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1. Debbie Downer is a character on SNL played by Rachel Dratch. It is a good example of the negativity instinct because she personifies the instinct of thinking the worst of things. She is a glass half empty type. It is ironic because in this particular skit they are on a trip to Disney World, where people are supposed to be happy and having fun, but she keeps saying the most negative things.
There is even an example she states about the media hiding things.

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1. Social Media and Mental Health-HelpGuide

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1. Social Media and Mental Health-HelpGuide

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This article by HelpGuide opens up by explaining the role that social media play in mental health. It goes on to describe the social needs of humans and how that consist of physical connection. It mention that social media can actually promote depression, anxiety and in some cases suicidal thoughts. It does list some positive aspect of social media. Then it follows up with the negative aspects mentioning feelings of personal inadequacy, fear of missing out, isolation, depression and anxiety, cyberbullying and self absorption.  The article mentions that even though the person may be aware that the pictures and posts may be airbrushed or edited it still can affect that persons mental health.

I chose this article because it clearly identifies multiple negative aspects that social media can have on an individual. Many people probably do not realize the amount of negative affects that social media has. Sometimes people think because they are aware that its social media that its okay. However, even with the awareness you can still can be negatively affected.

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Social Media and Mental Health: Social Media Addiction

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Excessive use of social media can fuel anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Here’s how to change your habits and improve your mood.

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This short video talks about both the pros and cons of social media use. It explains that although there are many pros of social media like meeting new people, there are also many cons of too much social media use such as, nervousness, sadness, etc.

I chose this video because I really liked how it weighed out the pros and cons. It also was created in the first person of a college student which made it much more relatable. I think this would go really good with our focus question because it relates to how social media can influence negativity but it also explains that small portions of it are fine.

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1. Doomscrolling and negativity bias: The way we consume news may be detrimental to our health

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1. Doomscrolling and negativity bias: The way we consume news may be detrimental to our health

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This article talks about our "bad news bias", which is detrimental to our well-being. It explains how people are more likely to look towards the media during a crisis, which can lead to systems of post-traumatic stress disorder. It emphasizes how news outlets will capitalize on peoples' negativity bias, influencing their audience to focus on the bad and making it seem like things are worse than they really are. This article explains that people who use social media strictly for news purposes rather than social networking have increased anxiety and depression.

I chose this article because it shows statistics regarding social media use during a crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which increased from 52% usage to 70% usage. I also liked this article because it explained how to take control of the type of news you consume, including understanding that all people have bias. By realizing that we all have bias, we can control what we want to believe.

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What's New in Publishing | Digital Publishing News

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Humans are curious and social creatures by nature. The news helps us make sense of the world around us and connects us with our local, national and international community. So it's no wonder we're drawn to it.

Objective, legitimate news also keeps us informed, empowering us with knowledge to make balanced decisions.

But the way we consume news has been profoundly altered by media developments. As news outlets have adapted to media trends, the way people watch, read and listen to news has changed. And these changes aren't without consequences.

The way we consume news matters

The increase of online news, particularly when presented via social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, has affected how we access and consume our news.

When news was delivered via traditional one-way outlets such as television and radio, we were passive receivers. But on social media platforms, we're active consumers. We sculpt and cultivate our news through immediate feedback, such as reacts or shares.

There's evidence this might not be especially good for us.

Amid an unfolding crisis such as a pandemic, news presented via one-way outlets might be less damaging than news consumed online. In early months of COVID-19, researchers found news consumed online and via social media was associated with increased depression, anxiety and stress. The effects weren't as bad when news was consumed via traditional media such as television and newspapers.

This isn't limited to the pandemic. After the September 11 attacks, young people who consumed news via online sources experienced more PTSD symptoms than those using traditional media. This effect was attributed to more graphic images online, and the possibility for extra exposure as people could watch the footage repeatedly.

Where do we source news?

In an average week, more Australian news consumers source their news online (53%) than via print (25%). But perhaps surprisingly, television is still the most popular mode of news consumption. This year, 63% of Australians said they watched television news in an average week. Nevertheless, we're far more actively engaged with our news than we once were.

Information is more accessible to news consumers than ever before - and graphic and repeated exposure could be bad for our mental health. Shutterstock

Access to news is also radically different. The ability to consume news 24/7, via an almost endless variety of sources, has prompted experts to encourage us to moderate our news consumption.

Our bad news bias - not good news for our well-being

During times of crisis, we're more drawn to news. In fact, Australians' consumption of news significantly increased in 2020. During the 2019-20 bushfires, the percentage of heavy news consumers (people who consume news more than once a day) increased from 52% to 56%, and increased to 70% during the COVID-19 pandemic peak.

Unfortunately, the impact of news on our well-being is also particularly salient during a time of crisis. Multiple studies have found the more we consume news during or after a tragedy, crisis or natural disaster, the more likely we are to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Why are we so interested in bad news, anyway? University of Queensland psychologist Roy F. Baumeister and his colleagues have noted bad is stronger than good. Humans have a " negativity bias ", whereby we pay more attention to negative information than positive.

"If it bleeds, it leads"

Journalists are said to capitalise on our negative bias to capture our attention. Some news sources have learned this lesson the hard way. When a city reporter from an online Russian news website decided only to report good news for a day, they lost two-thirds of their readers.

The problem is, this negativity bias in the news can make the world appear worse than it truly is.

If the news distresses you, try to remember sometimes publications manipulate our powerful cognitive biases to capture our attention. Shutterstock

The repeated presentation of information can create cognitive distortions, meaning we're likely to interpret newsworthy problems, like violent crime, as more prevalent than they really are.

This negativity bias might also explain the tendency to focus on 'doom and gloom' stories on social media, referred to as doomscrolling.

Research published this year showed when we perceive the daily news as negative, we can feel less positive overall. So it's no wonder increased news consumption can impact our well-being.

Those who use social media largely for news, instead of social networking, show increased anxiety and depression. These results highlight the importance of being strategic about how you use social media, particularly during times of crisis.

How can we take control of our news consumption?

First, it's important to be aware your news consumption via different sources can look very different. Traditional media tends to focus on the facts, whereas stories, rumours, and human interest pieces are prioritised on social media.

Empower yourself with the knowledge that, as humans, we are subject to bias. The media and those producing the news know this. These biases, which make us wonderfully human, also make us wonderfully biased to the information we receive.

Our biases mean we're more likely to be impacted by negative news and more likely to believe what we see is more prevalent than it truly is.

That's certainly not to say no news is good news. News is powerful, and helps us stay connected and informed. But in a world where we're surrounded by news 24/7, it is important we are aware of our cognitive biases and the distortions they create. Let's take control of our news consumption rather than allowing it to control us.

Senior Lecturer in Psychology,
Federation University Australia
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

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Doomscrolling and negativity bias: The way we consume news may be detrimental to our health | What's New in Publishing | Digital Publishing News

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Humans are curious and social creatures by nature. The news helps us make sense of the world around us and connects us with our local, national and international community. So it's no wonder we're drawn to it. Objective, legitimate news also keeps us informed, empowering us with knowledge to make balanced decisions.

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1. idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish

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1. idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish

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In this song by Billie Eilish. Billie digs into her inner self and reflected upon her insecurities formed by the society. The title is attention grabbing as in "I don't wanna be you anymore", the "you" mentioned here is actually Billie herself. She uses this song as a platform to address to her lack of confidence formed from all the social standards and expectations set for her from the society. In the first verse, Billie writes "If teardrops could be bottled, there'd be swimming pools filled by models. Told a tight dress is what makes you a whore." Billie says that models are supposedly who everyone looks up to. However, models are what Billie think are the saddest people, because they always have to act like this, speak like this, cry or laugh like however they want them to be like.

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2. Mindful Social Media Use For Mental Health Recovery

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2. Mindful Social Media Use For Mental Health Recovery

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This article starts by saying that almost half of the world's population uses social media.  Dr. Raymond Kotwicki, the Charles B. West Chief Medical Officer at Skyland Trail, explains that "the lack of physical movement, real-time social interactions, and increased anxiety related to FOMO—the fear of missing out—with excessive social media use increases inflammation and correspondingly can exacerbate depression". At Skyland Trail, there is a clinical team that uses cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to help adults understand the difference between using social media in a healthy vs unhealthy way. By doing this, researchers are able to examine mood, thoughts, and emotions when related to social media. This article explains how social media can be good, where you can stay connected with friends and family or finding out different events happening their community. On the other hand, it also explains how many people seek for external validation (such as posting a selfie) when on social media, which can be harmful to your well-being.

I chose this article because I liked how it can explain the negative effects of social media as well as how to use social media in a positive way. Similarly, I liked how the article shows how social media can influence our thoughts. When seeing a photo thats the perfect life of a person, whether it was photoshopped or edited, tend to make people compare one's self to these perfect ideals. By doing this, it can make people jealous or depressed that their life doesn't seem as perfect as the post.

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From the first thing in the morning after turning off an alarm to the last thing at night-often long after the lights are turned out-people are glued to their phones and social media. Scrolling, liking, swiping, sharing, commenting, and messaging have turned into a daily habit. In fact, nearly half of the world's population actively use social media. This not-so-new-anymore means of communication has had a ripple effect on society that's just now starting to be more understood, especially in terms of social media's effect on mental health.

Researching the Link Between Social Media and Mental Health

Researches into the links between social media use and depression and anxiety have cited varying associations. Some studies place the blame with social media itself as the trigger for symptoms of depression and anxiety; while others present data to support that increased social media usage is a sign or symptom of a potential mental illness. Together new research is beginning to shed light on the relationship between mental health and social media.

"Research shows that for some people with depression, global, uncontrolled inflammation is associated with their mood problem," says Dr. Raymond Kotwicki, the Charles B. West Chief Medical Officer at Skyland Trail. "The lack of physical movement, real-time social interactions, and increased anxiety related to FOMO-the fear of missing out-with excessive social media use increases inflammation and correspondingly can exacerbate depression."

Addressing Social Media Use in Mental Health Treatment Programs

At Skyland Trail, the clinical team is using lessons from both cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to help residential treatment and day treatment adult clients better understand the difference between healthy social media use and unhealthy social media use and recognize how social media may impact some symptoms of mental illnesses like depression and anxiety.

"The interactions we have online can elicit emotions similar to those we feel in real life situations," says Kelsey Smith, a care coordinator at Skyland Trail who leads a course on healthy social media habits. "However, we may not be aware of the emotional impact of online interactions because of the anonymity and disconnectedness that can be associated with social media. Sometimes we just aren't as gentle or careful online," says Smith.

"Social media creates a perceived distance for bullying," adds Kotwicki. "People may post hurtful words or pictures more easily using social media than in face-to-face confrontations. The resultant ease of attacks has undoubtedly contributed to anxiety and depression for the targets of bullies."

Throughout the course, clients are asked to participate in mindfulness exercises that examine their moods, thoughts, and emotions in relation to social media.

The goal of the course is to help adults with an anxiety or depression diagnosis learn to use social media mindfully. How can we use social media as a tool to support our mental health, instead of using social media as a habit and allowing it to shape our thoughts and moods in unhealthy ways?

Discussing the Good and Bad of Social Media

Clients participating in the social media and mental health group make a list of everything they consider to be social media-from the obvious platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to things like Soundcloud or messenger apps like WhatsApp. At this stage, clients are asked to identify and share both the positive and negative aspects of social media.

On the positive side, many clients say social media helps them stay connected with friends and family, stay up-to-date on news, or find events happening in their communities. On the negative side, many clients recognize their tendency to seek external validation through social media, for example excessively monitoring their feeds to see how many likes a photo receives. Other clients notice an unhealthy habit of using social media as an unrealistic measuring stick. Do you ever judge yourself based on how your friends or even celebrities present themselves on platforms? Does it sometimes feel like everyone else has better vacations, more friends, the perfect family, or more successful careers?

"One of the most important skills our clients learn through this course is how to check for cognitive distortions in their automatic thoughts," says Smith.

Social Media and Addiction

In another session, clients are asked to use their phones and social media for a short period of time, and then, at an undisclosed time, clients are abruptly asked to put their phones away, stop what they're doing, and think about how social media can play an addictive role in their lives. One recent study by Michigan State even shows a connection between social media use and the risky decision-making associated with substance abuse.

Clients are encouraged to designate times that are social media free-maybe an entire social media free day of the week, or specific times of the day like mealtimes or after 7:00 p.m. Clients consider strategies to be more intentional about when they use social media and when they put their phones away for a while.

"Time boundaries are a great way to limit our pursuit of external validation," adds Smith. "It's so easy to get sucked into the endless loop of a social media feed."

Can Selfies Drive Anxiety?

Whether it's a famous selfie like the one Ellen DeGeneres snapped at the 2014 Oscars or a photo of someone at a vulnerable moment, selfies can have a varying impact on emotions and serve different purposes. Clients participating in the social media group, many of whom are struggling with anxiety or depression, are asked to take a selfie and then have their photo taken normally, thinking about the difference between their moods during the two. Some selfies are easily identified as seeking external validation, which can be an unhealthy habit. While other forms of the selfie could be a positive way to keep records for special occasions and experiences like travel, accomplishing a goal, or spending time with loved ones.

Taking a Social Media Inventory for Mental Health

For this task, clients are asked to categorize the last 100 posts on their platform of choice and discuss how they represent themselves on social media. What would your last 100 Instagram posts say about you? Most of us would see a combination of our favorite sports, music artists, tasty meals, cuddly pets, a new outfit, fun times with friends or family, or inspirational images-and maybe some criticism or frustration about things or relationships that didn't go well. Looking back, would you classify the intention of any of your posts as passive aggressive, attention-seeking, or aiming to stir up drama? How does what you posted on social media compare to how you communicated your thoughts and feelings in the real world during the same period of time?

Taking a social media inventory can help us be more mindful of what we choose to share and why we are sharing it in the first place. Not every post has to show us #livingourbestlife.

How Social Media Shapes Our Thoughts

As part of another exercise to examine how social media impacts depression and anxiety, clients scan through their social media feeds and immediately express their thoughts on the content they see. The purpose of the activity is to openly and freely examine how social media affects our thinking, even if we aren't necessarily verbalizing a response in person or taking an action on the platform itself in the form of a comment or like.

"When surfing through our news feed, we let our assumptions about other people's lives run rampant," says Smith, which can impact how users perceive their own life experiences. "By tracking automatic thoughts and reframing them, we can start to challenge these ideals." The results of an exercise like this may help us make decisions about the kinds of content we want to see on social media. If a particular person or content source consistently triggers negative thoughts, maybe we should consider not following them anymore. If we choose to continue to see that content, we can be more aware of the negative thoughts it often conjures and be prepared to process those thoughts in a way that won't negatively impact our overall mood.

"Edited and photoshopped posts paint pictures of perfect lives of people who are imperfect," according to Kotwicki. "It's tempting to begin comparing one's self to these ideals, establishing a sense of unworthiness or failure. In this way, immersion in the scrubbed virtual world of social media can lead people to feeling inadequate, depressed, and anxious that they are not as fabulous as their peers."

As Lin Manuel Miranda says, "Do NOT get stuck in the comments section of life today. Make, do, create the things. Let others tussle it out. Vamos!"

Can Memes Normalize Unhealthy Behavior?

What do you meme? Nope, clients don't play the popular card game. Instead, they talk about how memes that may sometimes help us relate to one another or create a chuckle, can also normalize unhealthy behavior by making light of serious, complex issues like depression, suicide, or substance abuse. What should we do when these unhealthy memes enter our feeds?

Memes may also take the place of actually seeking help or having a constructive conversation about depression or anxiety. Is there a better way to show your social networks that you need support? Is there a better opportunity to contact a friend, loved one, or mental health professional directly to get the help and support you need?

Maybe a meme is an appropriate way to share your sense of humor. Who doesn't love a good Drake meme from time to time? Though, a Game of Thrones reference with Sean Bean predicting an imminent emotional winter may not be the best way to deal with an episode of anxiety or depression.

How to Practice Self Care When the News is Bad

The proliferation of negative news on social media can be triggering for people struggling with depression or anxiety. So, how do we practice self-care online like we do in a bubble bath or during a quiet morning meditation?

Unplugging can be a good short-term solution to get away from all of the negativity. However, if your friend from high school continues to share insensitive or upsetting content, filtering can be a good strategy as well. Stick to the sources that don't trigger you or limit reading to just a few times per day.

Remember one of the most important rules of the Internet: don't feed the trolls. It's just not worth the time and energy in most cases.

What We Can Learn about Social Media and Mental Health

Practicing healthy social media habits can be an important component of mental health treatment for anxiety and depression. Social media can be a helpful tool in forming interpersonal relationships, establishing positive core beliefs, and being aware of how we interact with the world around us. Even if that world is online.

Learning to set boundaries for ourselves on when and how often we use our phones, especially now that smartphones have screen time usage features, and how we engage with social media platforms can help us interact with social media more mindfully and protect our mental health. "By spending less time on social media, we don't have to work as hard to resist comparisons," says Smith. "We can work on building our own life-worth-living."

If you or your loved one would like to speak to a trained mental health specialist, call 866-504-4966 today or contact us directly.

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Mindful Social Media Use For Mental Health Recovery | Skyland Trail

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From the first thing in the morning after turning off an alarm to the last thing at night-often long after the lights are turned out-people are glued to their phones and social media. Scrolling, liking, swiping, sharing, commenting, and messaging have turned into a daily habit.

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2. The complex relationship between social media and mental health

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2. The complex relationship between social media and mental health

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2. This article talks about how social media doesn't have to impact us negatively, however it is dependent on how we use it. Several interesting points made are that we expose ourselves on social media, however we 'chose' what we want other people to see from us. The reason this is important is because whether the problem is news reporters using social media as a means to persuade people and hide information, or influencers posting things that structuralize an ideal body image, it is all in the hands of those who post it. Likewise, we can chose to view these things blindly, or approach them cautiously and aware that the things we see might not be great representations of the full picture or complete story.

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The complex relationship between social media and mental health

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Social media can be a virtual window into people’s lives, but mental health experts say the likes, comments and shares can often cause more harm than good.

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3. Why social media can make you feel bad about your body — and 3 easy tips to use social media to boost self-esteem

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3. Why social media can make you feel bad about your body — and 3 easy tips to use social media to boost self-esteem

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This article emphasizes the importance of self-esteem and how seeing the "perfect" picture on social media can lower it by seeing unrealistic expectations of how you should look. Similarly, it explains that by seeing people post pictures of their "best look", can lead to an increase in eating disorders. Researchers have studies that show that the more time spent on facebook can lead to increased comparisons of body image and weight, which causes more concern of how you look, compared to the images of how other people look.

I liked this article because it was the first article I found where it explained the negative effects social media can have on men. Almost all the articles I found showed statistics regarding women. I also enjoyed reading about how social media can be a good thing, such as promoting body positivity.

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The sneaky ways social media can sabotage your body image — and 3 easy tips to help you break the cycle

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Social media can make you feel worse about yourself and your body — but there are ways to use it more positively.

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4. Signs Social Media Is Affecting Your Mental Health

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4. Signs Social Media Is Affecting Your Mental Health

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This image shows the negative affects social media has on mental health. Social media can hurt self-esteem, increase your emotions of FOMO (fear of missing out), lead to self-absorption (posting an image of your life rather than making memories with friends and family), and lead to impulse controls (having social media can affect your sleep as well as concentration and focus).

I chose this image because I felt like I could relate to it, just the image alone. I definitely feel like social media distracts me from work, school, as well as spending time with loved ones. I often tend to compare myself to other peoples' pictures they post and imagine what my life would be like if I was a social media influencer. There are times where I will wake up in the morning and the first I do is scroll through a social media app. Similarly, at night, when I am getting ready for bed, I will scroll through social media for hours on end until I finally realize that it is unhealthy. I think this image can definitely make you realize how toxic social media can be and the article will explain why social media is growing and how it's not always a bad thing.

Got this image from: https://www.verywellmind.com/link-between-social-media-and-mental-health-5089347

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This article explains what social media addiction is: "Social media addiction is a behavioral addiction that is characterized as being overly concerned about social media, driven by an uncontrollable urge to log on to or use social media, and devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other important life areas." Similarly, it also explains how to know if you are addicted to social media or not, by asking yourself questions such as, "Do you use social media to forget about personal problems?" or "Do you become restless or troubled if unable to use social media?", etc. The article shows how social media addiction can cause mental health issues strictly in young adults, showing studies on individuals having worsened social anxiety, increased rates of depression, and negative body-image. Filtered/photoshopped photos can cause lower self-esteem and eating disorders. Also, the act of wanting more likes than someone else on a social media post can cause bullying, name-calling, rumor-spreading, as well as harassment.

I chose this article because not only did it explain how social media can impact your mental health, but it can also increase rates of bullying as well as suicide rates. The article showed that many people will post non-consensual explicit photos as a form of cyber bullying, in order to gain likes to get "noticed". It's said that the need to gain likes on social can cause people do post things they wouldn't normally post as well as engage in negative behavior.

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Social media addiction is a behavioral addiction that has been found to negatively impact the mental health and relationships of those afflicted.

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3. Negativity Bias-- Hardwired for negative thinking

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3. Negativity Bias-- Hardwired for negative thinking

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3. This article starts out by explaining the negativity bias in detail, which is helpful to get a full picture of the issue at hand. The most impactful thing in the article to me was when Kendra Cherry states, "It is the 'bad things' that grab our attention, stick to our memories, and, in many cases, influence the decisions that we make."
This rings true for our society, where we are taught to learn from negative experiences and get more out of them than positive experiences. Likewise, it makes me wonder if our brains take this information, and reverse engineer it, causing us to go at situations planning for the worst and seeking out the negative.

