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Social Media & Our Mental Well-Being

by | Apr 22, 2022 | Mental Health Articles, Mental Health Publications

Social Media & Our Mental Well-Being

– Social Media is Inseparable from Our Lives –
In this digital world, social media serves as the medium for us to communicate, interact, and to enjoy various types of entertainment. In Malaysia, 97.2% of Malaysians used the internet to engage in social networks, which was the most popular internet user activity in 2020. However, every coin has two sides. While social media has contributed to increased convenience, social connection, as well as entertainment within our lives, the use of social media has also been shown to impact individuals’ well-being.

Social Media & Well-Being

– Social Media as a Source of Stress & Anxiety –
Social media that provides constant communication and access to social interactions can be a source of stress and anxiety. As we are constantly connected to social media, this creates pressure and expectations that individuals should be constantly available digitally and respond to messages and notifications immediately.

As such, the sense of obligation to immediately respond to social media notifications lead to increased levels of stress and anxiety.

– Social Media & Fear of Missing Out –
Do you ever wonder why most of us feel uneasy when we do not have our smartphones with us, even for a short period of time? It might be because of the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO).

FoMO is known as the desire to stay constantly connected to what others are doing due to the fear or worry that he/she might miss out rewarding events experienced by others if he/she do not constantly engage on social media. Thus, individuals constantly stay connected on social media in order to reduce FoMO.

However, instead of actively building meaningful social connections (e.g., attending social gatherings, checking up on friends and family members), individuals with FoMO passively browse social media contents to avoid losing his/her connection with others’ lives. Consequently, individuals’ relationship quality, social support and well-being are reduced as the time spent online replaces meaningful interactions with significant others in real life.

– Social Media & Self-Esteem –
Social media affects individuals’ self-esteem through promoting social comparison. As social media allows us to design our personal profile in a desirable way, thus, most social media users present themselves in a positive manner as well as selectively share positive and successful life experiences on social media. In light of this, the constant consumption of the ‘perfect’ lives of others enhances individuals’ tendencies to compare themselves with others, which in turn, negatively affects his/her self-esteem and well-being.

Besides, the enhancement of social comparison through social media induces pressure on individuals (especially adolescents and young adults) to appear well-adjusted, successful and happy in life, which further reduces individuals’ life satisfaction and well-being.

– Social Media & Unhealthy Coping (Escapism) –
Social media platforms can serve as distractions from the unpleasant realities of life. For instance, individuals might constantly engage in Instagram to escape from feeling lonely or constantly browse through social media posts or videos to escape from feeling anxious or stress in reality. However, escapism only provides a temporary relief from real life problems. It is an unhealthy coping mechanism which further promotes individuals’ use of social media as a form of escape, rather than allowing individuals to actively engage in problem solving.

Hence, escapism is likely to increase levels of stress and anxiety as the problems in reality remain unsolved. Besides, the lack of healthy coping skills is likely to cause problems to grow, which can negatively affect individuals’ well-being.

What Should We Do about It?

Use social media mindfully, this allows you to make better decisions on how often to visit those sites

  • Before opening any social media site, pay attention on your intentions
    • “Why are you checking this site?”
    • “By checking your social media, are you interested to engage with others or to disconnect and distract yourself from reality?”
  • After reading social media posts, pay attention to your feelings
    • Excited? Bored? Jealous? Regretful? Anxious? Lonely?

Instead of constantly turning towards social media to escape from real life problems, you can build skills for healthy coping

  • To alleviate difficult emotions:
    • Engage in a hobby
    • Exercise
    • Journaling
  • To actively solve the problem:
    • Planning (E.g., create a to-do list, set small achievable goals)
    • Time management (E.g., time blocking, tasks prioritization, set realistic deadlines)
    • Ask for advice and help from others and/or mental health professionals

Lastly…

While it might be unavoidable for us to refrain ourselves from using social media in our daily lives, we always have a choice to build a healthier relationship with social media and to adopt effective coping skills to enhance our resilience. 

 

Author: Lum Ka Wei (Intern)
Supervisor: Wong Ging Ging (Clinical Psychologist)

 

References

Aina Amiera Abd Rahman, & Fariza Hanis Abdul Razak. (2019). Social media addiction towards young adults emotion. Journal of Media and Information Warfare, 12(2), 1-15.

Department of Statistics, Malaysia. (2020). ICT use and access by individuals and households survey report 2020. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/pdfPrev&id=SFRacTRUMEVRUFo1Ulc4Y1JlLzBqUT09

Kırcaburun, K., & Griffiths, M. D. (2018). Problematic Instagram use: The role of perceived feeling of presence and escapism. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 17, 909-921. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-9895-7

Melodia, F., Canale, N., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020). The role of avoidance coping and escape motives in problematic online gaming: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20, 996-1022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00422-w

Morin, A. (2021). Healthy coping skills for uncomfortable emotions emotion-focused and problem-focused strategies. Verywellmind. https://www.verywellmind.com/forty-healthy-coping-skills-4586742

Scott, E. (2021). Avoidance coping and why it creates additional stress. Verywellmind. https://www.verywellmind.com/avoidance-coping-and-stress-4137836

Steele, R. G., Hall, J. A., & Christofferson, J. L. (2019). Conceptualizing digital stress in adolescents and young adults: Toward the development of an empirically based model. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 23, 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00300-5

Williard, C. (2016). Before you scroll, try this mindful social media practice. Mindful: Healthy Mind, Healthy Life. https://www.mindful.org/before-you-scroll-try-this-social-media-practice/

Yang, C.-C., Holden, S. M., & Ariati, J. (2021). Social media and psychological well‑being among youth: The multidimensional model of social media use. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 24, 631-650. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-021-00359-z