘fear of missing out.’” Social media is not entirely

harmful, but the adverse effects outweigh the positive. Media platforms allow people to

communicate with others around the world and express themselves freely. However, anyone can

easily experience bullying or witness triggering content while browsing their search page.
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Anxiety, FOMO, depression, and cyberbullying are four negative aspects of social media that the

public needs to address.

Health Issues The Media Can Cause

FOMO is one aspect of social media that can lead to depression in young adults. An

article from ​The Washington Post​ defines FOMO as “a relatively new concept where people are

concerned that others may be having more fun and rewarding experiences than them. It is

characterized as the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing” (White).

Loneliness and FOMO are the most common stressors on social media because people always

worry about whether they will be invited to specific events. When we see all our friends together,

we start to wonder why they didn’t invite us, which causes us to feel lonely and anxious (White).

To cope with feelings of loneliness, we use more social media and post more photos to show that

we aren’t alone. People will use more social media to show others they are happy, but this only

creates an increase in anxiety and depression.

The majority of teenagers continuously worry about their image and what others think of

them, so they use social media to help shape their stature. Young adults can instantly become

addicted to social media and post more images of themselves to gain more followers, likes, and

comments (Parnell). However, while we think that posting more pictures of ourselves online will

help us feel better, we are ultimately putting our mental health at risk. Anxiety levels increase

when we post something because we are worried about what others will think and how many

likes we will receive (Parnell). Cyberbullying is a typical example of how social media can cause

users to struggle with anxiety and depression.

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Cyberbullying is common amongst young adults; users have the freedom to say and

comment on whatever they want online, which makes online bullying easy. Research shows that

using Instagram more often causes self-objection and more worry about body image (Mir).

Media users, especially teenagers, tend to compare themselves to other users they see; this causes

them to feel depressed and struggle with their body image. In a Ted Talk given by Bailey

Parnell, she states that women, Muslims, and the LGBTQ community are more likely to face

online harassment. Women, especially teenagers, are constantly being bullied for their bodies

and told to fit society’s beauty standards. Being cyberbullied and wanting to meet beauty

standards can cause users to photoshop their images to attain a “perfect body.” The use of

photoshop and filters have become unnoticeable on media platforms; many people alter their

lighting and bodies to look flawless in their photos. Although social media allows people to

express themselves freely, there’s a risk of being judged and criticized by others online.

Cyberbullying has a direct link to one of the leading mental health issues in people: depression

(“Social Media and Depression” 170). When media users are publicly criticized and body

shamed, they often become depressed and anxious about how they look in photos.

Depression is one of the leading mental health issues amongst people, especially

teenagers. Recently, mental health in young adults has severely increased, and studies show that

social media is the cause of this. This depression stems from the images we see, and the hate

users may encounter while browsing online for long periods. Cyberbullying, body image, and

FOMO can all lead to a user becoming depressed and possibly suicidal. The pictures we see on

social media affect our mental health; this includes the hashtags we view and the people we
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follow (Parnell). By observing the pictures users share online, researchers have been able to

understand the reasons why social media can cause mental health issues.

Why Can Social Media Cause Health Issues?

Many studies have proved that the pictures people see affect mental health more than the

amount of time they spend on social media. In ​The Journal of Adolescent Health​, Madeline

George, a trustworthy researcher, states that “what teens post and view online is linked to their

risk for depression and self-harm, especially for groups of vulnerable adolescents.” The images

people post online reflects their behavior and attitude offline, so users who often share

depressing or triggering content are most likely struggling with mental health (George 95). So

how can you recognize a user that is depressed just by looking at their photos? Andrew Reece

and Christopher Danforth, two researchers, performed a study together in 2017 on mental health

and social media. In their research, they observed certain Instagram users and the photos they

posted. In their recent work, Reece and Danforth concluded that users diagnosed with depression

would share pictures that were grayer and had no filter (Chokshi). The study’s results also

revealed that those who posted more often and received more comments had depression at some

point in their lives. In addition to triggering hashtags, specific content can either reveal one’s

mental health or cause health issues.

Something Instagram allows on their platform is the #suicide and #depression, where

anyone can post triggering content for others to see. These hashtags are public, and anyone can

access these photos. When users attempt to access these hashtags, the media platform shows a

substandard warning that states, “please be advised: these posts may contain graphic content. For

information and support with suicide or self-harm, please tap on learn more.” Although this
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warns users of the content they are about to see, the warning is bypassable. Instagram has

recently taken action and deleted most of the triggering photos that users have posted with these

hashtags, but some of these photos still exist under some accounts.

Understanding Social Media Better

Ultimately, people should not completely dismiss social media, but instead, we should try

to understand it better and take more precautions with the content that is publically uploaded.

Bailey Parnell argues that “when we talk about this dark side of social media, what we really talk

about is the dark side of people. That dark side that makes harassers harass; that insecurity that

makes you take down a photo you were excited to share”. Media users may be the sole reason

social media causes mental health issues; people have created hashtags and public accounts

dedicated to triggering content. In addition to this, media users frequently use hate comments and

cyberbullying to upset others. Instagram should take more precautions towards the types of

pictures and hashtags that are publically shared online. Social media is a beneficial tool, but due

to the recent increase in mental health issues, we need to understand media platforms better and

patrol the content that is uploaded for anyone to see.

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Works Cited

Chokshi, Niraj. “Your Instagram Posts May Hold Clues to Your Mental Health.” ​The New York

Times,​ The New York Times, 10 Aug. 2017,

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/10/science/instagram-mental-health-depression.html.

Accessed 10 Oct. 2019.

Ehrenfeld, Temma. “Depression: The Growing American Mental Health Storm.” ​Healthline,​

Healthline, 31 July 2018,

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/depression-the-growing-american-mental-health

-storm#3. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

George, Madeleine. “The Importance of Social Media Content for Teens’ Risks for Self-Harm.”

Journal of Adolescent Health​, vol. 65, no. 1, Elsevier Inc, July 2019, pp. 9-10,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X19302435?via%3Dihub.

Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

MacMillan, Amanda. “Why Instagram Is the Worst Social Media for Mental Health.” ​TIME,​

TIME, 25 May 2017, https://time.com/4793331/instagram-social-media-mental-health/.

Accessed 15 Oct. 2019.

Mir, Elina, and Caroline Novas. “Social Media and Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Mental

Health.” ​National Center for Health Research,​ National Center for Health Research, 17

Oct. 2018, http://www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-mental-health/. Accessed

14 Oct. 2019.
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Parnell, Bailey. “Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health.” ​TEDxRyersonU: Ideas Worth

Spreading​, 11 Feb. 2017, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czg_9C7gw0o. Accessed 14 Oct. 2019.

“Social Media and Depression: A Review.” ​International Journal of Education and Management

Studies,​ vol.8, no. 1, Indu, 2018, pp. 170-172, ProQuest,

https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.librarylink.uncc.edu/d

ocview/2159157100?accountid=14605. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

White, Justin. “Research Finds Link between Social Media and the ‘Fear of Missing out’.” ​The

Washington Post​, The Washington Post, 8 July 2013,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/research-finds-link-between-so

cial-media-and-the-fear-of-missing-out/2013/07/08/b2cc7ddc-e287-11e2-a11e-c2ea876a8

f30_story.html. Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.