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Why Our Brains Are Hardwired to Focus on the Negative

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The brain has a built-in negative bias that causes us to focus on bad things. This negativity bias can have an impact on our behavior and decisions.

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4. Social Media Proven To Have Long-Term Negative Effects On Teens And Young Adults

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4. Social Media Proven To Have Long-Term Negative Effects On Teens And Young Adults

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4. This report talks about how social media is proving to be addictive, and that it can cause depression. It also talks about how the last generation of children is the first generation to have social media from the time they were born, and brings up the question of if that will lead to an attachment to it. Most people in college today (around our grade) only had social media from about the time that they were in 5th-6th grade, so even though it has had a huge impact on our daily lives, I imagine it will only be more engrained into future generations.

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Social Media Proven To Have Long-Term Negative Effects On Teens And Young Adults

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Recent reports say that social media can cause social media problems in young adults and teens.

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1. How Does Social Media Affect Your Mental Health?

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1. How Does Social Media Affect Your Mental Health?

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This article that was published in The New York Times, emphasizes the harmful effects that social media apps, such as Facebook and Instagram, have on young people's mental health. The article mentions how Facebook was in the process of developing an Instagram Kids service that would be meant for people under the age of 13. However, Facebook began to receive backlash for this idea, as groups of people were arguing that creating an Instagram app for kids will just hook "children on the app at a younger age rather than protecting them from problems with the service, including child predatory grooming, bullying and body shaming" (Daniels 2021). The article continues on and states how evidently Facebook was aware of all the harms that their apps were causing, but the company's executives try to publicly minimize the app's downsides. A report was published in July which showed that 13 year old children were being targeted with harmful content, such as material relating to body shaming, eating disorders, extreme diets, etc. It has been proven that the younger someone is, the more easily you can get them addicted to something, and these large tech platforms are attempting to do just that.

The reason that I chose this article is because I think it very clearly shows the root of all problems when it comes to the negativity instinct. If the creators of these apps are not making any attempts to fix the fundamental issues of their products, it will continue to be difficult for people to avoid the negativity instinct. With social media continually displaying content that is proving to have harmful impacts on people's mental healths by instilling negative thoughts into children's heads, it will be that much more difficult for people to be able to see the good in the world.

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What is your relationship with social media like? Which platforms do you spend the most time on? Which do you stay away from? How often do you log on?

What do you notice about your mental health and well-being when spending time on social networks?

In " Facebook Delays Instagram App for Users 13 and Younger," Adam Satariano and Ryan Mac write about the findings of an internal study conducted by Facebook and what they mean for the Instagram Kids app that the company was developing:

Facebook said on Monday that it had paused development of an Instagram Kids service that would be tailored for children 13 years old or younger, as the social network increasingly faces questions about the app's effect on young people's mental health.

The pullback preceded a congressional hearing this week about internal research conducted by Facebook, and reported in The Wall Street Journal, that showed the company knew of the harmful mental health effects that Instagram was having on teenage girls. The revelations have set off a public relations crisis for the Silicon Valley company and led to a fresh round of calls for new regulation.

Facebook said it still wanted to build an Instagram product intended for children that would have a more "age appropriate experience," but was postponing the plans in the face of criticism.

The article continues:

With Instagram Kids, Facebook had argued that young people were using the photo-sharing app anyway, despite age-requirement rules, so it would be better to develop a version more suitable for them. Facebook said the "kids" app was intended for ages 10 to 12 and would require parental permission to join, forgo ads and carry more age-appropriate content and features. Parents would be able to control what accounts their child followed. YouTube, which Google owns, has released a children's version of its app.

But since BuzzFeed broke the news this year that Facebook was working on the app, the company has faced scrutiny. Policymakers, regulators, child safety groups and consumer rights groups have argued that it hooks children on the app at a younger age rather than protecting them from problems with the service, including child predatory grooming, bullying and body shaming.

The article goes on to quote Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram:

Mr. Mosseri said on Monday that the "the project leaked way before we knew what it would be" and that the company had "few answers" for the public at the time.

Opposition to Facebook's plans gained momentum this month when The Journal published articles based on leaked internal documents that showed Facebook knew about many of the harms it was causing. Facebook's internal research showed that Instagram, in particular, had caused teen girls to feel worse about their bodies and led to increased rates of anxiety and depression, even while company executives publicly tried to minimize the app's downsides.

But concerns about the effect of social media on young people go beyond Instagram Kids, the article notes:

A children's version of Instagram would not fix more systemic problems, said Al Mik, a spokesman for 5Rights Foundation, a London group focused on digital rights issues for children. The group published a report in July showing that children as young as 13 were targeted within 24 hours of creating an account with harmful content, including material related to eating disorders, extreme diets, sexualized imagery, body shaming, self-harm and suicide.

"Big Tobacco understood that the younger you got to someone, the easier you could get them addicted to become a lifelong user," Doug Peterson, Nebraska's attorney general, said in an interview. "I see some comparisons to social media platforms."

In May, attorneys general from 44 states and jurisdictions had signed a letter to Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, asking him to end plans for building an Instagram app for children.

American policymakers should pass tougher laws to restrict how tech platforms target children, said Josh Golin, executive director of Fairplay, a Boston-based group that was part of an international coalition of children's and consumer groups opposed to the new app. Last year, Britain adopted an Age Appropriate Design Code, which requires added privacy protections for digital services used by people under the age of 18.

Do you think Facebook made the right decision in halting the development of the Instagram Kids app? Do you think there should be social media apps for children 13 and younger? Why or why not?

What is your reaction to the research that found that Instagram can have harmful mental health effects on teenagers, particularly teenage girls? Have you experienced body image issues, anxiety or depression tied to your use of the app? How do you think social media affects your mental health?

What has your experience been on different social media apps? Are there apps that have a more positive or negative effect on your well-being? What do you think could explain these differences?

Have you ever been targeted with inappropriate or harmful content on Instagram or other social media apps? What responsibility do you think social media companies have to address these issues? Do you think there should be more protections in place for users under 18? Why or why not?

What does healthy social media engagement look like for you? What habits do you have around social media that you feel proud of? What behaviors would you like to change? How involved are your parents in your social media use? How involved do you think they should be?

If you were in charge of making Instagram, or another social media app, safer for teenagers, what changes would you make?

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How Does Social Media Affect Your Mental Health?

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What is your relationship with social media like? Which platforms do you spend the most time on? Which do you stay away from? How often do you log on? What do you notice about your mental health and well-being when spending time on social networks?

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In this video Hank Green speaks about how many crises there are in the world. You can look up any random word, like 'banana' for example, followed by 'crisis,' and there will be many results displayed. With constantly having all these crises shown to us, it makes us live in a constant state of panic and worry. But living like this, is not healthy. It is isolating to constantly be in a crisis and thinking that everything is going terribly. While a lot of these crises may be real problems, being in a terrified state of panic does not solve anything. The feeling of panic is a very valid emotion to have, but it is not helpful. Instead, it is just preventing us from being able to take care of ourselves and valuing the other people in our life. Hank reminds us that just because we are not doing something perfect, does not mean that we are not doing it. There is no known solution to each crisis, therefore there is no point in panicking. The most that we can do is take one step that feels like is in the right direction, and encourage our leaders to do the same.

The reason that I chose to include this video is because it makes me feel a sense of relief. There is always going to be a million things to worry about, but Hank makes me think to myself 'what is the point of worrying about things that we don't really have any control over?' Social media will constantly be throwing negative information our way, therefore it is our job to not fall victim to the negativity instinct, and re-evaluate what our priorities are. Instead of only thinking about everything going wrong in the world, we must educate ourselves on what's going right as well.

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In this song by Madison Beer, she relays her frustration with society and the affect that it has had on her health. She mentions how bad society and the Internet is for her mental health, but she's at a point now where she can't control herself and is addicted to it. This is the case for many people in this generation especially. We are so addicted to the negativity that is constantly at our fingertips, and it has a clear harmful impact on our mental health, yet it is so hard for us to live without.

The reason that I chose this song by Madison Beer is because I think it is something that everyone in this generation can relate to. Madison is also a very relevant artist currently, so to know that a famous celebrity is feeling the same emotions that we are, is somewhat comforting. The song also does a great job at showing the impact that Society and the Internet has on our healths. They are placing such unrealistic expectations on us and giving us something to feel bad about at all times, that it is affecting our mental health significantly. But, due to the negativity instinct, we are all so addicted to the negativity, trapping us in this vicious cycle.

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This image shows us all the positives and negatives of Instagram. It gives each positive and negative a score on a scale of 0 to 1 for the positives, and -1 to 0 for the negatives, and then it calculates the average weighted score. Some of the highest scoring positive points include the fact that instagram provides awareness, emotional support, self-expression, self-identity, and community building. On the other hand, some of the negatives include anxiety, depression, loneliness, body image, and bullying. The average weighted score was about a -0.2, demonstrating that the negatives of Instagram clearly outweigh the positives.

The reason that I chose this image is because often times many people think that although social media has its negative affects, the positives make it worthwhile. But this image shows that this is not the case (for Instagram at least). The negativity instinct makes it difficult for people to find the good/positive news, which in turn make them suffer from all the negative impacts that social media has on mental health.

Link to where I got the image from- https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/instagram-dangerous-app-young-peoples-mental-health_uk_591b050ee4b07d5f6ba61e23

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Image of Affect of COVID-19 on Media Habits

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Image of Affect of COVID-19 on Media Habits

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Link that I got the image from- https://audra.io/5-ways-to-protect-your-mental-health-with-social-media/

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4. How Social Media Contributes to Body Dysmorphic Behavior

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4. How Social Media Contributes to Body Dysmorphic Behavior

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This article by Alyce Adkins shines light on those who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Those that have BDD tend to become fixated on an imperfection or flaw that they have and they think about it for hours every single day. They can't control any of the negative thoughts that come into their head and they refuse to believe people who tell them they look fine. With the rise of social media, many people tend to blame those platforms for instilling these insecurities in young people. By constantly seeing these Instagram models and  YouTube influencers, our generation has become obsessed with this concept of achieving perfection. But what many people don't realize is that all these images and videos they are seeing are altered to appear perfect. These curated images are simply adding to the pressures of young boys and girls needing to look a certain way.

The reason I chose this article is because it really relays the severity of body dysmorphia problems that social media largely contributes to. When people see these perfect looking girls or boys on their Instagram feed, we immediately think to ourselves "why do I not look like this?" Due to the negativity instinct, we immediately look for the bad and assume the worst, that we don't acknowledge the fact that these pictures have been edited and filtered to look a certain way. Instead we resort straight to criticizing ourselves for not looking like them.

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How Social Media Contributes to Body Dysmorphic Behavior - The Lexington Line

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Most of us have something that we don't like about our appearance-a crooked smile, large eyes, a flabby stomach, the list goes on.

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Why Our Brains Are Hardwired to Focus on the Negative

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The brain has a built-in negative bias that causes us to focus on bad things. This negativity bias can have an impact on our behavior and decisions.

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Advertisement

Why do people seek out information about an ex's new relationships, read negative Internet comments and do other things that will obviously be painful? Because humans have an inherent need to resolve uncertainty, according to a recent study in Psychological Science. The new research reveals that the need to know is so strong that people will seek to slake their curiosity even when it is clear the answer will hurt.

In a series of four experiments, behavioral scientists at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the Wisconsin School of Business tested students' willingness to expose themselves to aversive stimuli in an effort to satisfy curiosity. For one trial, each participant was shown a pile of pens that the researcher claimed were from a previous experiment. The twist? Half of the pens would deliver an electric shock when clicked.

Twenty-seven students were told which pens were rigged; another 27 were told only that some were electrified. When left alone in the room, the students who did not know which ones would shock them clicked more pens and incurred more jolts than the students who knew what would happen. Subsequent experiments replicated this effect with other stimuli, such as the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and photographs of repulsive insects.

The drive to discover is deeply ingrained in humans, on par with the basic drives for food or sex, says Christopher Hsee of the University of Chicago, a co-author of the paper. Curiosity is often considered a good instinct-it can lead to new scientific advances, for instance-but sometimes such inquiry can backfire. "The insight that curiosity can drive you to do self-destructive things is a profound one," says George Loewenstein, a professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University who has pioneered the scientific study of curiosity.

Morbid curiosity is possible to resist, however. In a final experiment, participants who were encouraged to predict how they would feel after viewing an unpleasant picture were less likely to choose to see such an image. These results suggest that imagining the outcome of following through on one's curiosity ahead of time can help determine whether it is worth the endeavor. "Thinking about long-term consequences is key to mitigating the possible negative effects of curiosity," Hsee says. In other words, don't read online comments.

This article was originally published with the title "Morbid Curiosity" in Scientific American 315, 1, 21 (July 2016)

doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0716-21

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Roni Jacobson is a science journalist based in New York City who writes about psychology and mental health.

Recent Articles by Roni Jacobson

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Why do people seek out information about an ex's new relationships, read negative Internet comments and do other things that will obviously be painful? Because humans have an inherent need to resolve uncertainty, according to a recent study in Psychological Science.

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What to know about social media and mental health

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What to know about social media and mental health

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Social media use can lead to low quality sleep and harm mental health. It has associations with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Many people in today's world live with their smartphones as virtual companions. These devices use electronic social media networks that alert users to updates on friends, favorite celebrities, and global events. Social media has become firmly integrated into a lot of people's daily lives. According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of people in the United States now use social media.

At its core, social media is a powerful communication tool that has changed how individuals interact with one another. It speeds up how people exchange and share information, thoughts, and ideas across virtual networks. However, social media does have downsides. Some evidence suggests that its use - in particular, its overuse - can negatively affect mental health in numerous ways.

Keep reading to learn more about the links between social media and mental health, including the positive and negative effects that this tool can have on individuals.

Social media has associations with depression, anxiety, and feelings of isolation, particularly among heavy users.

A 2015 Common Sense survey found that teenagers may spend as much as 9 hours of each day online. Many of these individuals are themselves concerned that they spend too much time browsing social networks. This wave of concern suggests that social media could affect the mental health of its users.

The researchers behind a 2017 Canadian study confirmed this finding. They noted that students who use social media for more than 2 hours daily are considerably more likely to rate their mental health as fair or poor than occasional users.

A tied social media use to disrupted and delayed sleep. Regular, high quality sleep is essential for well-being, and evidence shows that sleeping problems contribute to adverse mental health effects, such as depression and memory loss.

Aside from the adverse effects on sleep, social media may trigger mental health struggles by exposing individuals to cyberbullying. In a 2020 survey of more than 6,000 individuals aged 10-18 years, researchers found that about half of them had experienced cyberbullying.

One of the downsides of social media platforms is that they give individuals the opportunity to start or spread harmful rumors and use abusive words that can leave people with lasting emotional scars.

Social media has come under a lot of criticism, with many reports connecting its use with severe consequences.

National surveys and population-based studies show that the world of social media can have devastating effects on users' mental health. In the U.S. alone, survey findings show a 25% increase in suicide attempts among teenagers between 2009 and 2017.

Although social media may not play a role in each of these incidences, the time frame correlates with the growing use of these platforms. A 2021 study confirms this effect. The researchers reported that while social media use had a minimal impact on boys' risk of suicide, girls who used social media for at least 2 hours each day from the age of 13 years had a higher clinical risk of suicide as adults.

Furthermore, findings from a population-based study show a decline in mental health in the U.S., with a 37% increase in the likelihood of major depressive episodes among adolescents.

A suggested that teenagers who use social media for more than 3 hours daily are more likely to experience mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, aggression, and antisocial behavior.

Social media may trigger feelings of inadequacy. People may feel as though their life or appearance does not compare favorably with that of others on social media, leading to feelings of envy and dissatisfaction.

A 2018 study found that high social media usage increases rather than decreases feelings of loneliness. It also reported that reducing social media use helps people feel less lonely and isolated and improves their well-being.

Additionally, social media can facilitate cyberbullying and create unhealthy self-centeredness and distance from friends and family.

Despite its drawbacks, social media remains an efficient means of connecting communities and individuals across the world.

Social media-based networking among small groups of people is beneficial for many. Through social media, youngsters who struggle with social skills and anxiety can express themselves and socialize. It can be particularly advantageous for marginalized groups, such as LGBTQIA+ communities, as it enables people to meet and interact with other like-minded individuals.

Social media also serves as a platform that gives a voice to the voiceless. For example, people who have been subject to violence and abuse can use communities such as the #MeToo community to air their views, talk about what they are facing, and find support.

Social media can also educate and inform and provide an outlet for creativity and self-expression.

Unregulated social media leads to a constant fear of missing out, which many refer to as FOMO. People may feel as though others are having more fun than them, which can affect self-esteem and cause mental health issues.

Individuals may compulsively check their phones at the cost of missing sleep or choose social media over in-person relationships or meetups.

Additionally, prioritizing social media networking over physical and social interactions increases the chances of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

An individual can make their use of social media positive by:

turning off a smartphone's data connectivity at certain times of the day, such as while driving, at work, or in meetings

turning off data connectivity while spending time with friends and family

leaving the smartphone out of reach while sleeping

turning off notifications to make it easier to resist the distracting beeps or vibrations

limiting social media use to a computer rather than a smartphone

People can help themselves avoid some of the adverse effects of social media by limiting use to 30 minutes a day, in turn reducing FOMO and the associated negative consequences.

By being more conscious of the amount of time they spend on social media, a person may notice improvements in their general mood, focus, and overall mental health.

Social media provides users with a rapid means of electronic communication and content sharing.

Although it has various positive effects, it can negatively affect users' mental health.

Limiting the use of social media to 30 minutes a day can reduce FOMO and, in turn, relieve the loneliness, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems associated with excessive social media use.

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Social media and mental health: Depression and psychological effects

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Social media use can lead to low quality sleep and harm mental health. It has associations with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Many people in today's world live with their smartphones as virtual companions. These devices use electronic social media networks that alert users to updates on friends, favorite celebrities, and global events.

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Selfie-Esteem: The Relationship Between Body Dissatisfaction and Social Media in Adolescent and Young Women

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Selfie-Esteem: The Relationship Between Body Dissatisfaction and Social Media in Adolescent and Young Women

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Selfie-Esteem: The Relationship Between Body Dissatisfaction and Social Media in Adolescent and Young Women | In-Mind

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Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have become ingrained in the lives of countless individuals. With adolescents and young adults, particularly young women, being the primary users of such platforms, it is an important question whether social media use has an impact on self-concept,…

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Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?

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Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?

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Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU

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40+ Frightening Social Media and Mental Health Statistics

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40+ Frightening Social Media and Mental Health Statistics

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40+ Frightening Social Media and Mental Health Statistics — Etactics

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As social media and smartphone use has increased, so have mental health conditions. Here’s our list of 40+ statistics that prove that statement.

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Beat The Negativity And Gap Instinct To Be Happier

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Beat The Negativity And Gap Instinct To Be Happier

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How Hans Rosling can help us improve our mental health

Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash

Nowadays, it seems that bad news is aplenty. The news constantly blares the most recent death, reminding us of our mortality. Our social media accounts are drowning with depressing news. And no matter how isolated we try to become, terrible news always seems to be around the corner ( what? You mean there's another fire somewhere??).

With this much negativity, it seems that we're in the wrong time period to be happy. Yet, Hans Rosling has something to say about our "mega misconception that 'the world is getting worse'" (2018, 40)

In his book Factfulness: Ten reasons we're wrong about the world and why things are better than you think, Hans Rosling points out that despite the many challenges we face today, the world is actually in a much better place. In this book, he introduces 10 different instincts that lead us to make incorrect and pessimistic assumptions about the world. As I read the book, I found that the first two - gap and negativity instincts are the most helpful in allowing me to have a more positive outlook on the world.

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Beat The Negativity And Gap Instinct To Be Happier

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Nowadays, it seems that bad news is aplenty. The news constantly blares the most recent death, reminding us of our mortality. Our social media accounts are drowning with depressing news. And no matter how isolated we try to become, terrible news always seems to be around the corner ( what?

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Auksas focuses on humanitarian initiatives to empower the collective while promoting acceptance of all.

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5. Negativity Instinct: How should consultants overcome this?

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5. Negativity Instinct: How should consultants overcome this?

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5. This article further explains the Negativity Instinct, and also mentions some ways to overcome it. Something interesting that I hadn't thought of relating to the negativity instinct is our memories. When life is going as usual or maybe something good happens to us, we might remember it briefly. On the other hand, when something bad happens to us, it tends to stick with us for a lot longer. This is a great example of how deep the negativity instinct is within us. It even pokes fun at the saying "misery loves company," referring to how when were going through something bad, it is usually ideal to go through bad things with someone else. Luckily, there are also some ways listed to beat the negativity instinct such as putting on a smile, and focusing on changing the patterns in your life by focusing on positive things.

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The negativity instinct describes our tendency to notice the bad more than the good. Rosling invites readers to think of the world as a premature baby in an incubator. He writes,

Does it make sense to say that the infant's situation is improving? Yes. Absolutely. Does it make sense to say it is bad? Yes, absolutely. Does saying "things are improving" imply that everything is fine, and we should all relax and not worry? No, not at all. Is it helpful to have to choose between bad and improving? Definitely not. It's both. It's both bad and better. Better, and bad, at the same time. That is how we must think about the current state of the world.

When you hear about something terrible, calm yourself by asking whether there had been equally large positive improvements that you could have missed hearing about. A large percentage of rhetoric disseminated by media, governments and security professionals is typically a message of doom and gloom. Correspondingly, you tend to hear and pay more attention to bad news than good news. This distortion instills a sense of negativity, which is a well-established tactic. Fear, uncertainty and doubt (abbreviated as FUD) is a strategic attempt to influence perception by disseminating negative and dubious or false information. The term - FUD - appeared in contexts as early as the 1920s.

