I RECENTLY had a client come to me with symptoms of depression and anxiety. At the end of our session, she made an interesting comment; she said the only thing that changed in her life over the past six months was that she created two social media accounts. She laughed and said maybe that was the reason for her abrupt, unpleasant feelings. I laughed along with her at the time, but when she left I thought about how valid her point was and decided to look a little further.

Therefore, today I’m going to talk about social media and its effects on our mental health.
This is a tricky one as there is no way to downplay the importance of social media. When used appropriately, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram etc., are the most powerful forms of communication, education, marketing, job opportunities, research, world news and general information the world has ever seen. They are mostly used by teenagers but the elder folk friend requests are becoming more and more popular. Studies show that females use social media more than males and that Facebook is the most popular site with over 1.2 billion global users. Overall, 1 in 4 people worldwide has some sort of social network account.

It’s quite amazing to think how fast and far social media has advanced since dial-up connection. We all remember that dreadful noise- those were the days when you couldn’t sneak online as the dial-up to connect online would not only wake up the entire house, but disconnect your phone line. Yes, that’s how old I am — I remember those times. How far we’ve come!
I’m not going to say that social media is all bad- there are certainly many benefits.
My favourite aspect is the awareness and support it can spread all around the world at the click of a button. For example, I’m sure we all remember the ALS campaign that used just social media to promote the ‘ice bucket challenge’. Now, everyone knows about ALS and millions of dollars were raised towards their cause. Also in terms of awareness, social media is a way for people to reach out for help. I cannot tell you the number of people that are identified and helped via these sites. My second favourite is the support groups that it offers. There are groups on Facebook for people who are interested in the same things, people who have lost loved ones, sites intended to decrease violence against women, recovering addicts – pretty much anything.

On social media, one not only can connect with old and new friends, but is now able to find jobs, properties, cars and promote their businesses. Social media even helps to catch criminals: who remembers that story of the boy from Buxton who robbed a store and decided to post a picture and comment about it on Facebook? I’m sure he’s now well aware of the impact of this revolution. Finally, these sites promote freedom of speech which is crucial for many reasons. Human beings need to feel heard- it’s really important for our overall well-+being to feel that our feelings and opinions matter.

However, this is where the negatives come in. Just because we have the right to say something, should we say it?

Yes, we can send messages a lot faster and cheaper to many more people than ever in history, but what messages are we sending? Are those positively evolving like these sites?
While I am definitely a fan, there are so many noteworthy negatives to social media.
First and foremost, of course, would be cyberbullying. So many people are victims of this. An example of this would be other people posting inappropriate pictures and videos of you, which happens all the time in Guyana and has actually been a causal factor of multiple suicides. There is an example I could use that happened not too long ago. A well –known (in her field) person commented on the child who did really well on her CXCs. What she said wasn’t supportive or even kind but it was her opinion, which people have a right to share on Facebook. The backlash that she received was so ridiculously cruel and over the top that it made me not want to log in, period. I don’t know what she did to overcome all that negativity but I take my hat off to her.

There is also a lot of misinformation on social media sites. People post whatever they want and almost every day I read something completely inaccurate. I know it is, but everyone may not. That’s a huge negative and potentially dangerous influence on a large population.
Sites such as Facebook and Instagram are also known to cause low self-esteem, high anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, insecurities, envy, jealously – pretty much every emotion that can make us feel bad about ourselves. Sites such as these are breeding grounds for comparison and as Theodore Roosevelt said: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Physically, adolescent obesity has drastically increased over the last 15 years. There is no doubt to researchers that these sites play a significant role in that incline. Social media sites also glamorise alcohol and drug abuse. Everyone knows what I’m talking about there.
Socially, these sites can also have a negative effect. It’s ironic as these sites were created to be ‘social,’ but if you think about it, they minimise this. These are platforms that are responsible for much less face-to-face communication. This can also cause a lot of conflicts as there is no way to account for tone and there is no way to see the immediate impact your words have on people. Additionally, there are many people in my life who I used to talk to daily or weekly and I feel no need to do that anymore, as I can see on social media that they are alive and doing well. So, these sites have actually allowed me to drift away from some people.

Fraud is also common. People constantly make fake profiles or hack into existing ones. There are also online predators which make it very unsafe for young people to use.
In terms of productivity, studies have actually been done to show that students who have social media profiles have lower academic grades than those who do not. Specifically, they score 20% less on test scores.

Finally, it can cause internet addiction. Yes, that’s a real thing! Those who read every week know that I specialise in addiction and have a talent of comparing anything to it. Social media is no different. It can be thought of in a sense where it causes isolation, lack of sleep, loss of appetite (when you see all these ridiculously good looking people in bikinis) etc. More so, when you post something and get a ‘comment’ or a ‘like’, it’s pleasurable and reinforcing (much like a drug) which makes you want to repeat the action. Think about it.
The solution to this is not to delete your accounts- that’s not at all what I’m saying but like everything else- be aware of its negative effects and practise moderation.

Like me for instance, I’m on Facebook more than 10 times a day as that’s where I get all my news from. I follow local and international news stations and boom, everything is right there in one application. It’s incredible. However, this week, I have paid attention to the amount of time I spend on these sites as well as the emotions they elicit. I have realised that I also sometimes compare/contrast my life to others and sometimes I felt bad about myself. It was important for me to recognise that.

Social media is a huge investment for us. Not monetarily but time which is worth so much more. To get the best return on this investment, we need to use it more wisely.

For example, if you own a business, make the profile solely for its benefit. To promote it and get the attention of new potential customers. Use the sites to create a likeable brand for yourself. Most companies/people check social media sites before hiring.

If you are worried about your children on these sites, guide them through it and teach them the right way to use it. Set time boundaries for how long they can use it, create secure privacy settings and teach them not to share personal information. Come to think about it, this is not specific to children. From what I see, many adults need to learn this too.

I think the most important thing to remember is that people on social media sites present idealized versions of their lives. There is a reason they took a picture of themselves or their food, because they both looked unusually good that day. That’s not everyday reality.
So, set a certain amount of time to use these sites daily, keep track of how you feel when on them, fact check everything you read, watch out for bullies, DO NOT BULLY, and remember not to judge or compare!

Thank you for reading and please send in any topics to caitlinvieira@gmail.com.
To book private counselling sessions with me, please WhatsApp +592 623 0433