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Effect of Instagram on your mental health

Effect of Instagram on your mental health
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Social media is having a big impact on students across their whole lives. It has a significant negative impact on students’ mental health. Anyone who is a frequent user of social media, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

New researches have shown that social media isn’t always good for someone who is young and female. With ‘highlight reels’ becoming so popular, and everyone sharing video, young women are particularly finding it hard to accept their own lives or even their own bodies as good enough. This not only includes the young adults, but even those who are quite matured and educated.

Social Media Doctor

A Ph.D. scholar at the University of Notre Dame named Carmen chose the topic “Instagram use among young women aged 18 to 25” to understand more about the issue and what could be done.

One of the major findings of her research is the fact that younger female Instagram users in late teens and early 20s feel negatively about their bodies after seeing images of perfect bodies on the app.

Women in mid-20s often felt the inadequacy around their work and lifestyle. After seeing the images of celebrities who apparently lived fabulous social lives and careers of successful people on Instagram, they felt that their own lives were miserable.

Technology or culture?

We often blame modern technology for this growing despondency especially among fairer sex. However, if we really wish to find a solution to these problems, we need to dig much deeper.

This is not a new phenomena, because there has always been some medium transmitting such pressures. The scary thing about social media is that it’s accessible around the clock, and from anywhere for as long as you like.

The truth is something else. The culprit is not Instagram, it’s the social pressures put on young women. Such things have always been there as part of our culture for many years that are now becoming amplified by social media. Maybe the problem doesn’t lie with just beauty magazines, this has more to do with your friends.

Previously, things such as popularity were considered abstract, but thanks to social media, it has now become measurable. You often hear people saying – How many followers do you have on the Instagram? How many likes did your latest photo get?

Finding a solution

The solution to this problem doesn’t mean you should altogether stop using social media. This is tantamount to telling someone not to use the phone. Because if it’s not Instagram, it will be something else – Facebook, Helo, Connect app, or any other platform.

The only solution to this problem lies in building resilience and self-esteem. It’s important to make them feel good about themselves, because once they do it, they won’t compare so much with others and get influenced.

Then there is a gem called gratitude. We often see others and forget how good our lives actually are. Social media which is a make belief world will certainly not help you here.

Now, even science has proved that gratitude is actually a key factor in happiness. Well! The year 2021 may have begun over five months ago; you can still make your new year’s resolution: start a gratitude jar for yourself or someone closer to you. It will make you feel a whole lot better the next time you open Facebook, Instagram, or Connectd India.

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