Reality check

Humans pay attention to the bad rather than good. Many believe that the world is getting worse and romanticize the good old days. This is true to a certain extent. For example, the environmental pollution is getting worse and terrorism is more devastating than it was a few decades ago. Nevertheless, the state of world affairs is generally on an upward trajectory. However, these developments largely go unnoticed because they aren't reported. Hence, we tend to be nostalgic about the past.

Today, even minor incidents receive far greater coverage than they deserve. If you look at the news, you'll be perceive that the world is on a downward trend. However, the facts reveal another story. In the 1800s, most people in the world were at Level 1, marked by extreme poverty. However, only 9% of the world is still at Level 1 today. Life expectancy has improved from 31 years in the 1800s to over 70 years today. Slavery has been abolished, child mortality is down, access to basic amenities, such as electricity, water and health have improved.

Yet, we mistakenly conclude that nothing has improved, when in fact, our world has largely become a safer and better place. Still, we tend to have a pessimistic view of the world. This is because we tend to judge by feelings rather than by logic.

Negativity bias

The negativity bias is the tendency for humans to pay more attention or give more weight to negative experiences over neutral or positive experiences. Even when negative experiences are inconsequential, humans tend to focus on the negative. According to Verywell Mind, we humans, we are hard-wired for negativity. Criticisms have a greater impact than compliments. Likewise, bad news frequently draws more attention than good. This phenomenon is called negativity bias. It describes our tendency to register and dwell more readily on negative stimuli and events than positive ones. This bias, also known as positive-negative asymmetry, implies that we feel the sting of a rebuke more powerfully than we feel the joy of praise. To cite Linus, the Peanuts character:

Good things last eight seconds...Bad things last three weeks.

In social psychology, negative traits have been shown to disproportionately affect impression formation. The Prospect Theory - developed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in 1979 - demonstrates that we tend to be risk averse due to our biased weighting of probabilities. Since we dislike losses more than equivalent gains, we are willing to take more risks to avoid a loss. Likewise, we also avoid choosing options that might result in loss. For example, we strongly feel about losing € 20 than we are happy about winning € 20.

Evolutionary baggage

According to psychologist Rick Hanson, a negativity bias has been built into our brains based on millions of years of evolution when it comes to dealing with threats. Our ancestors lived in difficult environments. They had to gather food while avoiding deadly obstacles. Noticing, reacting to, and remembering predators and natural hazards (negative) became more important than finding food (positive). Those who avoided the negative situations passed on their genes.

So, our ancestors developed heuristics (short-cuts) to deal with bad news or negative traits that signaled danger. From an evolutionary perspective, learning to identify potentially hazardous situations was vital for survival in a harsh environment rich in predators. While today's world has arguably fewer threats, humans are still wired for self-preservation. Today, we may not need to be on constant high alert for survival like our ancestors. However, negativity bias still affects how we act, react, feel, and think.

Dealing with negativity

It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. It age old adage describes the effect that moods transfer among people in a relatively short period of time. Emotional contagion is the psychological term for this phenomenon. In the article titled, Our emotional neighbourhoods, the authors Peter Totterdell, Karen Niven and David Holman explored how our social networks regulate what we feel.

Field research on work and sport teams has found that individuals' moods change in synchrony with the collective mood of their teammates and in particular with the mood of a team leader.

The bottom line is when our friends and colleagues are happy, we are more likely to be happy. In contrast, people who express negativity can be emotional black holes. Everyone who comes in contact with them suffers the consequences. To minimize the effect of negativity in your consulting life:

Reframe the situation

As a consultant, chances are you are exposed to negative feedback from diverse sources during an engagement. Some of the pessimistic client stakeholders that participated in your interviews / workshops may paint a gloomy future. Immunizing yourself from such negativity is pivotal to functioning effectively as a consultant. Your messaging plays a large role in shaping how you perceive and interpret events. When you find yourself interpreting something in a negative way, take a step back. Look for ways to reframe the events in a more positive light that can generate action. The psychological term for re-framing is reappraisal, a term coined by Alison Wood Brooks, the O'Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. In the Choiceology podcast titled, A Bundle of Nerves, she recommends:

Think about all of the things that could go great and focus on those things to encourage an opportunity mindset, to lead to excitement rather than anxiety.

Focus on the challenges the client is facing. After all, you are engaged to help client resolve their challenges, so don't ignore the potential dangers. Also focus on the positive events that can help you turn-around the situation.

Establish new patterns

When you find yourself reflecting on negative scenarios, take the great piece of advise from William Ury, author of Getting to Yes. He advises going to the balcony and taking a view from a different perspective. Look for uplifting activities to pull yourself out of this negative mindset. This can be quite challenging as our emotions are entwined, especially in inter-personal client relationships. As consultants, we must distance ourselves from this idea of personal. Emotions lead to mistakes. We can get angry, defensive, frustrated, and irritated. These can derail a path of constructive dialogue, debate and brainstorming. Expand your dialogue to include more client stakeholders, listen to the viewpoints, absorb their concerns and seek a joint solution.

Celebrate achievements

It takes more for us to remember positive experiences. Hence, it is important to celebrate positive events that happen. Negativity gets quickly transferred and etched in your memory. So, you need to undertake more effort to get the same effect from positive moments. When something great happens, say a client shared a positive feedback during a workshop, take the time to share this message with the rest of the engagement team. Replay the moment several times in your memory and get your Partners and Senior Managers to include this feedback in their weekly update email. Focus on the positive things, especially during challenging client engagements when the going gets hard.

Choose to smile

Responding to negativity with positivity requires a lot of empathy and is a difficult mindset shift to make. However, if you can learn to smile at negativity, you can transform your weltanschauung. The world will certainly appear to be a much better place. By smiling, you demonstrate that you have the power over your emotions. According to a study published by Psychological Science, the act of smiling during stressful situations leads to reduced heart rates among participants.

Smiling means that we are ourselves, that we have sovereignty over ourselves, that we are not drowned into forgetfulness. ( Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace)

Law of the Garbage Truck

There will always be negative people around. If you aren't careful, they can take a toll on you and wreak emotional havoc. Have some strategies to combat negativity; keep your thoughts and actions positive. Psychologist David J. Pollay describes this well with his Law of the Garbage Truck, which he learned from an New York City cab driver.

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. So, when someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You'll be happier.

We all look at things through our own lens, shaped by our experiences, upbringing, education, environment, and other factors. A person's perception of other people and events is not necessarily reality. By understanding this, you can better comprehend why others think and act the way they do.

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Think Insights - Negativity Instinct: How should consultants overcome this?

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The negativity instinct describes our tendency to notice the bad more than the good. Rosling invites readers to think of the world as a premature baby in an incubator. He writes, Does it make sense to say that the infant's situation is improving? Yes. Absolutely. Does it make sense to say it is bad?

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3 Mental Hurdles That Get In The Way Of Dreaming Big

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3 Mental Hurdles That Get In The Way Of Dreaming Big

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Hans Rosling was a famed Swedish statistician and widely admired TED speaker. Rosling passed away before he could see his new book, Factfullness, climb to the top of the New York Times bestseller lists. Bill Gates calls the book one of the most important he's ever read.

Rosling's book, Factfullness: Ten Reasons Why We're Wrong About the World-And Why Things Are Better Than You Think, falls into my favorite category of books right now-I call them 'progress' books because they go into exhaustive detail and provide mountains of evidence to show that our world is making remarkable progress each and every day. These books will fill you with gratitude and hope, two mindsets that are essential to leadership.

I've spoken to several progress authors including Johan Norberg and Steven Pinker. The most common question they hear is, "If we've made so much progress, why don't most people know about it?" For example, over the past 20 years, the number of people living in extreme poverty has dropped in half. Yet, in survey after survey, in country after country, only about 7% of respondents get the answer right.

Rosling does a good job of explaining the mental biases that make it difficult for us to perceive the world as getting better. Understanding these mental hurdles will help you stand out as a leader who must, by definition, have a broader perspective most people do not.

Control the negativity instinct. According to Rosling, the natural human tendency to over dramatize everything that's bad-- "the negativity instinct"-causes a loss of hope. Therefore, overcoming or at least recognizing the negativity instinct is an important lesson for leaders who want to drive their companies and the world forward. Rosling didn't call himself an optimist. Instead, he preferred "possibilitist." In Rosling's definition, a possibilitist is someone "who neither hopes without reason, nor fears without reason. Someone who constantly resists the overdramatic worldview."

Recognize that things can be bad and better. Rosling believed we can have two thoughts in our head at the same time-bad and better. Rosling was a communicator who used metaphors to visualize concepts. In his book, he likens the world to a premature baby in an incubator. The baby's health status might be bad, but slow changes in its heart rate, breathing, and other vital signs are improving every day. Each and every day, the world gets better. For example, more than 200,000 will be lifted out of extreme poverty today. The same happened yesterday and the day before and the day before that. Remarkable progress is occurring each and every day in every measure of human well-being. It's a reason for hope, but people still suffer every day. Things can be bad and better-but to focus on the bad is debilitating and demoralizing.

Filter bad news and look for the good. Bad is stronger than good, and so it makes sense that media rely on the bad to grab our attention. Negative stories are more dramatic than neutral or positive ones. I was in front of the camera for 15 years as a television news journalist and TV anchor. I also studied business. Every morning I would read positive business trends or groundbreaking news on progress, followed by a trip to the studio where I would spend the next eight hours preparing to deliver bad news. "The human brain is a product of millions of years of evolution, and we are hard-wired with instincts that helped our ancestors to survive," writes Rosling. And that's why potential threats grab our attention quickly. But according to Rosling, "Fears that evolved to protect us are now doing us harm."

Rosling's recommendation is not simply to avoid bad news. Instead he recommends that we actively look for good news. "Positive changes may be more common, but they don't find you. You need to find them. And if you look in the statistics, they are everywhere," writes Rosling.

Leaders, by definition, must have a broader perspective than the average person. Rosling's book will help you recognize and control your own negative biases that stand in the way of progress.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

... Read More

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3 Mental Hurdles That Get In The Way Of Dreaming Big

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Hans Rosling was a famed Swedish statistician and widely admired TED speaker. Rosling passed away before he could see his new book, Factfullness, climb to the top of the New York Times bestseller lists. Bill Gates calls the book one of the most important he's ever read.

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2. Can We Auto-Correct Humanity? - Prince Ea

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2. Can We Auto-Correct Humanity? - Prince Ea

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Prince Ea does a spoken word in this video. Through creative rhythm, rhyme and poetry he addresses the issues with humanity today in the world of social media. He expresses that even though social media is suppose to allow society to be more social it actually causes society to be more anti social. He also brings up the issue of having feeling low self worth based on using social media. He use poetry to bring attention to how negatively culture is changed by social media.

I chose this video because I believe it was a creative way to raise awareness of the negative affects of social media. Prince Ea is a motivational speaker and youtuber. I think he does such a great job on addressing so many social issues through spoken word. I believe people will listen to creative presentations such as spoken word or singing faster than they would read an article or listening to an academic dissertation.

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3. Jaron Lanier interview on how social media ruins your life- Channel 4 News

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3. Jaron Lanier interview on how social media ruins your life- Channel 4 News

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Jaron Lanier gives his take of how social media affects people's life. He gives insight on the how social media was created and designed. He states that social media was actually created to be addictive. He doesn't just believe that people should take breaks but rather he believe people should not use some social media platforms at all. Not only is social media affecting the individuals emotions and self perspective but people are being manipulated through algorithms that promotes people to take advantage of others with ads. This creates an abusive environment. Lanier states that its not necessary to get rid of social media. However, we should change the behavior manipulation model.

I thought that this would be a great video for the subject matter because Jaron Lanier is a computer scientist. Lanier is an expert giving a sort of an insider perspective. I think he gives very sobering points. It seems like he is not completely for the demise of social media but rather he seems to support a sort of restructuring. I can agree with this type of thinking because something should be done to stop or decrease harm that social media cause.

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Jaron Lanier interview on how social media ruins your life

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4. 5 Crazy Ways Social Media Is Changing Your Brain Right Now-AsapSCIENCE

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4. 5 Crazy Ways Social Media Is Changing Your Brain Right Now-AsapSCIENCE

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AsapSCIENCE gives 5 ways that social media is changing the brain. 1. most users are unable to control how much time they spend on line. 2. people are less successful with multi tasking that uses social media often. 3. phantom vibration syndrome, this is a real issue! 4. There is also an unbalance release of dopamine when using social media. 5. successful relationships online.

I thought the would be an interesting video because it may allow some to connect the dots between how your brain is change in relation to mental health. AsapSCIENCE gives a lot of statistics to relate to in this video.

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5 Crazy Ways Social Media Is Changing Your Brain Right Now

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Anne Marie express in this song that she is not perfect and that essentially is okay with her. Not only is that okay with her but it is actually okay her. She says that she doesn't want to put on make up on because she does what she want to.

I chose this song because it seems to capture the emotion that is caused by the pressure that social media can produces. Anne Marie says that she wears regular clothes and wants bigger legs and don't wear make. All of these things that she mention are silently shunned on social media but she affirms her choice not to conform by saying I do what I want to. I feel like this may seem empowering at first but it seems to just expose the pressure that media put on people to be perfect. The pressure to look a certain way or to wear certain clothes can be overwhelming, but none of these things should be people should but be able just to be who and what they are.

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Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health- centreformentalhealth.org

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Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health- centreformentalhealth.org

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Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health | Centre for Mental Health

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Rhys shares his view on the impact of social media on mental health

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Here's How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health - McLean Hospital

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Here's How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health - McLean Hospital

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Here's How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health | McLean Hospital

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Using social media can directly impact emotional wellness, physical, and mental health. Here are the signs that you are affected.

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Investigating the role of social media on mental health - Hassan Ebrahimpour & Farin Tatari

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Investigating the role of social media on mental health - Hassan Ebrahimpour & Farin Tatari

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Increased use of social media takes mental health toll on teens - Fox News

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Increased use of social media takes mental health toll on teens - Fox News

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The almost uninterrupted use of social media has led to body issues, low self-esteem and mental health issues for teenagers, according to a recent study. Social media is a highlight reel, where users share usually flattering videos and photos.

According to a study conducted by The Wall Street Journal, 40% of teens said their sole purpose for posting on social media is to look good to other people, while 32% of teenage girls felt that Instagram only worsened their body insecurities.

A study done by Psychiatry Online corroborate the WSJ, stating that mental health issues among adolescents rose in the early 2010s. From anxiety to depression, mental stability took its hit due to the increase use of social media. The effect has permeated to present day.

REE DRUMMOND DESCRIBES 'ROCK BOTTOM MOMENT THAT KICKSTARTED WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY
With the increase use in Instagram, teenagers are exposed to become victims of online harassment, depression, loss of sleep and depression.

In EClinical Medicine's most recent study, which is published by renowned medical journal The Lancet, observers took note of a study done by the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). The MCS is a U.K. representative study of children born into 19,244 families between September 2000 and January 2002.

The study surveyed 14-year-old boys and girls and found that 78% of girls were dissatisfied with their body weight due to social media usage. Despite issues with body image, 87% of girls and 91% of boys continued to have high self-esteem.

Instagram's head of policy, Karina Newton, has accepted the research and plans to continue the company's effort "to understanding complex and difficult issues young people may struggle with."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Because Instagram is the second most used social media platform, behind its parent company Facebook, it holds a responsibility to appease the user experience as much as possible. Newton said it is their job to make people feel good when they use the app.

While the use of social media has increased detriments to mental health, some have taken preventative measures to combat the risks. WSJ reports that four in 10 teens said they unfollowed and unfriended other users due to bullying.

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Increased use of social media takes mental health toll on teens

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The almost uninterrupted use of social media has led to body issues, low self-esteem and mental health issues for teenagers, according to a recent study. Social media is a highlight reel, where users share usually flattering videos and photos.

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Social Media is Making Us Unsocial - Kristin Gallucci | TEDxBocaRaton

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Social Media is Making Us Unsocial - Kristin Gallucci | TEDxBocaRaton

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Social Media is Making Us Unsocial | Kristin Gallucci | TEDxBocaRaton

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Is the world getting worse? A look at numbers

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Is the world getting worse? A look at numbers

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Steven Pinker is another Hans Rosling in my opinion. He talks about the world improving in poverty, war, pollution ect. People tend to talk about certain years being the worst years like 2017 but they don't look at the overall data of the world and how it's improving. The world is progressing. We should look at the negative things/problems that still do exist and look at ways to solve it as a whole. We can make it a better place and make it flourish.

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0:00 / 18:32•Watch full video

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Is the world getting better or worse? A look at the numbers | Steven Pinker

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The negative bias: Why the bad stuff sticks and how to overcome it

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The negative bias: Why the bad stuff sticks and how to overcome it

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Psycom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1996

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The Negativity Bias: Why the Bad Stuff Sticks and How to Overcome It

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Do you tend to dwell on bad memories and experiences? It may be due to the negativity bias. Here’s how to stop thinking about something that’s making you feel bad.

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64% of Americans say social media has a negative affect on things going on today

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64% of Americans say social media has a negative affect on things going on today

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https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/10/15/64-of-americans-say-social-media-have-a-mostly-negative-effect-on-the-way-things-are-going-in-the-u-s-today/

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About two-thirds of Americans (64%) say social media have a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in the country today, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted July 13-19, 2020. Just one-in-ten Americans say social media sites have a mostly positive effect on the way things are going, and one-quarter say these platforms have a neither positive nor negative effect.

Those who have a negative view of the impact of social media mention, in particular, misinformation and the hate and harassment they see on social media. They also have concerns about users believing everything they see or read - or not being sure about what to believe. Additionally, they bemoan social media's role in fomenting partisanship and polarization, the creation of echo chambers, and the perception that these platforms oppose President Donald Trump and conservatives.

The public's views on the positive and negative effect of social media vary widely by political affiliation and ideology. Across parties, larger shares describe social media's impact as mostly negative rather than mostly positive, but this belief is particularly widespread among Republicans.

Roughly half of Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party (53%) say social media have a largely negative effect on the way things are going in the country today, compared with 78% of Republicans and leaners who say the same. Democrats are about three times as likely as Republicans to say these sites have a mostly positive impact (14% vs. 5%) and twice as likely to say social media have neither a positive nor negative effect (32% vs. 16%).

Among Democrats, there are no differences in these views along ideological lines. Republicans, however, are slightly more divided by ideology. Conservative Republicans are more likely than moderate to liberal Republicans to say social media have a mostly negative effect (83% vs. 70%). Conversely, moderate to liberal Republicans are more likely than their conservative counterparts to say social media have a mostly positive (8% vs. 4%) or neutral impact (21% vs. 13%).

Younger adults are more likely to say social media have a positive impact on the way things are going in the country and are less likely to believe social media sites have a negative impact compared with older Americans. For instance, 15% of those ages 18 to 29 say social media have a mostly positive effect on the way things are going in the country today, while just 8% of those over age 30 say the same. Americans 18 to 29 are also less likely than those 30 and older to say social media have a mostly negative impact (54% vs. 67%).

However, views among younger adults vary widely by partisanship. For example, 43% of Democrats ages 18 to 29 say social media have a mostly negative effect on the way things are going, compared with about three-quarters (76%) of Republicans in the same age group. In addition, these youngest Democrats are more likely than their Republican counterparts to say social media platforms have a mostly positive (20% vs. 6%) or neither a positive nor negative effect (35% vs. 18%) on the way things are going in the country today. This partisan division persists among those 30 and older, but most of the gaps are smaller than those seen within the younger cohort.

Views on the negative impact of social media vary only slightly between social media users (63%) and non-users (69%), with non-users being slightly more likely to say these sites have a negative impact. However, among social media users, those who say some or a lot of what they see on social media is related to politics are more likely than those who say a little or none of what they see on these sites is related to politics to think social media platforms have a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in the country today (65% vs. 50%).

Past Pew Research Center studies have drawn attention to the complicated relationships Americans have with social media. In 2019, a Center survey found that 72% of U.S. adults reported using at least one social media site. And while these platforms have been used for political and social activism and engagement, they also raise concerns among portions of the population. Some think political ads on these sites are unacceptable, and many object to the way social media platforms have been weaponized to spread made-up news and engender online harassment. At the same time, a share of users credit something they saw on social media with changing their views about a political or social issue. And growing shares of Americans who use these sites also report feeling worn out by political posts and discussions on social media.

Those who say social media have negative impact cite concerns about misinformation, hate, censorship; those who see positive impact cite being informed

When asked to elaborate on the main reason why they think social media have a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in this country today, roughly three-in-ten (28%) respondents who hold that view mention the spreading of misinformation and made-up news. Smaller shares reference examples of hate, harassment, conflict and extremism (16%) as a main reason, and 11% mention a perceived lack of critical thinking skills among many users - voicing concern about people who use these sites believing everything they see or read or being unsure about what to believe.

