The Influence of Social Media on Consumer Mental Health

Nowadays, social media has become an indispensable part of our lives. With a simple device, we can access information about almost everything, in addition to being in contact with people who may be on the other side of the world. The current development of technology has brought many benefits and conveniences that make our lives easier. However, not everything about social media and the internet is positive; we need to discuss the impact that these platforms have on our mental health.

Social media has changed our ways of communication and the ways in which we meet new people. In this blog post, we are going to discuss how these platforms influence the mental health of consumers and some tips and strategies to navigate through this social network in a healthier manner.

Firstly, we must mention one of the most important and evident aspects that can affect the mental health of consumers: comparison. This term refers to the process of making an examination of two or more items to establish similarities and dissimilarities.

On social networks, this is what happens. Someone who can be our friends or even acquaintances, as well as celebrities, are constantly posting and exposing their lives through these platforms. This can lead to a continuous comparison between the lives of one and others and can generate feelings of inadequacy and discontent. However, we should mention that these posts and pictures do not always represent their real lives, but what these people do is choose curated images and selected moments of their life, creating pressure to live what we see online.

Secondly, social media can affect our self-esteem and can increase anxiety and depression. These platforms, apart from showing the content of the users, allow people to interact with their followers through likes, comments, reactions... This is something very dangerous because when the creator receives a lot of likes and comments, he or she can develop a feeling of happiness, for the simple fact of being validated, accepted, and loved by their community of followers. The problem appears when we do not receive as many comments as we would like, and we start a pursuit of validation. Moreover, through these systems, we try to maintain an idealized online image that often leads us to hide our vulnerabilities and problems.

Moreover, we have to talk about digital addiction. Most people nowadays are addicted to social media and mobile phones. We are constantly receiving notifications and messages about what is happening on these platforms, the content that our friends are posting, and the things that they do. Even if we do not realize it, being always connected to this social network can result in digital addiction, consuming a significant portion of our spare time. In addition to this, it can lead to some health problems, such as a lack of sleep, discomfort, and anxiety...

Strategies for a healthy relationship with social media

To maintain a healthy relationship with social networks, there are some strategies that can help us make proper use of these digital platforms. It is essential to remember that social media is not inherently bad; there are many options that are very useful and can make our lives easier.

Below are some strategies that are useful for making appropriate use of these tools:

The first strategy involves setting a time limit for the use of social media. Many applications track the time you spend connected to them, enabling you to monitor your usage. Alternatively, you can set a specific daily usage duration for the app, and once that time elapses, you won't be able to use it until the following day.

The second strategy is quite straightforward. It involves intentionally creating moments of disconnection in your daily routine. During these periods, it's important to refrain from using your mobile phone and, instead, devote your time to your hobbies. For example, you can try reading a book, watching a film, or going for a walk outside.

Another important strategy to employ when using our devices is the necessity of verifying the information we receive. On the internet and within social media, not everything is necessarily authentic or true. It is crucial to verify the source of information and assess the trustworthiness of the account that is posting it.

Lastly, it is essential to understand that social media is one option for communication, but not the only one. We should continue to nurture our relationships with friends and family and strive to establish face-to-face connections, as these interactions can be more fascinating and enriching than those through social networks.

The Impact of social media on mental health

Mobile phones have a substantial impact on the mental health of consumers. On the one hand, as previously mentioned, they provide a wide range of applications and programs that make our lives more convenient. They enable us to stay in touch with people, regardless of their location, and offer quick access to information. However, they also bring about various hidden challenges that can affect us, even though we might not immediately notice them.

In relation to the comparison trap, it's essential to acknowledge that when we engage with social networks, it's nearly impossible not to compare our lives with those of others. People often share their best moments on these digital platforms while rarely revealing the negative aspects or challenging moments they experience. It's important to emphasize that not everything we see on social media is an accurate representation of reality. Constantly comparing ourselves to others can result in feelings of jealousy and a decrease in self-esteem.

Another important point to mention is the pressure to present perfection. On social media, all the things that we see appear perfect. People seem to have the best moments, live in the best places, have the best friends, and are pursuing the best degrees. However, this is not true; not everything we see is accurate. In this day and age, we can edit our photos and videos with a simple application, using filters and presets to enhance our posts in just a few minutes. While this may seem harmless, it can create a culture of unrealistic expectations.

At times, expressing that you're not okay can be challenging, especially when it appears that everyone else has their lives under control. Social media has contributed to emotional isolation, making it difficult to seek help when you feel like you're the only one facing problems.

To finish this post, we must mention other issues that are really important and affect our mental health as consumers.

The first issue is related to the impact of social media on body image. Posting idealized body photos can be problematic for individuals who struggle with self-acceptance and body image concerns. This problem can escalate to the point of developing eating disorders. Influencers and celebrities often showcase seemingly perfect body shapes and sometimes use photo editing, contributing to feelings of body dissatisfaction. Instead, it would be more beneficial if they presented their natural appearance, including their unaltered bodies and faces.

The second problem is all about cyberbullying. You see, when people are online, they can hide behind their screens and pretend to be someone else. This makes it easy for them to say hurtful things that they probably wouldn't say face-to-face. These hurtful comments can really upset the people who receive them.

To solve this issue, I think social media platforms should have a system to ensure that people are who
they say they are. This means verifying that users are real and not hiding behind fake identities. If social media did this, it would make it much harder for people to be mean to others because they couldn't hide their true selves."

I personally believe that social media can bring us a lot of benefits but we have to learn to use them. Moreover I think that for use these digital platforms it is important that the personality of the user is formed, if not it can affect in a huge way their personal growth.

To conclude, I would like to share a brief video from Ted Talk by Bailey Parnell. She discusses whether social media affects our mental health.