Social Networks And Its Effect On Our Lives

Pantic, Igor. "Online Social Networking and Mental Health." Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, vol. 17, no. 10, Oct. 2014, pp. 652-657. EBSCOhost, DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2014.0070. Doctor Pantic in “Online Social Networking and Mental Health” discusses various studies on Facebook and symptoms of depression, social

al., 639). Although readers of the article can comprehend what the researcher is asserting, it is simplified in the USA Today article to succinctly state the link between Facebook and depression: “Social media-linked depression potentially [stems] from not only what people do online but also how their experiences linger with them afterward. (Hatner, para 3). When the author of the USA Today source describes the link between depression and Facebook, they simply say that there is a lingering effect of using Facebook and making comparisons. Although the scholarly article is saying that Facebook can intrude on daily life, they use more complicated jargon. Whereas the scholarly source uses sources for almost every sentence, there is limited citation in the USA Today source. In the USA Today article, they only quote the author of the survey once. Since the researchers of the Baker and Algorta article present research based on the research of others, they heavily cite their evidence while the popular source only cited the basic idea of the lead researcher, David Baker. In these articles,

Abrams focused on the damage social media can cause on our mental health. One study that she pointed to is by the UK Disability Charity Scope. They found that of 1500 Facebook and Twitter users “62 percent [of users] reported feeling inadequate and 60 percent reported feelings of jealousy from comparing themselves to other users” (Abrams). Another study that she also points to is one by researchers at the University of

What’s more, in the article, the author shows us many other researchers and examples from the professional study prove his topic “Is Facebook making us lonely." For example, Moira Burke concludes that the effect of Facebook depends on what people bring to it. And her research does not support the assertion that Facebook creates loneliness.

Studies have shown that social media has a direct correlation to a college students social life. Teenagers in this time

Firstly, there have been significant links between our online presence and other aspects of our mental health, which has inspired the subject matter of many recent research studies around the world. There are many psychological and physical factors that affect our mental well-being due to the impact of social media. Depression and Body Dysmorphia being the leading causes, due to the content the individuals are exposed to while online. Even though researchers coined the correlation between social media use and depression as complex. Data was collected from a sample of 340 first year college students, and the findings were that the increase use of Facebook have been associated with higher levels of loneliness. Also the extensive use of Facebook has been associated with higher rates of disordered eating and body image insecurity.

The popularity of social media giants such as Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are on the rise and so is our nation's overall poor mental health status (The State of Mental Health in America). Studies have shown that there is a direct link between our social media obsession and our poor mental health (Walton). Social media can lead to feelings of comparison, jealousy and even delusional behavior. Another effect that social media has on our mental health is that it often leads to feelings of sadness and loneliness. Lastly, social media addiction is one of the many things that affects our mental health. Studies show that social media is often the cause of poor mental health, it can cause comparison, jealousy, loneliness and lastly addiction.

With this increase in technology, particularly the internet and social media, researchers have begun to question its effects on mental health, particularly anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

No screening procedure was undertaken prior to commencement of the research. This means that it was unknown whether or not the sample was purely non-clinical or clinical. This limits the research as there can be no generalisation to a specific population and the results have the potential to be skewed by participants in a clinical population. Future research should focus on a purely non-clinical population to assess the effects of social media on mental health.

Depression is another psychological toll that has been placed on young adults as an outcome of social media use. In fact “over a third (34%) of young people have felt depressed because of something they have seen on a social network site” [6]. Young people experience depression while looking at their peers’ social media profiles because of “the link between social networking and depression [which] is called the ‘social comparison’ theory” [5]. The social comparison theory asserts that individuals evaluate themselves by comparing themselves to their peers, using their peers as a benchmark to evaluate their own self worth [1]. These comparisons can be misleading when young adults look at their peers’ social networking profiles. One person may have 50 Facebook friends whom they personally know while their peer may have over 1,000 Facebook friends whom they randomly accept and request. When using the social comparison theory the peer with

A second factor, social media could also have a huge effect on education. The use of social networks such as facebook and twitter are very well known, especially by most college students. David Gewirtz realized that some of the people who see a personal social media website could be a friend, potential employer, and even a stranger. Gewirtz warned most students to monitor what they are posting online. He says “ You could be a teenager today who is 15 and say inappropriate things, and then as an adult looking for a job as a CEO.” He is sending people a warning to monitor what they post because what is on that website might potentially ruin a chance of employment. (Michelle 1-2). College

The results of this study did not support the hypothesis presented. However, there was a positive correlation between hours spent and depression scores. There was no moderator effect within the relationship of perceived social support and depression. Furthermore, some limitations played a part in this study. First, the number of male participants in the study was low. Second, it is not generalizable because this study was focused on psychiatric patients. Thirdly, recall bias may have affected the subjective reporting of SNS use. Lastly, technology and social media is forever changing. Future research on this topic can gravitate towards the growing field of technology and the early onset of depression in individuals as young as 18.

Depression is a tough thing to live with, I don’t wish it upon anyone. It does not just affect you mentally it consumes your whole being. But one of the hardest parts to deal with is the isolation you bring upon yourself. Alone with your thoughts is the last thing someone with depression should be doing. Mental health is an important issue that needs to be dealt with and anything that could help people who suffer from this ailment should be sought out. And that is why I wanted to research Facebook’s effect on emotional loneliness. According to the Pew Research Center 87% of young adults are on Facebook and in How Time Horizon Perceptions and Relationship Deficits Affect Impulsive Consumption by Sinha and Wang (2013) the result of their study proved that for young adults the emotional loneliness causes more impulsive behavior. With that said people who suffer from depression do not need to be more impulsive because of the constant threat of self-harm. And that is why I chose to research if our emotional loneliness is affected by Facebook intensity. Some relevant terms that are going to be implemented in this research paper are: emotional loneliness, Facebook intensity, moderators, after treatment, support and out of touch. Emotional loneliness is the deficit of intimate attachment; Facebook intensity is the amount of time you spend on Facebook. After treatment and moderator dealt with the subject answering who their last Facebook interaction in the form of three

Are we becoming less human with the passing of each day? Have we become too dependent on technology, specifically social media? In this day and age, people have different views on social media. They question its true purpose and its effect on society as a whole. With that said, although there are many thoughts concerning the topic/trend of social media something that is undoubtedly true is that social media plays an active role in the lives of the majority of people. Whether in a positive or negative way, social media influences the lives of all people. However this paper focuses on the effect of social media on college students. It addresses both the positive and negative effects of social media on those in college; focusing on a student’s academic efficiency, social interactive skills, and overall productivity.

We would like to acknowledge our former teacher in research Mrs. Kathyryn Alvarez for teaching us the basics of research. Without her, we would not know anything about research. We would also like to acknowledge our current teacher in research Mrs. Marilyn Roque for guiding us in our research and for teaching us additional information about research. We would like to thank her for giving us enough time for our research.