In written responses that mention misinformation or made-up news, a portion of adults often include references to the spread, speed and amount of false information available on these platforms. (Responses are lightly edited for spelling, style and readability.) For example:
"They allow for the rampant spread of misinformation." -Man, 36 "False information is spread at lightning speed - and false information never seems to go away." -Woman, 71 "Social media is rampant with misinformation both about the coronavirus and political and social issues, and the social media organizations do not do enough to combat this." -Woman, 26 "Too much misinformation and lies are promoted from unsubstantiated sources that lead people to disregard vetted and expert information." -Woman, 64
People's responses that centered around hate, harassment, conflict or extremism in some way often mention concerns that social media contributes to incivility online tied to anonymity, the spreading of hate-filled ideas or conspiracies, or the incitement of violence.
"People say incendiary, stupid and thoughtless things online with the perception of anonymity that they would never say to someone else in person." -Man, 53 "Promotes hate and extreme views and in some cases violence." -Man, 69 "People don't respect others' opinions. They take it personally and try to fight with the other group. You can't share your own thoughts on controversial topics without fearing someone will try to hurt you or your family." -Woman, 65 "Social media is where people go to say some of the most hateful things they can imagine." -Man, 46
About one-in-ten responses talk about how people on social media can be easily confused and believe everything they see or read or are not sure about what to believe.
"People believe everything they see and don't verify its accuracy." -Man, 75 "Many people can't distinguish between real and fake news and information and share it without doing proper research ..." -Man, 32 "You don't know what's fake or real." -Man, 49 "It is hard to discern truth." -Woman, 80 "People cannot distinguish fact from opinion, nor can they critically evaluate sources. They tend to believe everything they read, and when they see contradictory information (particularly propaganda), they shut down and don't appear to trust any information." -Man, 42
Smaller shares complain that the platforms censor content or allow material that is biased (9%), too negative (7%) or too steeped in partisanship and division (6%).
"Social media is censoring views that are different than theirs. There is no longer freedom of speech." -Woman, 42 "It creates more divide between people with different viewpoints." -Man, 37 "Focus is on negativity and encouraging angry behavior rather than doing something to help people and make the world better." -Woman, 66

Far fewer Americans - 10% - say they believe social media has a mostly positive effect on the way things are going in the country today. When those who hold these positive views were asked about the main reason why they thought this, one-quarter say these sites help people stay informed and aware (25%) and about one-in-ten say they allow for communication, connection and community-building (12%).
"We are now aware of what's happening around the world due to the social media outlet." -Woman, 28 "It brings awareness to important issues that affect all Americans." -Man, 60 "It brings people together; folks can see that there are others who share the same/similar experience, which is really important, especially when so many of us are isolated." -Woman, 36 "Helps people stay connected and share experiences. I also get advice and recommendations via social media." -Man, 32 "It keeps people connected who might feel lonely and alone if there did not have social media ..." - Man, 65
Smaller shares tout social media as a place where marginalized people and groups have a voice (8%) and as a venue for activism and social movements (7%).
"Spreading activism and info and inspiring participation in Black Lives Matter." -Woman, 31 "It gives average people an opportunity to voice and share their opinions." -Man, 67 "Visibility - it has democratized access and provided platforms for voices who have been and continue to be oppressed." -Woman, 27 Note: This is part of a series of blog posts leading up to the 2020 presidential election that explores the role of social media in politics today. Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology. Other posts in this series:

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64% of Americans say social media have a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in the U.S. today

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Just one-in-ten Americans say social media sites have a mostly positive effect on the way things are going in the U.S. today.

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Overcoming your brains fixation on bad things 

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Overcoming your brains fixation on bad things 

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Our minds tend to pay more attention to what goes wrong than what goes right which in the end ends up affecting our relationships, work, our metal and physical health. But there is a lot we can do to overcome this negative bias. We have to realize that things aren't as bad as they (the media) makes us think. It is just our fears that makes us believe that they are bigger than they seem. We have to go out of our way and conduct our own research and see that there is more good than bad. Us paying more attention to the bad is an overreaction, that's it. Being born after the 20th century should be considered a blessing because things have got so much better. When it comes to our thinking we should think more logical than emotional.

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Why can't we pull our attention away from a traffic accident or stop watching news about the latest viral outbreak? Why are we waylaid by criticism or unable to get past a minor snub from our best friend?

That's our negativity bias. We humans have a propensity to give more weight in our minds to things that go wrong than to things that go right-so much so that just one negative event can hijack our minds in ways that can be detrimental to our work, relationships, health, and happiness.

Overcoming our negativity bias is not easy to do. But a new book, The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It, coauthored by social psychologist Roy Baumeister and New York Times writer John Tierney, inspires hope. The book not only covers the fascinating science behind this stubborn bias, but also gives readers practical tips to work around it in effective-and sometimes counterintuitive-ways. If we know that "bad" is stronger than "good," the authors argue, we can use that knowledge to improve not only our own lives, but society at large.

Recently, I spoke with the authors about their book and what we can learn from it. Below is an edited version of our interview.
Jill Suttie: Why did you want to write about the power of the negativity bias?
Roy Baumeister: To me, it was fascinating, because it's one of the most basic psychological principles and seems to be true everywhere. It's a key fact about how the mind works. But there are also plenty of practical applications in everyday life that people need to understand-how it works in their relationships, in their reactions to political and religious speakers, and so on. A mind is prone to overreact to negative things relative to positive things; so people can use this to manipulate us, or we can use this to manipulate other people. If we understand this, we can prevent some of the negative effects and improve the quality of our social life.
JS: What was one of the most surprising findings from the research on negativity bias?
John Tierney: There are lots of little surprising things to me-like the fact that you get almost no credit for doing more than you promised to do, for going beyond and doing extra, but you get penalized severely for what you don't do.

Researchers did experiments where students were given tickets by a ticket broker, and if the seats were better than expected, the students didn't express any gratitude; but they were very upset if the seats were worse. In another experiment, someone came in to help participants do a task that involved solving puzzles, and if that person did 50 percent more than promised, participants gave him the same rating as if he'd just done the basic job. If he fell short, they really faulted him. We're very upset when someone doesn't fulfill a promise, but if they do extra, we're not grateful enough for it.

RB: If I had to pick one finding, in particular, it would be that people learn more and faster from punishment and reward. I've heard educators say that we shouldn't criticize students or shouldn't give bad marks; but giving both reward and punishment-both praise and criticism-is best, for informational purposes. If you have to pick just one, the negative feedback stimulates learning faster than the positive. That was the biggest surprise to me.

For example, say you give children a jar, and, in one condition, every time they got a right answer, they'd get a marble to put in a jar that they could keep. In the other condition, the jar was full of marbles, and every time they got one wrong, they'd lose a marble. It's the same contingency, one marble per answer. But the kids learned faster when they were losing marbles than gaining marbles.

There was also a nice field study with teachers, where they were given a bonus if enough of their kids improved or reached grade-level-appropriate scores at the end of the year. To make it interesting, half the teachers got the bonus in advance-but if their students didn't make it, they'd have to pay it back. The others were told they would get their bonus at the end of the year if students advanced. The result? Students learn better when the teacher might be punished by having money taken away, instead of rewarded by getting money in the end.
JS: In your book, you refer to the "Negative Golden Rule." Can you explain what that is and why it's important in relationships?
RB: Well, the standard Golden Rule that we learned as a child is "Do unto others as you want them to do unto you." But given that bad is stronger than good, the priority should be "Do not do unto others what you do not want done unto you." It's about focusing on eliminating the negative rather than cultivating the positive. Both are good, but eliminating the negative should get priority.

There's abundant evidence from multiple sources that relationships are far more strongly affected by negative things than positive things. I sometimes ask my students, "Why do you think someone should marry you? Why would you be a great husband or wife?" They list all the positive things that they do-being a good listener, provider, good in bed, or whatever-that they think will make the relationship a success.

But what's more important is to not do the bad things-can you hold your tongue when you're angry or refrain from saying that something is his or her fault; or, when the family budget is stretched, can I refrain from an impulsive splurge? Negative things matter way more than positive things; so rather than reciprocating when your partner is being difficult or unpleasant, it's especially important for you to ride it out and be positive and not fall into the trap of turning negative yourself.
JS: Is there a good way to provide criticism, given how much we hate receiving it?
JT: One of the big mistakes people have learned is that, when giving criticism, you should start off saying a lot of good things about the other person, then throw in some criticism, and wrap it up with some nice words. But most people would rather just get the bad news out of the way. Also, once you give people the bad news, they respond so strongly to criticism that the brain basically forgets the first part-people will walk out of the evaluation focusing on that criticism, with all the good stuff forgotten.

It's better to give the bad news early; then the good news can sink in after that. People have got to hear the criticism to know what the problem is, but then you can tell them what they're good at and let them know how they can improve.
JS: When it comes to news and media, you write that we tend to focus more immediately on the negative news, but we're more likely to share positive news with others. What's the reason for this, and how should it guide our consumption of the news?
JT: This is something that interested me in my media career-just seeing how eagerly we journalists will turn anything into bad news. So many things are going right in the world, and yet journalists can take what's basically a good news trend and find one person doing badly and focus on that. The reason for this is probably that mass media aims at a mass audience, and the things that affect everyone tend to be negative-we're all afraid of dying; we're all afraid of being hurt. Focusing on those shared concerns is the easiest way to reach a mass audience.

It means we all need to work on going on a "low-bad" diet-basically, not allowing yourself to constantly watch mass media news. When there's a terrible event-a school shooting or a terrorist attack-don't just wallow in the coverage. These are awful events, but they're also pretty isolated events.

Social media often gets a bad rap, but, in fact, people on social media tend to share stories that are more positive than mass media. That's because the positive things we're interested in-our hobbies, our cultural interests, the books we read-are more idiosyncratic. If you go on Facebook or you go on social media, you'll find all these wonderful groups that are just devoted to shared passions-for certain authors, certain branches of science, Civil War history. Curating your news feed so that you're not seeing so many negative stories can be good.
JS: You mentioned manipulation earlier. Do you ever worry that helping people understand the power of the negativity bias could lead them to misuse it in a way?
JT: I do think that the negativity effect is used for bad purposes all the time. The "merchants of bad," as we call them-in the media and politics and advertising-are continually scaring us and they don't need our book to figure this out. Market research shows that it's the way to get people's attention. So, in that sense, I don't think we're going to be giving people a weapon they're not already using.

We're hoping that people who consume the news or hear politicians trying to scare them, though, will realize how they're being manipulated and start using their rational brain to overcome their negativity bias. Understanding how it works can help people see that what they hear or read is not necessarily an accurate view of the situation or even representative, and they're just overreacting to the bad.

JS: Most people think that being a "Pollyanna" is a pejorative. But you actually make a case that there's something to be said for being a little bit more Pollyannaish. Why?

RB: OK, the original Pollyanna movie was not a critical success. But the idea of taking a positive attitude is very appealing, which is probably why it was a commercial success.

The mind evolved to overreact to negative things so, to compensate for that, it's good to take a moment to stop and consider the positive side. You don't have to be as extreme as the Pollyanna character. But, in general, the indicators of human well-being are all moving up-life is getting better and is really good in many ways, despite the constant predictions of doom. So just to be accurate in how you see the world, you need to put a bit of a correction on the negativity bias.

Most of the research shows that bad things have about two, three, or four times as much impact as good things. If you want to have a good relationship, go for at least a five-to-one ratio of good things to bad things. I've heard people say, "Oh, I did this to annoy my wife or husband; I'd better do something nice to make it up to him or her." But one nice thing doesn't make up for one bad thing-you've got to do four things just to get back to even.
JS: You make a case for using rational thought to overcome the negativity bias. What about the role of cultivating positive emotions? Is that useful, too?
JT: Yes! We recommended keeping a gratitude diary in the book, for example. But that's still a case of using your rational brain-you decide you're going to keep a diary because the research shows that this will help you, thinking about the good things in your life. And that does indeed produce a wonderful emotional response; it's one of the best ways to lift your spirits. So, in that sense, you're using your rational brain to bring out those good emotions.
JS: What lesson do you hope most people will take away from your book?
RB: Despite the title, we want it to be a positive, upbeat book. We want people to recognize that things are almost never as bad as they're thinking and hearing and fearing. We want people to understand that the mind naturally leans toward noticing and attending to and processing the negative stuff, but that will be an overreaction. So, it's important to take some time and balance it out and recognize the immense amount of good that is all around us. Like I sometimes say, I think anyone born in America after the middle of the 20th century should never complain about anything. Compared to most other places in the history of the world, it's really like winning the lottery.

JT: The basic message of our book is that bad is stronger than good, but good can prevail. We end the book very optimistically because we think that life has gotten so much better for the average person in the world in the last three centuries. It's astonishing-we're the luckiest people in history to be alive now. And things just keep getting better.

We're hopeful that as we understand our inner nature, this negativity effect, we can use our rational brain to override that when it gets in our way and can use it for positive purposes. The more we can get our rational brain involved in overriding these gut reactions, the more things will keep getting better. And we think people can become happier, too.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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How to Overcome Your Brain's Fixation on Bad Things

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Why can't we pull our attention away from a traffic accident or stop watching news about the latest viral outbreak? Why are we waylaid by criticism or unable to get past a minor snub from our best friend? That's our negativity bias.

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Social media influencing our public opinion during an election 

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Social media influencing our public opinion during an election 

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https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2020/10/socialmedia_expert.html

Social media has a huge impact on our public opinion. This can be due to paid political advertising that provides information that can be very misleading. We fall for this because we don't bother fact checking what is being said or doing our research. For example, when Trump was president people assumed that everyone that supported him was a racist or bad person. But he actually did a lot of good for the economy because he was a business man himself. Also he was pro-life, which led to a lot of religious people against abortions like Christians to support him.

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Social media is a powerful vehicle for shaping public opinion, and is one reason why there is concern about the role it can play during electoral processes, says Virginia Tech expert Mike Horning.
Quoting Horning
While research doesn't show that social media has a lot of influence over voter behavior, Horning says it does show that it can shape public opinion.

"If misinformation were put out that suggested electoral processes were unfair, this could have an impact on how the public feels about the entire election process and undermine our belief in democracy."

In a recent study, Horning looked at how audiences are dealing with misinformation on social media. Results found that people were concerned about fake news, and this was having an impact on their desire to share any news on social media.

Horning says that social media companies have taken a variety of approaches, but it remains to be seen whether they will be effective in combating misinformation. "Some companies are banning paid political advertising while other companies are fact-checking information and providing visible flags that show the information is false."

"Misinformation spreads more quickly on social media than it can be checked," says Horning. "There's also the added challenge that misinformation can originate from any number of sources including private citizens, political interest groups or foreign interests."

"Social media companies have to weigh the public's interest in free-speech with a need to monitor the flows of misinformation. This is a balancing act on their part that is difficult to get right."
About Horning
Mike Horning is an associate professor of multimedia journalism in the Virginia Tech School of Communication and director of social informatics research in the Center for Human Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech. His research examines how communication technologies impact social attitudes and behaviors, with a current focus on the impact of "fake news" and misinformation on our democratic processes. His expertise has been featured in The Hill, on Sinclair Broadcast Group, and in a number of other media outlets.

Schedule Interview

To secure an interview, please contact Shannon Andrea in the media relations office at sandrea@vt.edu or 703-399-9494. Find additional Virginia Tech expertise related to COVID-19 here.

Finding reliable experts for media interviews is especially important during this difficult time. Virginia Tech's television and radio studios can broadcast live HD audio and video to networks, news outlets, and affiliates interviewing Virginia Tech faculty and staff. The university does not charge for use of its studios. Video is transmitted by LTN Global Communications; Skype, FaceTime, or similar products; or file sharing (Dropbox, Google Drive, We-Transfer, etc.). Radio interviews can be transmitted by ISDN, Comrex, phone, smartphone recording, or file sharing.

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college of liberal arts and human sciences

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Expert cautions social media influence on public opinion during an election

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Social media is a powerful vehicle for shaping public opinion, and is one reason why there is concern about the role it can play during electoral processes, says Virginia Tech expert Mike Horning. Quoting Horning While research doesn't show that social media has a lot of influence over voter behavior, Horning says it does show that it can shape public opinion.

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Social media affecting your life more than you realize 

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Social media affecting your life more than you realize 

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https://www.computer.org/publications/tech-news/trends/social-media-affects-your-life-more-than-you-realize

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Most people use at least one major social media platform, but fail to understand just how impactful daily social media use can be. It's entertaining to scroll through memes, photos, and life updates from the people you've met throughout your life, but we often don't see the ways that social media changes how we act and think-not to mention changing the opportunities that are available to us.

Direct Impact

Let's start by looking at some of the ways that social media can have a direct impact on your life:

Job prospects. At this point, it's likely that millions of people have missed out on job opportunities or lost their current jobs due to something they said or did on social media. Employers often comb through applicants' and employees' former posts. If they find something offensive, or something that indicates a lack of character, it could prevent you from landing that job, or progressing your career.

ESTA applications. On your ESTA application and on other important applications, you may be prompted for your social media information. Officials review this information to evaluate potential security threats. Most people don't have to worry about this, but if you've made even vaguely threatening or concerning posts in the past, it could affect your ability to travel.

Legal matters. Similarly, your social media posts can be used in legal evaluations. For example, your posting history may be used against you in a court of law as you battle for custody of your child, or as you're trying to prove your character.

New relationships. When you meet someone new, how often do you pull up or try to find their social media information and start scrolling through it? They're probably doing the same to you. For better or worse, your social media is responsible for shaping the first (and second) impressions of almost everyone you meet.

Mental and Emotional Health

We also need to be concerned about the ways that social media might be affecting our mental health, and the ways in which we think:

Abuse and harassment. One of the biggest problems with social media is its proclivity for allowing abuse and harassment. Many people experience some variation of cyberbullying or harassment from individuals intentionally trying to make them feel bad. Those who aren't direct targets can still be negatively affected by slurs and offensive language used by other users in public comment feeds.

Anxiety and loneliness. There's also sufficient evidence to suggest that despite its intention to make us more connected and more confident, social media use actually stokes feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Why is this the case? There are many factors that are likely to be in play here. For example, you may suffer from a "fear of missing out" (FOMO), witnessing other people have a good time when you're on social media and constantly wanting to check social media when you're off it. Due to the open transparency and constant accessibility of social media, you may also feel anxiety related to a lack of privacy. On top of that, social media often gives us the sense that we're socializing without actually allowing us to socialize the way we do best-with in-person, direct conversations.

Echo chambers. Users on social media tend to self-isolate in some respects, unfriending and unfollowing sources who say things they don't agree with and seeking out people who do agree with them. This facilitates the development of echo chambers, where only one narrative is constantly recycled. In turn, this limits our ability to remain open minded to new ideas, causes us to demonize people we don't agree with, and in some cases, allows us to continue believing untruths.

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Should You Get Off Social Media?

There are some clear benefits to using social media, so don't abandon your social media platforms as a knee-jerk reaction. For example, you'll be able to keep in contact with people you might otherwise neglect, and you'll get access to a unique, individualized stream of news.

You'll need to spend some time introspecting and evaluating whether social media is doing more harm or good for you, personally. If you feel there are more negative consequences than positive benefits to using a specific platform, consider uninstalling it or temporarily deleting it for a week. How do you feel at the end of this week?

Detaching completely from social media can be hard, but it can also have enormous positive benefits, and is the right move for millions of people-even if they don't know it. If you decide to keep your social media accounts open, make sure you're aware of the potential damage and negative effects it can cause, and find a way to mitigate them.

About the Author

Larry Alton is a professional blogger, writer, and researcher who contributes to a number of reputable online media outlets and news sources. A graduate of Iowa State University, I'm now a full-time freelance writer and business consultant.

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Social Media Affects Your Life More Than You Realize

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Learn about the different ways social media can have a big impact on your life and what you can do to take control.

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1. SIX WAYS SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECTS YOUR MENTAL HEALTH WITHOUT YOU EVEN KNOWING

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1. SIX WAYS SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECTS YOUR MENTAL HEALTH WITHOUT YOU EVEN KNOWING

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This article highlights how social media affects mental health in a negative way by touching on topics such as self-esteem, human connection, memory, and sleep. Although social media has its benefits, it is becoming increasingly common for teens to report social media causing anxiety and depression. The article explains how seeing the "perfect"  people on social media lowers the viewers self-esteem as well as how screen time at night can worsen the quality of sleep. Social media also tends to make real human connection harder as the world focuses more and more on digital facades. The negativity instinct causes us to see the worst in situations. This can be seeing our lives as inadequate in comparison to the lives of others or in gravitating towards negative and dramatic content right before heading to bed. No matter what form of the negativity instinct social media triggers, it can and does contribute to poor mental health.

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The rise of social media has meant that people are more connected than we have ever been in the history of time. But our reliance on social media can have a detrimental effect on our mental health, with the average Brit checking their phone as much as 28 times a day.

While social media platforms can have their benefits, using them too frequently can make you feel increasingly unhappy and isolated in the long run.

The constant barrage of perfectly filtered photos that appear on Instagram are bound to knock many people's self-esteem, while obsessively checking your Twitter feed just before bed could be contributing towards poor quality of sleep.

Here are six ways that social media could be negatively affecting your mental health without you even realising.

We all have our fair share of insecurities, some that we speak about openly and others that we prefer to keep to ourselves.

However, comparing yourself to others on social media by stalking their aesthetically perfect Instagram photos or staying up to date with their relationship status on Facebook could do little to assuage your feelings of self-doubt.

A study conducted by the University of Copenhagen found that many people suffer from " Facebook envy ", with those who abstained from using the popular site reporting that they felt more satisfied with their lives.

"When we derive a sense of worth based on how we are doing relative to others, we place our happiness in a variable that is completely beyond our control," Dr Tim Bono, author of When Likes Aren't Enough explained in Healthista.

Becoming more conscious of the amount of time you spend scrolling through other people's online profiles could help you focus more on yourself and boost your self-confidence.

As human beings, it's so important for us to be able to communicate and forge personal connections with one another.

However, it can be hard to do so when we're glued to rectangular screens, becoming more acquainted with our friends' digital facades than their real-life personas.

Stina Sanders, a former model who has 107,000 followers on Instagram, explained how social media sometimes makes her feel like she's being left out.

"I know from my experience I can get FOMO when I see my friend's photos of a party I didn't go to, and this, in turn, can make me feel quite lonely and anxious," she told The Independent.

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology that assessed 5,208 subjects found that overall, regular use of Facebook had a negative impact on an individual's wellbeing.

