FINAL ESSAY SOCIALMEDIA BRIAN

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Jan 9, 2024

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1 What are the pros and cons of social media on the brain? Maria Vila Saint Leo University Academic Writing II ENG-122-OL03 Professor Caroline Williams December 4, 2023

2 The effect and impact of social media on mental health has presented considerable attention. There are advantages that counterbalance or outweigh the positives of social media platforms, but what about regarding the negatives of social media on our brains affecting our mental health? Let us exam both sides so you can decide for yourself the level of moderation and balance of social media on the brain. It is obvious how we depend on our smartphones for school, our personal lives, and work. Ask yourself this, when was the last time you left home without your phone and had to turn back because you cannot continue your day without it? There is no doubt that social media has revolutionized and transformed open channels of communication that are increasing in popularity. It also poses an argumentized subject when faced with how it intertwined with mental health and the population. Positive Effects of Social Media: There is no doubt social media is becoming an unquestionable certainty in this modern age, which is why it should be em1 1braced and accepted rather than criticized. Social networking does not only consist of chatting with friends anymore, but it also developed into an independent and self-contained industry with a wide range and scope of applications. Staying connected with friends and family worldwide via text, email, Instagram, and Facetime is a technological breakthrough. We have quick access to research and sensitive information, including banking online, paying bills and learning online, job skills, and great marketing tools right at your figure tips. All these functions affect the brain consisting of multiple areas of the brain responding to stimuli by boosting mood, multiplying productivity, and expanding the learning keys and concepts of cognitive skills enables us to interact with people all over the world, feel less lonely, and exchange ideas. In general, social media offers the freedom to express your thoughts and to openly discuss mental health issues promoting a sense of community. (De Choudhury 2014).

3 Social media is a place to get help, learn, and spread awareness around the world and how we can improve our mental health, our emotional and overall physical health. Social media carries an array of self-help websites that help improve your dieting, nutrition habits, and develop positive thinking, an overall mental realization of your body, mind, and soul. Despite, the fundamental risk of mental illness inclusive of the misuse and the stigmatization of these platform discussions and self-disclosures are still being explore and analyzed. (Blair & Abdullah, 2018). Past research has identified maladaptive behaviors on social media concerning mental illness such as eating disorders, depression, and even suicidal ideation. (Lachmar et al. 2017). Negative Effects of social media All the benefits of technology, taking into consideration the nature of social media, and social networking, stalking is a problem affecting our community can present a range of potential issues and matters in question. Social media cruelty a lso referred to as digital abuse is defined by the National Domestic Violence Hotline as the use of technologies such social networking, texting, cyber bullying, and harassment, ( suzylamplugh.org ) . Individuals who engage in such activities use people in place of actual in-person socialization and communication. Consequently, friends on social media can very well be strangers that do not compare to their profiles or even related to actual real individuals you now confide in after months of chatting online. Excessive levels of social media may affect mental health by including depression, addiction, loneliness, reduced ability to develop meaningful relationships and reduced self- esteem. Social media also exposes inappropriate content for underage children and teens. Social media can be addicting by continuous seeking to accomplish a task and completing it as well as you can or beyond.

4 The mechanism function of the brain gives off a dose of dopamine increasing levels of pleasure and elated happiness hormones. Fear of missing out, (FOMO) has become a common theme, and often leads to continual anxiety of checking social media sites all day. Trending today’s society, the subliminal idea that you were not able to participate or missed your opinions in reference to any social media subject matter, can affect mental health by conveying posts that create related anxiety and depression. The immense use of social media has led to research into the relationship between mental health and social media use. There was substantial and considerable evidence that social media use is associated with negative effects on mental health. The findings suggested that using social media can be associated with problems such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, poor sleep quality, poor mental health indicators, thoughts of self-harm and suicide, increased levels of psychological distress, cyber bullying, body image dissatisfaction, fear of missing out (FOMO) and decreased life satisfaction. A research study investigated, (“why young people use mental illness as an aesthetic on social media”). As a result, the study applied a method known as netnography, a research method used to study online cultures and communities in specific classification of qualitative social media research which modifies the methods of ethnography to understand social interaction in contemporary digital communications contexts. In addition, the actor-network theory (ANT) included an analytical tool to explore an understanding and draw conclusions. This study also identified current challenges in social media research regarding mental illness detection. The author highlights the aesthetics of depressing and dark posts in social media and blog accounts of young individuals.

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