While social media can have its perks of staying up to date on current news or in contact with friends and family, it can also make you feel extremely unhappy or isolated.
Instagram, for example, is full of photoshopped and perfectly filtered pictures showing just how great Brittany is doing on her study abroad in Greece, or Megan's sorority formal where she managed to get a Gucci dress.
Not to mention, the obsession of always checking what's new and updated or waiting for that one person to call or text can lead to poor sleep quality.
Below is a list of ways social media could seriously be affecting your mental health without you knowing.
1. Self-esteem
Looking at the perfect filters, or seemingly photoshopped bodies on Instagram often makes people think they don't have the perfect body image, or that they need to now change everything about themselves.
Comparing yourself to social media influencers due to their photoshopped photos or perfect Insta feeds can add to self-doubt you may or may not already have.
2. Connection
Ironically, although most people claim to use social platforms as a means of connection and communication, it could actually be making that worse.
By relying on the internet or phone contact, you may lose sight of how to connect in person, causing stress or anxiety. Not to mention FOMO from a photo a group of friends posted at dinner and how lonely or anxious that could make you.
3. Memories
Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram all have a way of showing your "on this day" memories throughout the years. However, the reality of the situation is those memories can sometimes spark sad or depressive feelings about the past or the people in the memories.
4. Sleep
Because the tendency is to always be up to date with social media, many people will stay up scrolling through to see all the newest updates, making it harder to fall asleep.
Social Media has not only been proven to cause unhappiness, but also affect anxiety and depression. In a survey in 2018, 41% of Gen Z people said that social media made them feel anxious, sad, or depressed.
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