Social media can be great for looking back fondly on memories and recounting how past events occurred.

However, it can also distort the way in which you remember certain tidbits from your life.

Many of us are guilty of spending far too much time trying to take the perfect photo of a visual marvel, all the while not actually absorbing the firsthand experience of witnessing it with your own two eyes.

"If we direct all of our attention toward capturing the best shots for our social media followers to admire, less will be available to enjoy other aspects of the experience in real time," said Dr Bono.

"Spending too much time on our phones will detract from those other aspects of the experience, undermining the happiness we could be gleaning from them."

Having enough sleep is of paramount importance.

However, many of us use our phones too soon before choosing the hit the hay, making it harder to doze off.

"Getting worked up with anxiety or envy from what we see on social media keeps the brain on high alert, preventing us from falling asleep," explained Dr Bono.

"Plus, the light from our mobile device just inches from our face can suppress the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps us feel tired."

Try setting yourself a strict rule of not going on your phone for at least 40 minutes to an hour before going to bed, and see if that makes a difference to the quality of your sleep.

It's not just your subconscious brain that you need to worry about, but also the extent to which your brain is able to fully concentrate when you're awake.

While it's incredible to consider the amount of information readily available at our fingertips thanks to social media, it also means that people have become far more easily distracted.

"Social media has provided a means of constantly giving into the temptation of instant, easy-access entertainment," said Dr Bono.

If you're unable to not check your phone for at least a few minutes, then you'd do well to practise exercising your willpower on occasion.

Not only has social media been proven to cause unhappiness, but it can also lead to the development of mental health issues such as anxiety or depression when used too much or without caution.

In March 2018, it was reported that more than a third of Generation Z from a survey of 1,000 individuals stated that they were quitting social media for good as 41 per cent stated that social media platforms make them feel anxious, sad or depressed.

Ben Jacobs, a DJ who has more than 5,000 followers on Twitter, decided to go on a hiatus from the platform in January 2016 and has found the break really beneficial.

"Twitter did indeed make me feel anxious from time to time as it slowly dawned on me I was concerning myself with the feelings of the thousands of strangers I followed, while they didn't necessarily know who I was," he said.

"Since my Twitter hiatus, I have had a clearer head with plenty of time to devote to other things such as waking up in a cold sweat at 3am and reading a book instead."

While you don't necessarily have to quit social media for good, if you feel like it's beginning to bog you down, why not consider allocating social media-free time slots during your daily routine? The slight change could do you a whole lot of good. [This article was originally published in October 2020]
If you are in need of mental health support, you can contact the free Samaritans helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of your nearest branch.

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Six ways social media negatively affects your mental health without you even knowing

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The rise of social media has meant that people are more connected than we have ever been in the history of time. But our reliance on social media can have a detrimental effect on our mental health, with the average Brit checking their phone as much as 28 times a day.

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In this song, Lauv states "I traded all my friends for drugs and the internet". Personally, I feel as though mentioning the internet side by side with drugs is a helpful adn creative way of showing how the internet can be just as addicting adn toxic as drugs. The difference is that the internet impacts mental health while drugs impact physical health. Lauv also mentions not being able to get out of his head and admits it is because of his use of "drugs and the internet". This shows how the negativity instinct takes over while spending time on the internet and begins to influence overthinking and, in turn, poor mental health.

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[Verse 1]
Another life, another story
She walked out, said I was boring
About 3 AM, that's when I called my friends
We hit the bar, sent myself flying
Shit I said I'm never trying
'Til the bitter end, but every now and then
I wonder what it feels like to be more than I am

[Chorus]
I traded all my friends for drugs and the internet
Ah shit, am I a winner yet?
Look quick, is he a winner yet?
Mom's back home with a drink and a cigarette
I traded all my friends for drugs and the internet
Ah shit, am I a winner yet?
Look quick, hasn't hit him yet
Mom's back home with a drink and a cigarette

[Post Chorus]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Still hasn't hit him yet

[Verse 2]
And I don't wanna base my actions
On reactions or the things they say
And I don't wanna hit delete
On all the parts of me that they might hate
So now I'm laying in my bed
And I can't get out my head
It's all because, all because

[Chorus]
I traded all my friends for drugs and the internet
Ah shit, am I a winner yet?
Look quick, is he a winner yet?
Mom's back home with a drink and a cigarette
I traded all my friends for drugs and the internet
Ah shit, am I a winner yet?
Look quick, hasn't hit him yet
Mom's back home with a drink and a cigarette

[Post Chorus]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Still hasn't hit him yet
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Still hasn't hit him yet

[Outro]
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
I sold my soul (Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
And all I got (Still hasn't hit him yet, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
The likes from strangers, love on the internet (Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Drugs and the internet
I wonder what it feels like
To be more than I am, I am

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Drugs & the Internet Lyrics: Another life, another story / She walked out, said I was boring / About 3 AM, that's when I called my friends / We hit the bar, sent myself flying / Shit I said I'm never trying

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The poem attached here is a prime example of the harm social media can do. It describes a girl who is everything one would want. However it also points out how this girl is an "Impossible girl". She is simply a piece of "the internet's imagination". Due to photo editing, many people have fallen victim to low self-esteem. Social can be blamed for this, as it has created not only unrealistic beauty standards, but also a place for tearing each other down from behind a scree. The negativity instinct causes all of us to crave drama, and therefore create it when it is not needed or necessary. Because of social media, many people have access to viewing unrealistic body standards and and endless stream of negative comments towards bodies that don't meet these standards (real bodies). This desire for drama we get from our negativity instinct can keep us reading these comments until it becomes problematic. Body dysmorphia, anxiety, and eating disorders can stem out of this.

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4. Commentary: Social Media Is a Public Health Crisis

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4. Commentary: Social Media Is a Public Health Crisis

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This article shows how the negativity instinct is triggered by social media by discussing how depression and anxiety rates have risen since the growth of social media in 2012. According to the article, the rise in mental health issues very closely correlates with the rise in social media usage. The negativity instinct is represented in the article by talking about how we as a population continuously taking in misinformation due to our craving for drama and information we find stimulating. Negative information simulates our emotions more so than the minor positive information the media could cover. An example given in the article is the media coverage of COVID-19 deaths. In the article, it is suggested that media be treated similar to substance abuse. This goes to show just how concerning our negativity instinct can be when in comes to social media use.

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When it comes to social media, the red flags just keep appearing.

All this points to how our social media usage has become a public health crisis. I believe we need to start treating these platforms like we do cigarettes and alcohol. That means implementing warning labels and age restrictions, and conducting better research into the health effects of long-term usage.

Just last week, President Joe Biden said the rampant misinformation on Facebook related to COVID-19 is people. Yet while the explosion and prevalence of misinformation of this type is a serious problem, it is by no means the only threat to public health. Social media's threat to our national mental health is at least as dangerous as anti-vaccine disinformation.

Sound over the top? Then consider that more than half of people we surveyed acknowledged that their social media use intensified their feelings of anxiety, depression or loneliness. They also told us that it contributed to their low self-esteem and made it harder for them to concentrate. Yet despite recognizing these deleterious effects, only about a third said they had taken steps to limit their social media use, such as deleting or suspending social media accounts, turning off their phones or limiting time on their feeds.

I find it incredible that even though users know the harm social media is having on their mental health, they're unwilling - or unable - to limit their use of these platforms. It's a lot like smokers and their cigarettes. We should treat it that way.

What's required is nothing less than digital detox, on a societywide scale.

What if every time you opened Instagram, you first saw a warning label like those found on cigarettes? "Caution: Social Media May Be Hazardous to Your Mental Health."

Or when you logged into Facebook, you saw this: "Warning: Facebook may increase feelings of depression or loneliness and suicidal thoughts."

Or whenever you received a Twitter notification, this came with it: "Warning: Heavy social media use is linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety."

There is a strong urge to dismiss concerns about social media as a "moral panic" and to compare it to other communication innovations like the printing press or the telephone, which raised serious worries in their own time that turned out to be largely unfounded. But there's good reason to think we are dealing with a very different problem today.

With a growing body of research confirming the link between social media and poor mental health, it may be time to consider government regulations restricting who can create a social media account. If you must be 18 to buy tobacco products or 21 to drink alcohol, why can any 13-year-old with internet access open a TikTok account?

There's no doubt that, in the coming years, research will produce new insights into social media, its negative effects and possible policy solutions. That's sorely needed. But scientific progress takes time. Meanwhile, more must be done today to lessen the negative impacts of social media, on both an individual and societal level. This means improving the social media environment itself, and encouraging people to use it in a healthier way.

As tech and social media have become more and more addictive, "digital detox" has become more and more popular. A break from smartphones, and especially social media, has been shown, both anecdotally and in research, to increase people's productivity, lift their mood and help them spend more time with loved ones.

But voluntary breaks aren't enough, primarily because people won't take them. Our research has shown that some 40% of social media users would give up their pet or car before they'd give up their accounts. And shockingly, more than 70% said they would not permanently scrap their social media for anything less than $10,000.

This is not healthy behavior.

Social media is currently designed for virality and . People may willingly share their data in exchange for a free service that they value. But they have not agreed to submit to experimental manipulation that encourages slot machine-like behavior and can drive feelings of anxiety and depression. What's more, the algorithmic elevation of sensationalistic content distorts users' perception of political realities, promotes polarization, and worse. Limits, standards and regulation are needed.

It's time we started treating social media for what it is: an addictive activity with serious health implications. Detoxifying from social media will require commitment on several different levels - regulatory, educational and individual.

Ultimately, this challenge can become an opportunity to prioritize mental health and clear thinking, and to cherish that most precious gift of all: our minds.

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Commentary: Social Media Is a Public Health Crisis

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It's time to take old approaches to a new threat of addiction.

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5. TikTok is a mental illness factory. And we're in an epidemic.

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5. TikTok is a mental illness factory. And we're in an epidemic.

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This video is a prime instinct of how the negativity instinct takes over when one becomes consumed in social media. The video specifically talks about how people see negative or dramatic content and make reaction videos, typically on TikTok. These reaction videos are a prime example of the negativity instinct because they show how we thrive off of drama. They also show how drama creates more drama. More often then not, people create these reaction videos as a way to be dramatic and gain views, likes, and followers. This reaction videos can get blown out of proportion. However, the attention and drama fix people get is stimulating and addicting. Because of this, social media has become a major influencer of negative mental illness.

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TikTok is a mental illness factory. And we're in an epidemic.

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Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review

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Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review

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Monitoring Editor: Alexander Muacevic and John R Adler

Abstract

Social media are responsible for aggravating mental health problems. This systematic study summarizes the effects of social network usage on mental health. Fifty papers were shortlisted from google scholar databases, and after the application of various inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 papers were chosen and all papers were evaluated for quality. Eight papers were cross-sectional studies, three were longitudinal studies, two were qualitative studies, and others were systematic reviews. Findings were classified into two outcomes of mental health: anxiety and depression. Social media activity such as time spent to have a positive effect on the mental health domain. However, due to the cross-sectional design and methodological limitations of sampling, there are considerable differences. The structure of social media influences on mental health needs to be further analyzed through qualitative research and vertical cohort studies.

Keywords: social media, mental health, systematic review, prisma

Introduction and background

Human beings are social creatures that require the companionship of others to make progress in life. Thus, being socially connected with other people can relieve stress, anxiety, and sadness, but lack of social connection can pose serious risks to mental health [ 1].

Social media

Social media has recently become part of people's daily activities; many of them spend hours each day on Messenger, Instagram, Facebook, and other popular social media. Thus, many researchers and scholars study the impact of social media and applications on various aspects of people's lives [ 2]. Moreover, the number of social media users worldwide in 2019 is 3.484 billion, up 9% year-on-year [ 3- 5]. A statistic in Figure 1 shows the gender distribution of social media audiences worldwide as of January 2020, sorted by platform. It was found that only 38% of Twitter users were male but 61% were using Snapchat. In contrast, females were more likely to use LinkedIn and Facebook. There is no denying that social media has now become an important part of many people's lives. Social media has many positive and enjoyable benefits, but it can also lead to mental health problems. Previous research found that age did not have an effect but gender did; females were much more likely to experience mental health than males [ 6, 7].

Impact on mental health

Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which people understand their abilities, solve everyday life problems, work well, and make a significant contribution to the lives of their communities [ 8]. There is debated presently going on regarding the benefits and negative impacts of social media on mental health [ 9, 10]. Social networking is a crucial element in protecting our mental health. Both the quantity and quality of social relationships affect mental health, health behavior, physical health, and mortality risk [ 9]. The Displaced Behavior Theory may help explain why social media shows a connection with mental health. According to the theory, people who spend more time in sedentary behaviors such as social media use have less time for face-to-face social interaction, both of which have been proven to be protective against mental disorders [ 11, 12]. On the other hand, social theories found how social media use affects mental health by influencing how people view, maintain, and interact with their social network [ 13]. A number of studies have been conducted on the impacts of social media, and it has been indicated that the prolonged use of social media platforms such as Facebook may be related to negative signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress [ 10- 15]. Furthermore, social media can create a lot of pressure to create the stereotype that others want to see and also being as popular as others.

The need for a systematic review

Systematic studies can quantitatively and qualitatively identify, aggregate, and evaluate all accessible data to generate a warm and accurate response to the research questions involved [ 4]. In addition, many existing systematic studies related to mental health studies have been conducted worldwide. However, only a limited number of studies are integrated with social media and conducted in the context of social science because the available literature heavily focused on medical science [ 6]. Because social media is a relatively new phenomenon, the potential links between their use and mental health have not been widely investigated.

This paper attempt to systematically review all the relevant literature with the aim of filling the gap by examining social media impact on mental health, which is sedentary behavior, which, if in excess, raises the risk of health problems [ 7, 9, 12]. This study is important because it provides information on the extent of the focus of peer review literature, which can assist the researchers in delivering a prospect with the aim of understanding the future attention related to climate change strategies that require scholarly attention. This study is very useful because it provides information on the extent to which peer review literature can assist researchers in presenting prospects with a view to understanding future concerns related to mental health strategies that require scientific attention. The development of the current systematic review is based on the main research question: how does social media affect mental health?

Review

Research strategy

The research was conducted to identify studies analyzing the role of social media on mental health. Google Scholar was used as our main database to find the relevant articles. Keywords that were used for the search were: (1) "social media", (2) "mental health", (3) "social media" AND "mental health", (4) "social networking" AND "mental health", and (5) "social networking" OR "social media" AND "mental health" (Table 1 ).

Out of the results in Table 1 , a total of 50 articles relevant to the research question were selected. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, duplicate papers were removed, and, finally, a total of 28 articles were selected for review (Figure 2 ).

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Peer-reviewed, full-text research papers from the past five years were included in the review. All selected articles were in English language and any non-peer-reviewed and duplicate papers were excluded from finally selected articles.

Result

Of the 16 selected research papers, there were a research focus on adults, gender, and preadolescents [ 10- 19]. In the design, there were qualitative and quantitative studies [ 15, 16]. There were three systematic reviews and one thematic analysis that explored the better or worse of using social media among adolescents [ 20- 23]. In addition, eight were cross-sectional studies and only three were longitudinal studies [ 24- 29].The meta-analyses included studies published beyond the last five years in this population. Table 2 presents a selection of studies from the review.

Table 2

Author

Title of Study

Method

Findings

Discussion

This study has attempted to systematically analyze the existing literature on the effect of social media use on mental health. Although the results of the study were not completely consistent, this review found a general association between social media use and mental health issues. Although there is positive evidence for a link between social media and mental health, the opposite has been reported.

For example, a previous study found no relationship between the amount of time spent on social media and depression or between social media-related activities, such as the number of online friends and the number of "selfies", and depression [ 29]. Similarly, Neira and Barber found that while higher investment in social media (e.g. active social media use) predicted adolescents' depressive symptoms, no relationship was found between the frequency of social media use and depressed mood [ 28].

In the 16 studies, anxiety and depression were the most commonly measured outcome. The prominent risk factors for anxiety and depression emerging from this study comprised time spent, activity, and addiction to social media. In today's world, anxiety is one of the basic mental health problems. People liked and commented on their uploaded photos and videos. In today's age, everyone is immune to the social media context. Some teens experience anxiety from social media related to fear of loss, which causes teens to try to respond and check all their friends' messages and messages on a regular basis.

On the contrary, depression is one of the unintended significances of unnecessary use of social media. In detail, depression is limited not only to Facebooks but also to other social networking sites, which causes psychological problems. A new study found that individuals who are involved in social media, games, texts, mobile phones, etc. are more likely to experience depression.

The previous study found a 70% increase in self-reported depressive symptoms among the group using social media. The other social media influence that causes depression is sexual fun [ 12]. The intimacy fun happens when social media promotes putting on a facade that highlights the fun and excitement but does not tell us much about where we are struggling in our daily lives at a deeper level [ 28]. Another study revealed that depression and time spent on Facebook by adolescents are positively correlated [ 22]. More importantly, symptoms of major depression have been found among the individuals who spent most of their time in online activities and performing image management on social networking sites [ 14].

Another study assessed gender differences in associations between social media use and mental health. Females were found to be more addicted to social media as compared with males [ 26]. Passive activity in social media use such as reading posts is more strongly associated with depression than doing active use like making posts [ 23]. Other important findings of this review suggest that other factors such as interpersonal trust and family functioning may have a greater influence on the symptoms of depression than the frequency of social media use [ 28, 29].

Limitation and suggestion

The limitations and suggestions were identified by the evidence involved in the study and review process. Previously, 7 of the 16 studies were cross-sectional and slightly failed to determine the causal relationship between the variables of interest. Given the evidence from cross-sectional studies, it is not possible to conclude that the use of social networks causes mental health problems. Only three longitudinal studies examined the causal relationship between social media and mental health, which is hard to examine if the mental health problem appeared more pronounced in those who use social media more compared with those who use it less or do not use at all [ 19, 20, 24]. Next, despite the fact that the proposed relationship between social media and mental health is complex, a few studies investigated mediating factors that may contribute or exacerbate this relationship. Further investigations are required to clarify the underlying factors that help examine why social media has a negative impact on some peoples' mental health, whereas it has no or positive effect on others' mental health.

Conclusions

Social media is a new study that is rapidly growing and gaining popularity. Thus, there are many unexplored and unexpected constructive answers associated with it. Lately, studies have found that using social media platforms can have a detrimental effect on the psychological health of its users. However, the extent to which the use of social media impacts the public is yet to be determined. This systematic review has found that social media envy can affect the level of anxiety and depression in individuals. In addition, other potential causes of anxiety and depression have been identified, which require further exploration.

The importance of such findings is to facilitate further research on social media and mental health. In addition, the information obtained from this study can be helpful not only to medical professionals but also to social science research. The findings of this study suggest that potential causal factors from social media can be considered when cooperating with patients who have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression. Also, if the results from this study were used to explore more relationships with another construct, this could potentially enhance the findings to reduce anxiety and depression rates and prevent suicide rates from occurring.

Notes

The content published in Cureus is the result of clinical experience and/or research by independent individuals or organizations. Cureus is not responsible for the scientific accuracy or reliability of data or conclusions published herein. All content published within Cureus is intended only for educational, research and reference purposes. Additionally, articles published within Cureus should not be deemed a suitable substitute for the advice of a qualified health care professional. Do not disregard or avoid professional medical advice due to content published within Cureus.

Footnotes

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

References

6. Interrelationships of adolescent physical activity, screen-based sedentary behavior, and social and psychological health. Iannotti RJ, Janssen I, Haug E, et al. Int J Public Health. 2009;54:191-198. [[ PMC free article] [ PubMed] Google Scholar]

17. Is there an association between social media use and mental health? the timing of confounding measurement matters-reply [Online ahead of print] Feder KA, Riehm KE, Mojtabai R. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 [[ PubMed] Google Scholar]

23. Adolescent mental health in the digital age: facts, fears, and future directions. Odgers CL, Jensen MR. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2020;61:336-348. [[ PMC free article] [ PubMed] Google Scholar]

27. Chang FM. Electronic Theses and Dissertations, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada. Vol. 2019. Canada: University of Windsor; 2019. Selfies on social media: the role of appearance contingent self-worth and impact on self-esteem; p. 7633. [ Google Scholar]

Articles from Cureus are provided here courtesy of Cureus Inc.

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Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review

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Social media are responsible for aggravating mental health problems. This systematic study summarizes the effects of social network usage on mental health. Fifty papers were shortlisted from google scholar databases, and after the application of various ...

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Social Media: Impact on human behavior and society 

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Social Media: Impact on human behavior and society 

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Social media has changed not only our powers of thinking, but today governs our behavior and social conducts as well.

Today, social media has created new styles of communication for us, which made huge impact on everyday lives of the people. Social media has brought people with common interests together and expanded the horizon of ideas worldwide. However, there has also been an impact of social media on human behavior and society.

Human behavior changes more when we dabble with technology especially with social media. The daily use of social media by people has increased so much that it is slowly injecting an inflection into our behaviors.
The good impact of social media:

Social media can add creativity to our thinking as people can share their views and work with others.

It allows people to explore and become actively involved without the fear of rejection.

While no one advocates spending hours after hours gaming, social media games can build social connections, improve a person's self-efficacy, boost their cognitive flexibility and self-control. They can teach students how to deal with successes and failures in real life.

Social media connectivity with families, friends and some government safety organizations, has resulted in people feeling safe while moving out.

LinkedIn is one of the greatest example of how networking over social media has helped people in finding the jobs in domain of their interests.

The bad impact of social media:

Face-to-face interactions which are necessary for development of personalities, learning social skills and communication skills, have been removed from the lives of people, especially younger generations. Children are having a difficult time interacting with others, which might lead to unsociable behaviour.

Comparison with other lives has been made easy by social media. People become unhappy with their current circumstances, leading to problems with self-esteem and depression.

Social media use has also been associated with cyber bullying and cyber abuse by anonymous users online, which leads to problems of self-esteem, privacy ,etc.

Most studies have shown that, social media's violent games result in increase in violent tendencies and behaviours in children.

Social media has also been used as tool to spread negativity and rumors online which has lead to increase in the instances of violence in the society. For instance - Recently, the rumours of kidnappers over WhatsApp have led to deaths of innocent people in various parts of India.

With social media it has become nearly impossible to avoid bad news and the negative influences on our lives. This can lead to long-lasting psychological repercussions and ultimately lead to thoughts of our world falling apart, stress and anxiety.

Key Facts and Figures:

In 2019, it is estimated that there will be around 2.77 billion social network users around the globe.

According to a report by we are social, a leading marketing and communications services to organizations in the United Kingdom, the number of people using the top social media platform in each country has increased by almost 1 million new users every day during the past 12 months.

The global number of people using social media has grown by 13 percent in the past 12 months, with Central and Southern Asia recording the fastest gains.

Facebook is the most preferred social media platform. With more than 2000 million Facebook user world over, if a country is constituted with them, it would be the world's third largest, behind China and India.

The other popular social media platforms are You Tube, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Whatsapp etc.

According to the 2017 official report published by Facebook, on average there were 1.40 billion Daily active users of Facebook for December 2017, an increase of 14% year-over-year.

According to the same source, on average there were 2.13 billion Monthly active users of Facebook as of 31 December 2017, an increase of 14% year-over-year.

According to forecasts from media analyst firm BIA/Kelsey, U.S. social media advertisement revenues are expected to grow to USD 24.2 billion in 2021.

A researcher linked to Cambridge Analytica (CA), a political consulting firm had accessed details of 50 million Facebook users. The data was shared with Cambridge Analytica, which used online data to reach voters on social media with personalized messages and swayed 2016 US elections.

What effect will social media have on society's future? How will it change how humans perceive the world?
Social media will have a huge effect on the future of society and human perception, and in many ways. It has become more and more prevalent and will only continue to grow and expand. I remember when I was younger and Myspace was still the place to be. When Facebook came into the limelight, people weren't really sure what to do; I remember seeing Facebook and thinking I needed to add everybody who lived in my town.

There are a few various ways in which social media will affect the future and change human perception:
Human Interaction
I think one of the main effects that social media will have on the future of society is changing the way that people interact with one another. On one hand, this can be negative; social media gives people an option to post or engage in rude or inflammatory behavior under the guise of being hidden behind a computer screen. Others may feel that social media has made them less likely to be able to engage with friends, family, or others in a face-to-face environment. How many times have you been out and seen people just staring at their phones? We so often interact with others online and via social media that it can be argued that people are losing out on the development of valuable social skills.

Many may believe that what they post on social media will have no effect but the reality is that it CAN affect the way that individuals interact with potential employers, potential love interests, and more. If you have a poor social presence, or one which promotes deviant behavior, are you really going to get the job that you want?

At the same time, it can have a positive impact on interactivity as well. For example, I work in the communications field. For me, being able to show that I can engage with others on social media - and share content which is valuable - has helped me with networking, meeting friends, or even job-searching.
Self-Image
As can be seen by quickly perusing Instagram or any other visually-based network, people post a lot of photographs of themselves, vacations, workouts, food, or just every day life. Because of this, people might start comparing themselves to other people. Social media might negatively affect their self-image because they do not have something (whether it be the body, the money, or some other aspect) that someone online has. Some research has even shown that likes on social media can be psychologically pleasing; people can get addicted to the likes, even feeling that they have more of a support system or that more people like them/are proud of them than might be true.

If companies want to help combat self-image issues which can be compounded by what is shared on social, they need to try and understand how deeply ingrained social media is in modern society.
Flow of Information
Social media provides a quick and easy way to spread news and information online. It is great for up and coming bloggers or Youtubers, for journalists sharing stories, or even for controversies like the United Airlines legging controversy. Many people around the United States, and around the world, use social media as a way to discover news or new stories. While this can be beneficial, the recent influx of fake news from the past presidential election does need to be considered. For social media to become a beneficial news source in the future, it must be ensured that consumers can trust the flow of information.

The flow of information on social media can also perceive how human beings can see the world. For example, the recent Women's March in Washington, D.C. grew to be a worldwide event, with hundreds of sister marches taking place not only across the United States but across the world. Had social media not been in effect, most likely the march would not have become as widely known as it was. Social media coverage of other countries might also give insight into what is happening in other countries, affecting the way in which people might understand other cultures.
Corporations and Customer Service
Survey findings from 2016 state that when customers contact brands or companies on social media with complaints or questions, 47% expect a response within an hour and 84% not waiting or wanting to wait any longer than one day for a response. 32% expect a response within 30 minutes. With more and more customers taking to social media to air their grievances, or even to rate a company on a website such as Yelp, being able to navigate the social sphere is imperative for brands to survive.

If brands respond negatively or rudely to customers, don't fulfill expectations, or even fail to respond at all, that customer is not likely to positively review or rate the brand on social media. In fact, if the customer is incensed by a certain behavior, they may even leave bad reviews on social media. This can be a detriment to a brand or company as some people might see those bad reviews and choose a different brand or company for their needs or services.

Because of this, online customer service - particularly online customer service as related to social media - is going to be important for brands to focus on. As it becomes more prevalent and more people get onto social media (and as more social networks pop up), being able to make customers happy is going to be helpful in keeping brands successful.

I believe it affects human behavior in a more negative way than positive.

While it is a great resource to share and connect with friends and family, it does more harm than good by the fact that it makes everything so convenient in regards to human contact and even common courtesy.

For instance, it isn't common for the mass majority of people to religiously check their phone for updates or messages that aren't even considered urgent or important, but need to be checked because of its instantaneous nature. Or, they need to check it because whatever they are doing is just too boring and they feel the need to be entertained. Imagine sitting across the table from your date, and all they seem to want to do instead of being engaged with you is check Facebook. Rude right?

Plus, because it is so "instant," social media doesn't really encourage us to pick up the phone and be interested in engaging one on one with someone. People still do hang out with one another on the daily basis obviously, but it just doesn't hold the same priority as it once did. Which means, things like messages being misconstrued and arguments occurring happens more often, or allowing a friendship to kinda fade away because the conversations over text have lacked more and more substance.

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Social Media: Impact on human behavior and society

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Social media has changed not only our powers of thinking, but today governs our behavior and social conducts as well. Today, social media has created new styles of communication for us, which made huge impact on everyday lives of the people.

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6 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health

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6 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health

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6 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health

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Scrolling through Facebook might be one of the worst things we can do for our mental health.

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In today's cultural and technological climate, everyone uses some sort of social media. According to a monumental 2018 Pew Research Center study, 88% of respondents between the ages of 18 to 29 reported using some kind of social media. Seventy-eight percent of 30- to 49-year-olds said the same.

The number of reported users dips for the next age group but not as much as you may think. A stunning 64% of people between the ages of 50 and 64 use social media on a frequent basis. For a generation that didn't grow up with the internet or social media, this statistic is surprising and helps explain the prevalence of social media use in our culture.

With the pervasiveness of social media across all ages, more attention needs to be given to what it's doing to us as individual users. The endless stream of communication and connection provided by social media is changing the way we think and absorb information. As it is, people are currently developing social media habits that can simultaneously benefit and harm their mental health. The question being, what does social media do to your brain?

Because this trend of extended social media use will only continue, more researchers are joining the field to analyze and understand the psychology of social media in our constantly connected culture.

Social Media and The Brain

From a neurological perspective, social media affects different brain functions in unique ways. It contains many combinations of stimuli that can trigger different reactions, and because of this, social media's effects on the brain appear in a variety of ways.

Positive attention on social media, for example, affects multiple parts of the brain. According to an article in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, accruing likes on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram causes "activation in brain circuity implicated in reward, including the striatum and ventral tegmental area, regions also implicated in the experience of receiving Likes from others." This sounds really complicated and involved, but when approached from a different perspective, it becomes a little more digestible.

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is one of the primary parts responsible for determining the rewards system in people's bodies. When social media users receive positive feedback (likes), their brains fire off dopamine receptors, which is facilitated in part by the VTA.

Another study that employed the use of MRI technology to monitor brain activity found similar results. As researchers analyzed the brains of adolescents browsing Instagram, they found that "viewing photos with many (compared with few) likes was associated with greater activity in neural regions implicated in reward processing, social cognition, imitation, and attention."

Again, with social media so tightly connected to individuals' rewards systems, users should realize the power - and possibility for abuse - of the platforms they use. Things like gambling and narcotic drugs have the power to rule over the brain's rewards system in a similar capacity. Social media users should be aware of these parallels to avoid potential pitfalls.

Outside of the rewards systems, social media stimuli can affect the brain's decision-making and emotional processing functions. In yet another study that observed the brain activity in adolescents, researchers found that parts of the brain that deal with emotional and sensory processing reacted noticeably when participants felt excluded. This study highlighted the effects of "online social exclusion" on the developing brains of adolescents. What this means is that when social media users are excluded from online groups, chats, or events, the brain reacts in these specific regions directly.

The research on social media and how the parts of the brain react to it is still in the early stages. While these studies reflect an effort toward better understanding the effects of social media on different parts of the brain, there's still a lot of progress to be made. Social media is growing by leaps and bounds and these studies are helping us identify more about why people post on social media.

Why We Post on Social Media

People choose different material to post on different social media platforms. When people want to post pictures, they tend to pick Instagram. When they want to post short bits of text like jokes, they go to Twitter. So much goes into deciding what to post where, and that's not even including the psychological factors that determine what gets posted and what doesn't.

Psychological Motivations for Posting

Pinpointing exactly why people post is an impossible exercise. However, by understanding some significant social media behaviors, it becomes easier to grasp general motivations for posting.

A recent Medium article titled "The Psychology of Social Sharing" helped articulate the different tiers of posting motivations. While the writers for this article approached the psychology of posting on social media from a marketing perspective, they tapped into clear psychological incentives for sharing content. They even cleverly adapt noted psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs to reasons why people post and consume updates. They are:

1. Physiological needs: People sometimes post to benefit the health or well-being of their friends and family.

2. Safety: Physical, mental, and financial security are important for people when they choose to post some material on their social media.

3. Love/belonging: Users generally want to post to feel some kind of social acceptance from a group or a particular individual.

4. Esteem: People want to quell the rewards-oriented parts of their brains, which helps explain why people post "me-centric" content regularly.

5. Self-actualization: As the most important facet of the human needs hierarchy, this aspect of social media posting manifests when people share their successes - getting a new job, completing an arduous project, or graduating from school, to name a few examples.

The psychological world has only recently begun to confront the motivations for posting material on social media. An article titled "Why We Share: A Study of Motivations for Mobile Media Sharing" posed an actual experiment where respondents were asked to record their posting habits and corresponding feelings in a diary and then participate in post-study interviews. After monitoring the media sharing behavior, the researchers found "that social and emotional influences played an important role in media sharing behavior."

Some researchers have looked toward the ways social media has affected the psychological development in children. The article "Growing Up Wired: Social Networking Sites and Adolescent Psychosocial Development" stated that some reasons people share is because they have been reared since childhood to post. The researchers said:

Overall, adolescents and young adults' stated motivations for using (social networking sites) are quite similar to more traditional forms of communication - to stay in touch with friends, make plans, get to know people better, and present oneself to others.

Moreover, the researchers in the study explained that children and adolescents are beginning to have their identities shaped by posting on and engaging with social media.

One reason people post on social media, according to an article in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, is because social media sharing can link to positive social media feedback and self-esteem. More directly, the quest for likes or follows on social media heavily influences why people post. The positive attention some users receive for posting inspires more and more social sharing in many users.

In sum, people generally post from some kind of emotional position that seeks a response. Since the very nature of social media centers on communication, it makes sense that the primary motivation for posting comes from a psychological point to connect with others. But this constant quest for acceptance and exposure on social media can lead to major psychological problems for some.

The Psychology of Social Media

Interested in finding out more about how social media affects brain function? Want to know more about the positive and negative effects of social media on mental health? Download our free guide to start learning about social media psychology today!
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When Social Media Habits Turn to Social Media Addictions

Social media dependency has received more and more consideration in the last five years. The boom of social networking applications has caused many researchers to explore not only why people post the content they choose to share, but also the addictive tendencies in some users.

Specifically, the article "Social Networking Sites and Addiction" pinpointed some reasons people become addicted to social networking sites (SNS). These reasons include lower self-esteem and a general anxiety about being excluded.

The authors were quick to make the distinction between social networking and social media, though, since "social networking is a way of being" while "individuals can become addicted to using social networking sites." They extend social media addiction to connect more clearly to smartphone addiction, and that levels of addiction may depend of sociodemographic information. Further, the researchers conclude that the fear of missing out (FOMO) "may be part of SNS addiction." These are all significant features of how people are more and more inclined to post on or consume social media because of an underlying addictive behavior problem.

Social media addiction is gaining traction in the academic world because a growing number of people are reporting problems of dependence. The article "The Relations Among Social Media Addiction, Self-Esteem, and Life Satisfaction in University Students" detailed a study that explored the consequences of excessive social media use. In it, respondents who reported a moderate use of social media had a much more positive outlook on their social positions. Other participants overwhelmingly reported "addictive use of social media had a negative association with self-esteem." These same respondents in the survey said they lacked satisfaction with their lives, which they directly linked to their lowered self-esteem.

Moreover, the chapter "Social Networking Addiction" from Behavioral Addictions contextualized the significance of social media addiction in a world where it hasn't been researched as much as it should. The chapter explored more directly ways that mental health professionals can conduct effective screening and treatment processes in response to users suspected of having addictive tendencies.

Though this chapter does a good job of providing impressive prospective frameworks for screening and treatment responses, a lot more work needs to be done to confront the problem directly. In order to unpack the psychology of social media more comprehensively, a closer look into preventative measures needs to be taken.

Understanding the Change in Self Concept from Using Social Media

Social media allows users to express their personalities in unique ways. But the ability to create multiple accounts and to curate the material on their profiles has given users an unprecedented opportunity to develop new personae. These new digital identities can align with, be a complement to, or conflict with users' real personalities.

How Social Media Shapes Identity

In order to understand more clearly how social media shapes individuals' identities, it's necessary first to look at the landscape of social media.

The article "Psychology of Social Media: From Technology to Identity" stated the spatial makeups of hybridized social media networks has given a "rise to 'interreality,' a new social space, more malleable and dynamic than preceding social networks." Out of these new frameworks, people now:

Alter their own social identities.

Change the ways others perceive them through curated social media profiles.

Use social media tools to expand their own social connections.

Have their real identities concealed by virtual ones.

As a result of this power through new social media technology, users are in some ways able to have much greater control over their identity formations. The researchers warned, however, that social media tools should be used by older, more mature people because, when "it's used in an irresponsible way by people who are too young, they can cause problems and difficulties that in some cases even time cannot erase."

From a social media psychology standpoint, this new ability to control one's own identity formation is as empowering as it is alarming. Users can build their identities on social media as honest representations of their personalities and traits, and at the same time, they can also create entirely new social media personae. This power has impressive advantages and severe consequences.

The Effects of Self-Perception on Social Media

Social media users' self-image is put under a microscope when they constantly compare their situations with others. And these comparisons happen frequently when they engage with each other. Matthew Pittman and Brandon Reich, both media specialists and academics, have found that people can sharpen their own identities when they engage in intimate, image-oriented social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.

They stated that "quantitative results suggest that loneliness may decrease, while happiness and satisfaction with life may increase, as a function of image-based social media use. In contrast, text-based media use appears ineffectual." As a result, some users have greater confidence and a stronger self-perception on social media in image-oriented environments.

On the other hand, social media can also motivate people who view themselves negatively to build entirely new identities. The thinking here, though not always malicious, is to trick others into thinking they're someone else. In the context of social media dating services, this practice is known as catfishing. According to Scientific American, "Users may feel pressured to alter (height, weight, and age) information to present what they perceive is their ideal self and maximize their attractiveness." Social media has created an environment where users feel pressured to either lie or fabricate their physical and psychological identities to become more desirable.

These pressures extend far beyond the dating world and into many other facets of social media interactions. The vulnerabilities of some social media users more generally can lead to a " false Facebook-self." According to the study "The 'Facebook-self': characteristics and psychological predictors of false self-presentation on Facebook," researchers were able to highlight that people with low self-esteem on social media were much more likely to create alternate, sometimes conflicting Facebook personas.

Social Pressures to Fit into Social Media Groups

A huge incentive to use social media stems from the acceptance users can receive from various groups. As with practically all aspects of social media, this group-focused direction of social media has benefits and drawbacks.

One major benefit for social media users is they can reach out to and connect with groups of people with similar interests across the planet. People can find more information about niche hobbies, popular pastimes, and general interests. This ability to belong to different groups is excellent for people coming from smaller or distant communities, and the psychological advantages for those individuals are immense.

According to Art Markman of Psychology Today, belonging to a group can dramatically improve a person's drive to complete tasks. Specifically, he stated "that even a simple relationship between people based on arbitrary reasons, like sharing a birthday or being randomly assigned to a group, is enough to increase feelings of warmth and motivation." Social media, thus, offers opportunities for people to form groups for both general and specific interests, which can help improve their overall productivity.

On the other hand, belonging to a group too closely or intimately can change the way the typical social media user thinks and behaves. The academic journal Media Psychology recently published a study that found that when users keep to their social media groups, they begin to mimic the behaviors of those groups. This mimicry results in a social media identity bubble that's reinforced by prolonged engagement with the group.

Social Media and Mental Health

Outside of the ability to dominate emotional and mental states, social media platforms have the power to influence, either positively or negatively, the psychological behaviors of people. Social media can dramatically help to improve users' mental health, but at the same time, it can negatively impact people's psychological well-being.

Mental Health Benefits from Social Media

Though many researchers focus on the cons of social media use, there are several potential mental wellness advantages. The advantages extend across demographics and appear in unexpected ways.

For millennials, who tend to dominate some spheres of social media consumption, the digital world of social sharing poses several mental health and relationship benefits. Psychologists Adriana M. Manago and Lanen Vaughn found there are ample opportunities for friendship and happiness as younger people transition to adulthood. Specifically, they said younger social media users can now create stronger bonds with friends because of the easy access to friends' information and interests.

Further, they found these connections give users an opportunity for greater independence and autonomy, which increases their critical thinking and decision-making abilities. These feelings of community and self-worth will palpably improve the mental health of users over the course of time.

The organization Painted Brain, which combats mental health hardships through advocacy, artistic expression, and business, outlined the ways social media can positively affec t the mental health of users. From a psychological standpoint, they found many positive effects of social media on mental health, such as:

Social integration with similar interest groups.

Healthy and body-positive lifestyle motivations.

The availability of support groups.

Maintaining and building new relationships.

An introduction into new modes of thinking.

Mental Health Consequences from Social Media Use

While there certainly are tangible benefits to social media consumption and engagement, it's been rightly critiqued for its tendency to have toxic effects on users' mental health.

This kind of anxiety manifests much more severely in teens. As licensed clinical social worker Katie Hurley found, teens online must "confront cyberbullying, trolls, toxic comparisons, sleep deprivation, and less frequent face-to-face interactions." In a cultural moment that stresses the importance of staying online all the time, these seemingly disconnected issues can overwhelm users and result in profound anxiety. These negative effects on teens' mental health illustrates the need for parents, educators, and other role models to build better models for social media engagement.

Further, according to a scholarly article published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, higher levels of depression correlate with Facebook use. The study found the subjects' mental health suffered with the more time they spent on Facebook, causing users to feel worse about their own positions when they compared their profiles with others.

Another article by medical doctor and cyberpsychologist Igor Pantic echoed the finding. He stated that "prolonged use of social networking sites, such as Facebook, may be related to signs and symptoms of depression." As people compare their lives to so many others, they will only find their mental health continue to deteriorate.

The Implications of Social Media Psychology

The field of social media psychology has only existed for the past 10 to 15 years, which coincides directly with the rise of social media. As a result, the research being conducted is still in its early stages. In nearly all the scholarly articles featured in this guide, researchers mentioned on the limitations of their own methods so that future studies could explore them further.

Because there are so many gaps in the existing research, new perspectives need to join the field. According to Atlantic contributor and psychologist of 20 years Jean M. Twenge, people need to become much more aware of the consequences of social media dependence for the sake of our children's future. "What's at stake isn't just how kids experience adolescence," she said. "The constant presence of smartphones is likely to affect them well into adulthood."

You can respond to and help solve this overarching problem by continuing your education in the field. There are many levels of career paths in psychology that offer different research opportunities, depending on your own professional and personal preferences. An online B.S. in Psychology will prepare you to analyze and understand the psychological effects of social media on users by studying social psychology, group dynamics, and more.

Gain greater insight on how social media influences, both positively and negatively, the psychology of users with King University Online's psychology degree. Our program is taught by trained and decorated faculty who will prepare you for a successful future. With year-round course availability and a generous credit transfer policy, you may be able to earn your degree in as little as 16 months.

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The Psychology of Social Media | King University Online

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The psychology of social media is being analyzed more every day due to society's social media obsession and how it affects mental health.

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Is social media bad for you? The evidence and the unknowns 

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Is social media bad for you? The evidence and the unknowns 

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https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns
Evidence has shown that social media can cause a lot of damage to us. Especially to our mental health. Stress is one of those factors. People have said to be stressed while on social media because other people displayed their stress on platforms which caused them to stress. It also affected their mood, the way they felt in that moment. People can sometimes come across things they don't like or agree with and affect the way they're feeling in the moment. It can get to the point where the person might even feel depressed. One can also get so addicted to being on all the different platforms of social media that it can affect our sleep. Self-esteem is a big one especially in today's society and for women. You see everyone has these expectations of how a women should look like, example the Kardashians. People have this thought that women should look like that in order to be 'beautiful' or 'pretty.' But that's not true, it's what media does, manipulate.

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In some cases, social media may enhance well-being (Credit: Getty Images)

What the science suggests so far about the impact of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram on your mental well-being.

#LikeMinded

A special series about social media and well-being

This month, BBC Future is exploring social media's impact on mental health and well-being - and seeking solutions for a happier, healthier experience on these platforms. Stay tuned for more stories, coming soon...

Share your tips for a happy life on social media with the hashtag #LikeMinded on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This story is featured in BBC Future's "Best of 2018" collection. Discover more of our picks.

Three billion people, around 40% of the world's population, use online social media - and we're spending an average of two hours every day sharing, liking, tweeting and updating on these platforms, according to some reports. That breaks down to around half a million tweets and Snapchat photos shared every minute.

With social media playing such a big part in our lives, could we be sacrificing our mental health and well-being as well as our time? What does the evidence actually suggest?

Since social media is relatively new to us, conclusive findings are limited. The research that does exist mainly relies on self-reporting, which can often be flawed, and the majority of studies focus on Facebook. That said, this is a fast-growing area of research, and clues are beginning to emerge. BBC Future reviewed the findings of some of the science so far:

People use social media to vent about everything from customer service to politics, but the downside to this is that our feeds often resemble an endless stream of stress. In 2015, researchers at the Pew Research Center based in Washington DC sought to find out if social media induces more stress than it relieves.

In the survey of 1,800 people, women reported being more stressed than men. Twitter was found to be a "significant contributor" because it increased their awareness of other people's stress.

But Twitter also acted as a coping mechanism - and the more women used it, the less stressed they were. The same effect wasn't found for men, whom the researchers said had a more distant relationship with social media. Overall, the researchers concluded that social media use was linked to "modestly lower levels" of stress.

The presence of a phone affects the quality of conversation, some studies suggest (Credit: Getty Images)

In 2014, researchers in Austria found that participants reported lower moods after using Facebook for 20 minutes compared to those who just browsed the internet. The study suggested that people felt that way because they saw it as a waste of time.

A good or bad mood may also spread between people on social media, according to researchers from the University of California, who assessed the emotional content of over a billion status updates from more than 100 million Facebook users between 2009 and 2012.

Bad weather increased the number of negative posts by 1%, and the researchers found that one negative post by someone in a rainy city influenced another 1.3 negative posts by friends living in dry cities. The better news is that happy posts had a stronger influence; each one inspired 1.75 more happy posts. Whether a happy post translates to a genuine boost in mood, however, remains unclear.

Researchers have looked at general anxiety provoked by social media, characterised by feelings of restlessness and worry, and trouble sleeping and concentrating. A study published in the journal Computers and Human Behaviour found that people who report using seven or more social media platforms were more than three times as likely as people using 0-2 platforms to have high levels of general anxiety symptoms.

That said, it's unclear if and how social media causes anxiety. Researchers from Babes-Bolyai University in Romania reviewed existing research on the relationship between social anxiety and social networking in 2016, and said the results were mixed. They concluded that more research needs to be done.

Social media mimics many of the rewards of games and play, which can pose an attractive lure (Credit: Getty Images)

While some studies have found a link between depression and social media use, there is emerging research into how social media can actually be a force for good.

Two studies involving more than 700 students found that depressive symptoms, such as low mood and feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, were linked to the quality of online interactions. Researchers found higher levels of depressive symptoms among those who reported having more negative interactions.

A similar study conducted in 2016 involving 1,700 people found a threefold risk of depression and anxiety among people who used the most social media platforms. Reasons for this, they suggested, include cyber-bullying, having a distorted view of other people's lives, and feeling like time spent on social media is a waste.

However, as BBC Future will explore this month in our #LikeMinded season, scientists are also looking at how social media can be used to diagnose depression, which could help people receive treatment earlier. Researchers for Microsoft surveyed 476 people and analysed their Twitter profiles for depressive language, linguistic style, engagement and emotion. From this, they developed a classifier that can accurately predict depression before it causes symptoms in seven out of 10 cases.

Researchers from Harvard and Vermont Universities analysed 166 people's Instagram photos to create a similar tool last year with the same success rate.

Humans used to spend their evenings in darkness, but now we're surrounded by artificial lighting all day and night. Research has found that this can inhibit the body's production of the hormone melatonin, which facilitates sleep - and blue light, which is emitted by smartphone and laptop screens, is said to be the worst culprit. In other words, if you lie on the pillow at night checking Facebook and Twitter, you're headed for restless slumber.

Last year, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh asked 1,700 18- to 30-year-olds about their social media and sleeping habits. They found a link with sleep disturbances - and concluded blue light had a part to play. How often they logged on, rather than time spent on social media sites, was a higher predictor of disturbed sleep, suggesting "an obsessive 'checking'", the researchers said.

The researchers say this could be caused by physiological arousal before sleep, and the bright lights of our devices can delay circadian rhythms. But they couldn't clarify whether social media causes disturbed sleep, or if those who have disturbed sleep spend more time on social media.

One of the worst times to use social media may be just before bed (Credit: Getty Images)

Despite the argument from a few researchers that tweeting may be harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, social media addiction isn't included in the latest diagnostic manual for mental health disorders.

That said, social media is changing faster than scientists can keep up with, so various groups are trying to study compulsive behaviours related to its use - for example, scientists from the Netherlands have invented their own scale to identify possible addiction.

And if social media addiction does exist, it would be a type of internet addiction - and that is a classified disorder. In 2011, Daria Kuss and Mark Griffiths from Nottingham Trent University in the UK have analysed 43 previous studies on the matter, and conclude that social media addiction is a mental health problem that "may" require professional treatment. They found that excessive usage was linked to relationship problems, worse academic achievement and less participation in offline communities, and found that those who could be more vulnerable to a social media addiction include those dependent on alcohol, the highly extroverted, and those who use social media to compensate for fewer ties in real life.

Women's magazines and their use of underweight and Photoshopped models have been long maligned for stirring self-esteem issues among young women. But now, social media, with its filters and lighting and clever angles, is taking over as a primary concern among some campaigning groups and charities.

Social media sites make more than half of users feel inadequate, according to a survey of 1,500 people by disability charity Scope, and half of 18- to 34-year-olds say it makes them feel unattractive.

A 2016 study by researchers at Penn State University suggested that viewing other people's selfies lowered self-esteem, because users compare themselves to photos of people looking their happiest. Research from the University of Strathclyde, Ohio University and University of Iowa also found that women compare themselves negatively to selfies of other women.

Selfies may have downsides for the viewer (Credit: Getty Images)

But it's not just selfies that have the potential to dent self-esteem. A study of 1,000 Swedish Facebook users found that women who spent more time on Facebook reported feeling less happy and confident. The researchers concluded: "When Facebook users compare their own lives with others' seemingly more successful careers and happy relationships, they may feel that their own lives are less successful in comparison."

But one small study hinted that viewing your own profile, not others, might offer ego boosts. Researchers at Cornell University in New York put 63 students into different groups. Some sat with a mirror placed against a computer screen, for instance, while others sat in front of their own Facebook profile.

Facebook had a positive effect on self-esteem compared to other activities that boost self-awareness. Mirrors and photos, the researchers explained, make us compare ourselves to social standards, whereas looking at our own Facebook profiles might boost self-esteem because it is easier to control how we're presented to the world.

In a study from 2013, researchers texted 79 participants five times a day for 14 days, asking them how they felt and how much they'd used Facebook since the last text. The more time people spent on the site, the worse they felt later on, and the more their life satisfaction declined over time.

But other research has found, that for some people, social media can help boost their well-being. Marketing researchers Jonah Berger and Eva Buechel found that people who are emotionally unstable are more likely to post about their emotions, which can help them receive support and bounce back after negative experiences.

Overall, social media's effects on well-being are ambiguous, according to a paper written last year by researchers from the Netherlands. However, they suggested there is clearer evidence for the impact on one group of people: social media has a more negative effect on the well-being of those who are more socially isolated.

In some cases, social media may enhance well-being (Credit: Getty Images)

If you've ever been talking to a friend who's pulled their phone out to scroll through Instagram, you might have wondered what social media is doing to relationships.

Even the mere presence of a phone can interfere with our interactions, particularly when we're talking about something meaningful, according to one small study. Researchers writing in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships tasked 34 pairs of strangers with having a 10-minute conversation about an interesting event that had happened to them recently. Each pair sat in private booths, and half had a mobile phone on the top of their table.

Those with a phone in eyeshot were less positive when recalling their interaction afterwards, had less meaningful conversations and reported feeling less close to their partner than the others, who had a notebook on top of the table instead.

Romantic relationships aren't immune, either. Researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada surveyed 300 people aged 17-24 in 2009 about any jealousy they felt when on Facebook, asking questions such as, 'How likely are you to become jealous after your partner has added an unknown member of the opposite sex?'.

Women spent much more time on Facebook then men, and experienced significantly more jealousy when doing so. The researchers concluded they "felt the Facebook environment created these feelings and enhanced concerns about the quality of their relationship".

In one survey of 1,800 people, women reported being more stressed by social media than men (Credit: Getty Images)

In a study involving 600 adults, roughly a third said social media made them feel negative emotions - mainly frustration - and envy was the main cause. This was triggered by comparing their lives to others', and the biggest culprit was other people's travel photos. Feeling envious caused an "envy spiral", where people react to envy by adding to their profiles more of the same sort of content that made them jealous in the first place.

However, envy isn't necessarily a destructive emotion - it can often make us work harder, according to researchers from Michigan University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. They asked 380 students to look at "envy-eliciting" photos and texts from Facebook and Twitter, including posts about buying expensive goods, travelling and getting engaged. But the type of envy the researchers found is "benign envy", which they say is more likely to make a person work harder.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine last year surveyed 7,000 19- to 32-year-olds and found that those who spend the most time on social media were twice as likely to report experiencing social isolation, which can include a lack of a sense of social belonging, engagement with others and fulfilling relationships.

Spending more time on social media, the researchers said, could displace face-to-face interaction, and can also make people feel excluded.

"Exposure to such highly idealised representations of peers' lives may elicit feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier and more successful lives, which may increase perceived social isolation."

It's clear that in many areas, not enough is known yet to draw many strong conclusions. However, the evidence does point one way: social media affects people differently, depending on pre-existing conditions and personality traits.

As with food, gambling and many other temptations of the modern age, excessive use for some individuals is probably inadvisable. But at the same time, it would be wrong to say social media is a universally bad thing, because clearly it brings myriad benefits to our lives.

We'll be exploring this tension more over the next month, in a series of articles and videos in our special series #LikeMinded - and hopefully providing solutions that could help us all live a happier, healthier digital life.

If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called "If You Only Read 6 Things This Week". A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Capital, and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

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What the science suggests so far about the impact of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram on your mental well-being.

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Is Depression Contagious? How Social Media Really Affects Your Mental Health

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This article talks about how social media can affect mental health and if it can cause some peoples depression. It states that social media can cause psychological distress and has lots of statistics supporting the fact that social media is bad for peoples mental health.

I picked this article because it is a good supporting resource for our topic of major project number two. It has many great points and evidence that social media does greatly affect mental health and I think that it would be a really good resource to use for our project.

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The Impacts of Social Networking Sites and Internet Use Are Not What You Think, According to a New Study

The persistent contact and pervasive awareness of what people post on social media, particularly on Facebook, is changing the way people feel about themselves and one another-even down to their own mental health.

Dr. Keith N. Hampton, a researcher in Michigan State University's Department of Media & Information, set out to test the theory that social media use leads to declining mental health. His findings challenge the notion that there is a looming mental health crisis in the U.S. and that the crisis is being caused by technology.

In research published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Hampton showed that social media use often has the opposite effect of what people think. Social media is a protective influence. His article, "Social Media and Change in Psychological Distress Over Time," reveals that active internet and social media users are less likely to experience serious psychological distress, associated with depression or other mood and anxiety disorders.

A Protective Influence

Having extended family who are active on the internet also tends to improve mental health over time. However, when a member of a person's extended family experiences a change in their mental health, that change in psychological distress can be contagious through social media. Often, the family members who are not on social media are unaffected. Hampton said this is largely due to two aspects of social media: the persistent contact and the pervasive awareness offered on sites like Facebook.

"It takes an extreme decline in the mental well-being of a tie on social media to wipe out the otherwise protective influence of internet and social media use. For the vast majority of adults, social media is responsible for improved mental health over time," Hampton said.

Roots of the 'Looming Mental Health Crisis' Hampton has published extensively on social media research, and two ideas inspired him to conduct this study. The first relates to common news headlines that point to a "looming mental health crisis," reportedly caused by social media sites like Facebook.

"I was concerned about the limitations of existing data out there suggesting that internet, mobile phones, social media and so on were contributing to serious anxiety or major depression," said Hampton. "So, I was interested in finding data that would provide some clarity around that in the general adult population."

Much of the existing research on the effects of social media use involves studies of youth or college students.

"There is a lot of rhetoric that social media is particularly bad for mental health. But, by focusing on young people it is impossible to know if the very small relationship some have found between social media use and mental health is related to the technology or if it is typical of being in a stage of life that is unstable and full of emotional turmoil," said Hampton. "Taking a snapshot of the anxiety felt by young people today and concluding that a whole generation is at risk because of social media ignores more noteworthy social changes, such as the lingering effects of the Great Recession, the rise in single child families, older and more protective parents, more kids going to college, and rising student debt."

To better understand the effects of social media on mental health, Hampton said research has to focus on mature populations.

Awareness of Social Ties

"Much research ignores how social media has changed our relationships." said Hampton.

Unlike past technological changes that have primarily increased mobility, the ability to travel and communicate over distance, social media makes relationships persistent.

"Until social media, the story of modern society was primarily one of mobility. As you moved through your life course, you would reliably hit certain stages where you would abandon many social ties, and then replace them with new ties. This would include leaving high school, moving away from home, and changing jobs," said Hampton. "This is no longer the case."

Hampton said social media has made relationships persistent through these major life transitions.

"Now, social ties are persistent in a way that they haven't been since we lived in a society with much less mobility, such as what was typical of an agrarian society. We are much more aware of the things that are happening to those social ties."

Catching up with extended family and distant ties used to be limited to greeting cards, reunions and holiday gatherings, but social media provides an ongoing window into the lives of close and more extended social ties, in what Hampton refers to as "pervasive awareness."

"Now, you have these ongoing, little tiny bits of information popping up on your cell phone and your Facebook feed, and that ongoing contact might matter for things like mental health," said Hampton.

Social Media Impacts on Psychological Distress

Data for the study came from the PSID (Panel Study of Income Dynamics), the longest-running household panel study in the world. The longitudinal survey began in 1968 with a representative sample from more than 5,000 families in the U.S. Since then, the PSID has added data from descendants and family members who established their own households, allowing researchers to study extended families and changes over time.

"Is your Facebook really destroying your mental health?" To answer this question, Hampton relied on measures of psychological well-being and separate measures of technology use from the 2015 and 2016 PSID. "Social media users are 63 percent less likely to enter that stage of serious psychological distress associated with a clinical diagnosis of major depression or serious anxiety, from one year to the next."

However, as a result of heightened awareness, this relationship can vary depending on changes in the mental health of ones' social ties on social media.

"When a person has an extended family member who experiences a change in their psychological distress, it was reflected in changes to their own mental health. If their tie's mental health improved, so did theirs. If it got worse, theirs did too. If they were not using social media, or if their extended family member wasn't, then changes in psychological distress did not appear to be contagious," said Hampton. "Because internet and social media use is generally protective of mental health, at worse, any change in the well-being of those you are connected to on social media removes that extra protection. At best, when people around you are doing well or experience modest changes in their well-being, you're doing better than you would have been without social media."

Keith N. Hampton, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Media and Information at the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, and associate director of the Quello Center at Michigan State University.
By Melissa Priebe Learn More About Media & Information

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Is Depression Contagious? How Social Media Really Affects Your Mental Health

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The persistent contact and pervasive awareness of what people post on social media, particularly on Facebook, is changing the way people feel about themselves and one another-even down to their own mental health. Dr. Keith N. Hampton, a researcher in Michigan State University's Department of Media & Information, set out to test the theory that social media use leads to declining mental health.

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3) Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?

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3) Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?

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Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU

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4) The Negative Effects of Social Media on Mental Health

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4) The Negative Effects of Social Media on Mental Health

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Negative Effects of Social Media on Mental Health | SmartSocial.com

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When parents set a positive example of online behaviors, have open discussions about the unrealistic standards social media can promote, and help students honor their accomplishments with gratitude, they can help their children avoid the negative effects of social media on mental health.

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5) Anxiety, Loneliness, and Fear of Missing Out

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5) Anxiety, Loneliness, and Fear of Missing Out

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Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health | Centre for Mental Health

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Rhys shares his view on the impact of social media on mental health

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Is Social Media Bad For Your Mental Health?

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Is Social Media Bad For Your Mental Health?

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Is social media bad for your mental health? | The Week UK

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Internal documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal have revealed that Facebook Inc. has known about the harm its platform Instagram appears to have caused some users. Research shared with the tech giant's employees on an internal message board included findings that "32% of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse", according to the reports.

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10 Hidden Negative Effects of Social Media on Your Brain

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10 Hidden Negative Effects of Social Media on Your Brain

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Whether you're sitting down, standing up, or lying down, you've probably mindlessly scrolled through your social media feeds. Although seemingly a harmless habit-especially if you have a few minutes to spare-there may be health risks associated with social media use. The American Academy of Pediatrics has acknowledged the potential negative effects of social media in children and adolescents, such as cyberbullying, "Facebook depression," sexting, and even exposure to inappropriate content. Yet, these risks may be applicable to adults too.

Learn about the 10 ways unhealthy social media use may negatively affect the brain.

It may make you spend more money

Watch your wallet the next time you're scrolling through your social media feeds-or, rather, put it under lock and key. According to Schwab's 2019 Modern Wealthy survey, 49 percent of millennials reported that social media influenced them to overspend on experiences. And science backs up this spending phenomenon: A 2013 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research linked heavy social media use among people with "strong ties" to close friends to higher levels of credit card debt, as well as a higher body mass index. Learn what can happen when you quit social media altogether.

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10 Hidden Negative Effects of Social Media on Your Brain

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Whether you're sitting down, standing up, or lying down, you've probably mindlessly scrolled through your social media feeds. Although seemingly a harmless habit-especially if you have a few minutes to spare-there may be health risks associated with social media use.

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There are Nearly 50 Harmful Effects Linked to Social Media Use

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There are Nearly 50 Harmful Effects Linked to Social Media Use

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There are nearly 50 harmful effects linked to social media use

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ULTIMO, Australia - Social media has helped to connect the world in a way previous generations could never dream of. Unfortunately, there's a dark side to that global online community. From social media trolling to cyber bullying to threats against our right to privacy, a new study finds using social media comes with many risks to your health and well-being.

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How does social media affect teenagers? Like any form of technology, social media has both an upside and a downside. And when it comes to the social media effects on teens, there are significant pros and cons to take into account.

On the plus side, platforms like TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat can be lifesavers for teens who feel isolated or marginalized, particularly LGBTQ teens. In addition, social media helped teens feel more connected and not as lonely during the pandemic.

But the impact of social media on youth can also be significantly detrimental to mental health. In particular, social media and teen depression are closely linked. Furthermore, overuse of the apps exposes teens to cyberbullying, body image issues, and tech addiction, and results in less time spent doing healthy, real-world activities. And while the majority of parents believe they know what their child is posting on social media, according to a Pew Research poll, a survey of teens found that 70 percent of them are hiding their online behavior from their parents.

Are teens and social media platforms a good mix, or does social media use lower teen well-being? Why is social media bad? This has become one of the more controversial questions regarding social media's effects on teens, with studies showing varied results.

According to a recent report released by Common Sense Media on social media's effects on teens, about half of the 1,500 young people surveyed said social media is very important for them in order to get support and advice, feel less alone, and express themselves creatively, as well as for staying in touch friends and family members. And 43 percent said that using social media makes them feel better when they are depressed, stressed, or anxious. Among LGBTQ youth, 52 percent said social media helps them feel better when they are experiencing these difficult emotions.

On the other hand, the report also showed a strong association between social media and teens feeling depressed. Youth with moderate to severe depressive symptoms were nearly twice as likely to say they used social media almost constantly: One-third of teens with depression reported constant social media use, as compared to 18 percent of young people who did not have depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the more severe their symptoms were, the more anxious, lonely and depressed they felt after using social media. Clearly, social media does not help teens who are already feeling depressed and seems to contribute to their negative outlook.

Is social media part of the reason that teen depression has drastically increased over the last decade? Surveys of US adolescents show that teen depressive symptoms and suicide rates showed marked increases between 2010 and 2015, especially among females.

Some researchers theorize that the increase in social media and overall screen use between those years could account for these changes. The adolescents surveyed who spent more time on social media sites were more likely to report mental health issues. Those who spent more time on real-life activities, such as in-person social interaction, sports, exercise, homework, and print media, were less likely to report these issues.

Over the last decade, this theory has been borne out by a large body of research linking teenagers' use of social media with increased teen depression. These studies show that the frequency of a teen's use of social media has a clear correlation to their mental health.

For example, in a 2018 study, 14- to 17-year-olds who used social media seven hours per day were more than twice as likely to have been diagnosed with depression, treated by a mental health professional, or taken medication for a psychological or behavioral issue during the last year. This was compared to those who used screens only about an hour a day.

Many experts believe that the constant overstimulation of social networking shifts the nervous system into fight-or-flight mode. As a result, this makes disorders such as ADHD, teen depression, oppositional defiant disorder, and teen anxiety worse. However, some research on social media and teen depression shows that the causality goes the other way-i.e., when teens are depressed, they look at social media more often. In one study of 600 young people, researchers found that social media use did not predict depressive symptoms, but greater depressive symptoms predicted more social media use over time.

"Some experts argue that young people's use of social media is adding to their depression; others that their depression leaves them so uninterested in other activities that they turn to social media by default. [Our] research suggests a third possibility: that many young people who are experiencing depression- whatever the cause-are purposely and proactively using social media and other digital tools to protect and promote their own well-being."
- Common Sense Media report

Additional Psychological Effects of Social Media on Youth

A study by researchers at University College London tracked three years of social media use by 13,000 teenagers, starting when they were 13. The teens also self-reported about their social media experiences and their mood and well-being.

After compiling the data, the study authors concluded that the social media effect on youth is driven by three primary factors:

Inadequate sleep-teens stayed up late to continue scrolling through their social media feeds

Exposure to cyberbullying-having harmful, false, or private content about them posted on social media

Lack of physical activity-scrolling social media on their phones or other devices meant that teens sat for longer periods of time and had less time for exercise. As a result, they missed out on the beneficial impact of exercise on mental health.

According to the study, which was published in the journal Lancet, 27 percent of the teens who frequently used social media reported high psychological stress. For teens who used social media less frequently, only 17 percent reported high psychological stress.

The Impact of Social Media on Youth Social Comparison

One way in which social media impacts teen mental health is through negative social comparison-what media psychologist Don Grant, PhD, Newport Director of Outpatient Services, calls "compare and despair." Teenagers on social media spend much of their time observing the lives and images of their peers. This leads to constant comparisons, which can damage self-esteem and body image, exacerbating depression and anxiety among adolescents.

As with other types of social comparison, teens report lower self-esteem and self-evaluation and peer pressure to look a certain way when looking at their friends on social media sites. For example, this includes looking at profiles on which peers post curated images about their significant others, social events, or accomplishments. And teens felt better about themselves when they make so-called "downward comparisons"-looking at profiles of peers with fewer friends and achievements. According to a Pew Research Center report on the negative effects of social media on teenagers, 26 percent of teens say these sites make them feel worse about their own life.
Read "Teen Mental Health and the Theory of Social Comparison."
The Negative Psychological Effects of Social Media on Teen Body Image

Body image is one primary area in which teen social comparison leads to negative emotions-not only for teen girls, but for all genders. When tees compare themselves to curated and filtered photographs of their peers and of celebrities, they often feel inferior. This can lead to lower self-esteem and negative body image. In addition, Facebook use has also been linked to a higher risk of eating disorders.

According to a survey by Common Sense Media:

35 percent of teenagers on social media worry about being tagging in unattractive photos

27 percent are stressed out about how they look when they post pictures

22 percent feel bad about themselves when nobody comments on or "likes" their photos.

Social Media Effects on Teens: Health Hazard or Healthy Inspiration?

Along with providing ways to seek help and support, social media also provides forums in which teens can encourage each other in unhealthy and dangerous behaviors. Hence, teens with eating disorders or those who self-harm can connect with others to talk about their self-destructive routines. In these online forums, obsessive calorie counting, fasting, or over-exercising are accepted and encouraged. As a result, young people may learn ways to hide or intensify the behavior, putting them at greater risk.

On the flip side, a teen social network can inspire teenagers to develop healthy habits. Thus, seeing peers eating nutritious food, doing something creative, or getting outside in nature can encourage other teens to do the same. Social networks can create peer motivation, inspiring young people to try something new, follow their dreams, and speak up about things that matter to them. Teens can also find positive role models online. Hence, the effect of social media on teenagers might actually result in more unplugged time and increased self-care behaviors.

The Negative Effects of Social Media on Teens' Identity Formation

The impact of social media on youth extends to an important part of adolescent development: the formation of one's unique identity. Hence, social media provides a forum for teens to practice skills related to identity development. These include self-presentation and self-disclosure-sharing their opinions, beliefs, and preferences.

In a longitudinal survey of 219 freshmen at a state university, researchers found that teens who expressed their opinions on social media experienced increased well-being. In addition, another study found that adolescents who communicated more online had greater "self-concept clarity"-a clearer idea of who they were. This self-awareness supports mental health. Furthermore, a research article on teens and social media concluded that social media gives teens the "autonomy to explore and experiment with their identities in a space of their own, where they have control over what, how, and with whom they share information."

Friendships, Teens, and Social Media

Friendship and social skills are additional areas in which the impact of social media on youth can be positive and negative. In the Pew Research Center report, 81 percent of teens in the survey said social media makes them feel more connected to what's going on in their friends' lives. In addition, two-thirds of teens said these platforms make them feel as if they have people who will support them through tough times.

During the pandemic, of course, social media became one of the most frequent-and sometimes the only-way in which teens socialized with peers. But there's a difference between teens' social media friends vs. their real friends: The Pew survey found that 60 percent of teens say they spend time with their friends online on a daily or nearly daily basis, but only 24 percent spent time with their friends that often in person. These stats highlight how online connections may not translate into IRL relationships.

In addition, the more time teens spend plugged in and on social media platforms, the more cyberbullying increases. A 2020 report by the organization L1ght found a 70 percent uptick in hate speech among kids and teens across communication channels on social media and popular chat forums. More time on social media provides enhanced access to both the beneficial and detrimental aspects, further driving the negative effects of social media on teenagers.

The Addictive Quality of Social Media for Teens

Scientists have found that teen social media overuse creates a stimulation pattern similar to the pattern created by other addictive behaviors. Hence, the brain responds to social media the same way it responds to other "rewards"- with a release of dopamine. These dopamine rushes are catalyzed when a teen posts something online and is met with likes, shares, and positive comments from their peers.

"Social media use targets our limbic system through its susceptibility to intermittent variable rewards-the same basic idea behind slot machine design-that get us 'hooked' and coming back from more. Our brains keep seeking the dopamine hit that comes with the next post we see on our feed or the next reaction to something we've posted. Research also suggests that these rituals may prime the brain for other future unhealthy dependencies or addictions."
-Don Grant, PhD, Newport Director of Outpatient Services

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As the research shows, teen social media overuse is often linked with underlying issues, such as depression, chronic stress, anxiety, or low self-esteem. Hence, treatment at Newport Academy includes addressing these root causes while unplugging from phones and social media.

After just a few days, teens begin to reawaken to their IRL environment. During treatment with us, they form strong friendships, explore their inner life through journaling and meditation, spend time in nature, and experience creative offline activities.

Newport's clinical team specializes in helping teens gain the skills and self-knowledge to heal from the maladaptive behaviors, underlying causes, and negative consequences associated with teens and social media. Contact us today to learn more about our teen treatment programs and our approach to healthy device management.

Key Takeaways

The impact of social media on youth can be significantly detrimental to mental health, exposing teens to cyberbullying, body image issues, and tech addiction, and results in less time spent doing healthy, real-world activities.

Some researchers theorize that the increase in social media and overall screen use between 2010 and 2015 could account for marked increases in teen depressive symptoms and suicide rates beginning in that same time period.

Many experts believe that the constant overstimulation of social networking shifts the nervous system into fight-or-flight mode, exacerbating disorders such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, and oppositional defiant disorder.

Teenagers on social media platforms spend much of their time observing the lives and images of their peers, leading to constant comparisons, which can damage self-esteem and body image.

Mental health treatment can help teens gain the skills and self-knowledge to heal from the underlying causes and negative consequences associated with social media overuse.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Effects of Social Media on Teens

How does social media affect teenagers?

What are five negative effects of social media?

What impact does social media have on teenagers' self-esteem?

Does social media cause depression, or does depression increase social media use?

Is social media really addictive?

Sources
Curr Opin Psychol. 2022 Apr; 44: 58-68. Nature Human Behaviour. 2019(3): 173-182. Prev Med Rep. 2018 Oct 18;12: 271-283. Clinical Psych Sci. 2019, 2017. Comput Human Behav. 2015; 52: 49-58.

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The Effect of Social Media on Teenagers | Newport Academy

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How does social media affect teenagers? Discover the negative impact of social media on adolescents and its effect on their mental health.

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How Social Media Platforms Impact Kid and Teen Mental Health

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How Social Media Platforms Impact Kid and Teen Mental Health

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As more reporting emerges over how platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat handle young users, and how the content they consume affects their mental health, focus has also turned to the role parents and caregivers play in keeping their children safe while engaging with the apps.
WATCH: Kids' mental health, safety in the spotlight as social media execs face Congress
What responsibility are the companies taking to remedy these concerns and what do parents and caregivers need to know about how the use of these platforms may impact young children and teens?

Washington Post technology reporter Heather Kelly and Hartford HealthCare child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Paul Weigle joined PBS NewsHour's Nicole Ellis on Friday, Oct. 29 to answer viewer questions on what this means for our understanding of social media and its effects on kids.
Watch the conversation in the player above.
Below are highlights from the live discussion.

The role of parental controls

Social media companies have pointed to parental controls as a preventative measure. But experts explain that they are not an infallible solution.
One key consideration is age, Weigle said.

"Parental controls are especially important for younger kids. To give them unrestricted access to the internet. It doesn't mean they're not useful. They just don't replace other traditional forms of supervision," Weigle said.

But excessive vigilance and use of parental controls can also be counterproductive, Kelly said.

"Kids might be exploring their own sexuality or asking questions they don't want to ask you. Even when you do use these tools you have to step back and let them breathe a little," Kelly said.

Why social media rewards 'more extreme ideas'

Social media sites, including Facebook, use algorithms to select which posts are seen by what people. These algorithms have come under scrutiny by experts and lawmakers over how they affect behavior and public discourse.

"There's always going to be people posting bad things and good things and the algorithms are literally deciding which of those things you view," Kelly said.

Kelly said social media companies such as Facebook have tried to lower some "problematic content" in the algorithm. However, users are still rewarded for more engagement, including when it is extreme.

"There's also an incentive to get views, to get likes and comments and engagement and be a creator and I think they found you can game some of these algorithms by being way more over the top, by having more extreme ideas," Kelly said.

Over-reliance on social media has mental and physical consequences for children

Weigle says that children have come to rely on more social media use over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic as they have spent more time at home and less time socializing in person.

Social media companies have pointed to parental controls as a preventative measure to shield children from the potential harms of the platforms. But experts explain that they are not an infallible solution.

"Over the course of the pandemic we've seen a greatly increased reliance on social media to meet the social needs of teens," Weigle said.

But now, more information is coming out about the physical and mental consequences of over-reliance on mobile and social technology, including neck pain, skyrocketing cases of depression and severe social anxiety, according to Weigle.

He said that the use of social media is a major contributor to "an epidemic of sleep problems and depression."

"Increased reliance on social media is dangerous to the health of young people," Weigle said. "It's a terribly negative effect on their sleep and sleep is so important to the physical and mental health of young people."
What can parents do?

Kelly, who frequently fields questions from parents at the Washington Post's Technology Help Desk says it always comes down to getting to know your kids, interacting with them inside the social media apps they're using and asking questions of them.

"You can throw tech at this all you want, but my biggest takeaway is talk to your kids."

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WATCH: How social media platforms impact kid and teen mental health

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As more reporting emerges over how platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat handle young users, and how the content they consume affects their mental health, focus has also turned to the role parents and caregivers play in keeping their children safe while engaging with the apps.

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Are You Living an Insta Lie? Social Media Vs. Reality

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Are You Living an Insta Lie? Social Media Vs. Reality

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Are You Living an Insta Lie? Social Media Vs. Reality

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Gym Class Heroes - New Friend Request Lyrics | AZLyrics.com

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Gym Class Heroes “New Friend Request”: I remember when I first laid eyes on you My man Tom introduced us but I was too shy to say hi When...

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A Virtual Life: How Social Media Changes Our Perceptions

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A Virtual Life: How Social Media Changes Our Perceptions

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How Social Media Changes Our Perception of Reality

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Learn how social media is changing our perceptions of reality while distracting us from the real world. Check out The Chicago School now to learn more.

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40+ Frightening Social Media and Mental Health Statistics 

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40+ Frightening Social Media and Mental Health Statistics 

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40+ Frightening Social Media and Mental Health Statistics — Etactics

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As social media and smartphone use has increased, so have mental health conditions. Here’s our list of 40+ statistics that prove that statement.

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The amount of time teenagers spend on social networking sites has risen 62.5 percent since 2012 and continues to grow. Just last year, the average time teenagers spent on social media was estimated as 2.6 hours per day. Critics have claimed that more screen time is increasing depression and anxiety in teenagers.

However, new research led by Sarah Coyne, a professor of family life at Brigham Young University, found that the amount of time spent on social media is not directly increasing anxiety or depression in teenagers.

"We spent eight years trying to really understand the relationship between time spent on social media and depression for developing teenagers," Coyne said about her study published in Computers in Human Behavior . "If they increased their social media time, would it make them more depressed? Also, if they decreased their social media time, were they less depressed? The answer is no. We found that time spent on social media was not what was impacting anxiety or depression."

Mental health is a multi-process syndrome where no one stressor is likely the cause of depression or anxiety. This study shows that it is not merely the amount of time spent on social media that's leading to an increase in depression or anxiety among adolescents.

"It's not just the amount of time that is important for most kids. For example, two teenagers could use social media for exactly the same amount of time but may have vastly different outcomes as a result of the way they are using it," Coyne said.

The goal of this study is to help society as a whole move beyond the screen time debate and instead to examine the context and content surrounding social media use.

Coyne has three suggestions to use social media in healthier ways.

1. Be an active user instead of a passive user. Instead of just scrolling, actively comment, post and like other content.

2. Limit social media use at least an hour before falling asleep. Getting enough sleep is one of the most protective factors for mental health.

3. Be intentional. Look at your motivations for engaging with social media in the first place.

"If you get on specifically to seek out information or to connect with others, that can have a more positive effect than getting on just because you're bored," Coyne said.

In an effort to understand teenagers' mental health and their social media use, researchers worked with 500 youth between the ages of 13 and 20 who completed once-yearly questionnaires over an eight-year span. Social media use was measured by asking participants how much time they spent on social networking sites on a typical day. To measure depression and anxiety, participants responded to questions with different scales to indicate depressive symptoms and anxiety levels. These results were then analyzed on an individual level to see if there was a strong correlation between the two variables.

At age 13, adolescents reported an average social networking use of 31-60 minutes per day. These average levels increased steadily so that by young adulthood, they were reporting upwards of two hours per day. This increase of social networking, though, did not predict future mental health. That is, adolescents' increases in social networking beyond their typical levels did not predict changes in anxiety or depression one year later.

Co-authors on the study include BYU professors Adam Rogers, Laura Stockdale, Jessica Zurcher and BYU graduate student McCall Booth.

To see more how Coyne is helping educate parents and families on how to use social media in effective, healthy ways, visit .

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Does time spent on social media impact mental health? New BYU study shows screen time isn't the problem.

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The amount of time teenagers spend on social networking sites has risen 62.5 percent since 2012 and continues to grow. Just last year, the average time teenagers spent on social media was estimated as 2.6 hours per day. Critics have claimed that more screen time is increasing depression and anxiety in teenagers.

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This Documentary Will Make You Deactivate Your Social Media

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This Documentary Will Make You Deactivate Your Social Media

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You've made the films Chasing Coral and Chasing Ice about the impact of human beings on nature. The Social Dilemma is about another force that's impacting us as natural beings, right?

Exactly. I look at this as just another existential threat, right? We are actively building systems that are causing polarization, that are causing echo chambers, that are dividing our country and our way of thinking. And it puts us on a path as Tim Kendall [former president of Pinterest and former director of monetization at Facebook] says in the film, the natural conclusion to all of this is civil war.
Okay, that's terrifying.
It's absolutely terrifying. We have the mindset that things are becoming more and more polarized in our society and we can feel increasing tension between the left and the right. But to hear it come from these technologists and say, "This is the source. This is what's driving so much of it." I mean, it makes sense to me, it completely resonates with me that we have this invisible machine that is determining what people see and it's giving us what it thinks we want.
A feedback loop then?
We're all in our own individual feedback loops. Your digital reality is completely different than your neighbor's digital reality, completely different than your partner in your house. Their digital reality is completely different as well. How do you create consensus when everybody is being fed the mirrored version of themselves all the time?
What I don't understand is why people refuse to acknowledge reality when they see undeniable, factually accurate information. They will look at a video or a legitimate news source and say, "That's fake."
It goes back to this line that we have in the film from Justin Rosenstein [a former Facebook engineer who cocreated the Like button], where you look at the other side and you ask yourself, "How could they be so wrong? How can they not know the truth?" And the reality is that they're just seeing a very, very different truth than you in that instance.
My own news consumption has changed from going to home pages of news organizations that I trust to just reading what's trending, and a lot of it is so often nonsensical, or the hashtags are obviously driven by bots. I feel like things that get attention are not necessarily things that always deserve attention.
That sentence that you just said, "Things that get attention don't necessarily deserve attention"- that is, in many ways, the problem with this entire system and this business model, right? It's user-generated content where whatever sticks will rise to the top. And it trends towards our base instincts, it taps into deep emotions. It taps into fear, it taps into outrage. It taps into heightened emotions. Heightened emotions trend better than full rational thought.
Even if I want to leave Twitter, I feel like I can't because it's the town square, right? It's the area where people gather. It's where news circulates, even if I have a problem with those trending topics. My feeling after watching your film is I want to delete everything, but the competing feeling is that I don't want to miss out on things.

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This Documentary Will Make You Deactivate Your Social Media

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You've made the films Chasing Coral and Chasing Ice about the impact of human beings on nature. The Social Dilemma is about another force that's impacting us as natural beings, right? Exactly. I look at this as just another existential threat, right?

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A fun product has the same downsides as booze. Instagram’s own internal research makes the case better than any critic.

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Bad News Sells: How our 'Negativity Bias' chooses Bad over Good

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Bad News Sells: How our 'Negativity Bias' chooses Bad over Good

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I love how this picture just screams out "Negative Instinct." Which is our tendency of us humans looking more at the bad than good. You see how there is a pile of good things going on but we choose to overlook it and instead look at the bad. This pile dictates all the good things going on in the world that Rosling was talking about. Such as more girls going to school, less world hunger, less people in extreme poverty etc. But we just get too stuck on looking more at the bad because of what the media feeds us.

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2. Graduation by Juice WRLD & Benny Blanco

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2. Graduation by Juice WRLD & Benny Blanco

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Juice WRLD's "graduation" is his own take on the 2000s pop anthem, "graduation" by Vitamin C. Though the chorus was directly lifted from the sampled songs, we are able to listen in to juice's feelings towards peer pressure through social media and school in his own verses. Juice's first verse was his struggles back in high school, he expresses the peer pressure that was applied to him, forcing him to "like" what his peers do and sees. Juice used this song to reflect on his past and the eventful high school career he had. In the second verse, Juice expresses that he couldn't wait for graduation to step into the real society. However, it wasn't something that Juice expected. Juice writes in this song, "I was waiting for my graduation, growing impatient. What I didn't know was this grown up world, was just school in a blown up world. Theres still gossip, there's still drama, there's still problems, there's a right or there's a wrong." Juice only realized that the society was filled with expectations, problems, and dilemmas after he stepped into the real society.

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Kid Cudi expresses himself and his mental state with the song "Pursuit of Happiness". Kid Cudi goes in depth explaining his obsession with drug developed by anxiety and paranoia through the society. Cudi was knocked down by life and his peers throughout his career, the song represent his own way of coping and way to live his life. He was forced to turn to drugs to see the way of the life, which led him to see the world as a free place where the most important part is to be yourself and ignore peer comments. Cudi writes in the song "People told me slow my roll, I'm screaming out "**** that"
I'ma do just what I want, looking ahead, no turning back
If I fall, if I die, know I lived it to the fullest. If I fall, if I die, know I lived and missed some bullets" Cudi was able to break through his anxiety and fight back, he finds himself in the best state without taking consideration off everyone's opinions.

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Crooked Smile by J. Cole represents what the society want us to be and the social standards around us forcefully put us in a mindset to be like everyone else. Cole mentions his "crooked smile" because he was featured on Complex about his bad teeth. Complex exposing J. Cole is also seen in many other scenarios where people are put under the spotlight through social media to expose their insecurities. During the first verse of this song, J. Cole writes, "With all the pressure to look impressive and go out in heels. I feel for ya, killing yourself to find a man that'll kill for ya. You wake up, put makeup on. Stare in the mirror but it's clear that you can't face what's wrong, no need to fix what God already put his paintbrush on." Cole explains what women go through because of the social standards that was set. Furthermore, he explains that despite expectations, people tend to have a hard time to express their true self.

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Soundtrack 2 My Life is the second song on Kid Cudi's debut album. A statement album that consists of songs exploring one's true self and true desires out of this cold and realistic world. In the chorus we hear Cudi saying "I've got some issues that nobody can see. And all of these emotions are pouring out of me. I bring them to the light for you, it's only right. This is the soundtrack to my life, the soundtrack to my life." Cudi used this album as a platform to express his inner feelings and what he truly thinks of himself and the world, despite external expectations. He then talks about how he's struggled with mental health issues and social media just takes an even bigger down step onto his confidence. However, Cudi was able to make that realization and express himself through music. "I try and think about myself as a sacrifice.
Just to show the kids they ain't the only ones who up at night" Cudi overcomes his struggles, and now his album makes sure millions of people don't feel alone in this connected yet isolated world.