Social Media: Exploring the connection between addiction and mental health. Social media and online activity have become two of the most prevalent outlets for people of all ages throughout modern society, particularly amongst adolescents, or commonly referred to as ‘generation Y’, but with rates of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression increasing by 70% in the past twenty-‐ five years[1], are the two linked? This essay will explore the connection between prominent use of social media and it’s affects on mental stability, and will pose the question as to whether technology is changing the way younger generations develop social as well as psychologically. As humans, and playing a vital part in the organismic cycle, it’s only natural to seek out activities that are pleasurable as well as mentally stimulating. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter chemically released in the brain that plays a key role in enhancing feelings of happiness and intense enjoyment. Many experience elevated levels of dopamine through activities such as sex, eating and the consumption of drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, however scientists are now raising the correlation between it’s chemical release levels and increased use of the internet and social media[2]. Often referred to as the ‘reward molecule’, higher levels of dopamine become more prevalent in the brain when one’s self esteem is boosted, or one is seemingly ‘rewarded’ for their own activity. A prime example of this behaviour within a modern era in which technology is more prominent than ever is receiving attention, or ‘likes’, on a social media post. For example when a post on the popular application ‘Instagram’, on which people can share images or videos, receives positive attention from one’s peers, it’s only natural to feel a sense of success and increase to one’s ego due to the level of attention it receives. Retrospectively, if a post doesn’t receive the amount of admiration one expects it should or as much as another post one deems less ‘worthy’, levels of dopamine decrease, and can leave people feeling deflated or as if they haven’t been ‘rewarded’ for their efforts. It’s human nature in almost everyone to seek out attention, approval and praise from one’s peers, even if one doesn’t have an intense realisation that they are doing it, so when social media activity that one deems deserving of these things isn’t received as well as they’d hoped, feelings of insecurity and questions of self-‐ worth begin to arise, which can sometimes be only the beginning of increased mental health problems. When someone’s self-‐confidence is knocked, it’s only part of the human anatomy to examine their flaws and whether these are affecting their peers’ reactions and treatment of the content they choose to share. In a I questionnaire constructed through Survey Monkey[3] and posed to my peers about how social media and internet use affect people in their day to day lives, 80% of those who responded said that they often spent more time online than they intended, and 55% said that social media often evokes feelings of self-‐ esteem depletion and even depression. Although these two cannot be directly
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linked, it does raise the question as to whether excessive use of social media and Internet usage affects one’s psychological well being more than one realises. There’s no doubt that the stimulation and feeling of pleasure people get from peer induced appraisal through their online activity can become almost obsessively sought out feelings on a regular basis, and it’s a well known fact that when certain behaviours are repeated over and over again, they become habitual and also like a second nature. When one receives intense positive acknowledgment for their post, images, statements or videos, it definitely evokes a sense of individual triumph, and could be construed as one’s very own ‘little victories’, however can this be perceived as an ‘addiction’? And is it really, as referred to in the American-‐Israeli documentary ‘Web Junkie’[4], depicting the treatment of recognised Internet addiction in China, “electronic heroin” for this generation? Journalist Waqar Hassan, in his piece ‘How Social Media is Bad for Mental Health’[5] for website ‘Socialnomics’, states that “one of the major problems with social media is that posts typically present an idealized version of what’s going on in everyone’s life” and that one can often “end up comparing [one’s] own life with that of others and think less of [one’s] own”. It is only common fact that every single person has different life experiences that can often lead to a number of personal insecurities. Everyone reacts to their issues in contrasting ways, however it’s also common for many to want hide their problems, or disguise them through attempting to portray a sort of idealistic and enviable life that they have, when in reality it is quite the opposite. Social media sites such as Facebook[6], Twitter[7] and Instagram[8] are often construed as the perfect outlets to create an almost ‘virtual existence’ for oneself and one’s peers to look at from behind the screen. If someone is scrolling through a seemingly endless thread of pictures of someone living an apparent ‘high life’, so to speak, it’s natural to feel emotions such as jealousy, and to question your own being and quality of life. Based on the above statement from Hassan, one could assume that it’s this negative self-‐investigation and comparison to others that can often conjure up feelings of anxiety and depression, especially within young people who are still developing and changing psychologically in possibly stressful times such as university and change of city or social circle. In addition it to the discussion of the portrayal of lifestyle through social media posts, many have also raised the theory that by constantly photographing aspects of your life and posting them online, it is possible to implant almost ‘fake memories’ within your brain. In Maryanne Garry’s paper ‘When Photographs Create False Memories’[9], the author states that “photographs give subject a sort cognitive ‘springboard’, allowing them to generate thoughts feelings [and] details”, also discussing how photographs give narrative stories a sense of “authenticity”. Going on this point raised by Garry, it could be argued that photos, a modern example being those posts by users of social media accounts, are in fact more affective than the traditional form of storytelling. When people can back up their
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narrative details with pictures they immediately become more convincing and the subjects are automatically more likely to believe every detail that the images portray, even if they are unknowingly false. An example of this can be identified within an experiment conducted by Garry, along with her peers Wade, Read and Lindsay, in which they presented people with four photos, three of which being real and the fourth being fabricated. Made using old childhood photos of the subjects and Photoshop, the subjects were edited into a photo of a hot-‐air balloon, an event that simply did not take place. Despite their families verifying that the event never happened, after looking at the photo three times each over a period of two weeks, 50% of the subjects recalled memories of the day itself, thus proving that it is possible to implant false memories within the brain[10]. Similarly, in a study performed by psychology student Jim Coan in 1995 called ‘The Shopping Mall Technique’[11], subjects were each given four narratives about events that took place in their childhood, and asked to try and remember as much as possible about each, however unknowingly to them one of the stories was nothing but a fabrication in order to see if the human brain could in fact adopt false memories. 25% of participants recalled the made up event[12]. This links back to the points raised in Hassan’s article ‘How Social Media is Bad for Mental Health’, as the fabrication of photos or the intention to falsely communicate aspects of one’s life, or perhaps elevate the positive parts, in order for it to appear a certain way to others, or to in fact convince them that one has a certain lifestyle is an entirely prominent trend, and has been for years. An example of this that people experience almost every day is the way in which stories often become exaggerated when told. Similarly if someone posts images that present a fantastic lifestyle to others behind the screen, then it is only natural that those that see them become more convinced of their factual authenticity, and henceforth an also ‘false reality’ is presented, in contrast to what goes on behind the camera. Andrea C. Nyaka, author of ‘Internet and Social Media Addiction’[13], makes the argument that “information alone cannot help people gain knowledge and understanding”. Considering this, along with the statements made above, it could be said that attempting to create memories through constant photographing and sharing is not a just way to authenticate real life events, and that one can only truly experience reality through their own eyes, rather than through that of a camera lens or a computer screen. Using online presence and social media as an escape from a reality you would like to change or possibly rather not be a part of is a common habit amongst many members of society. Author Kevin Roberts, a recovering ‘internet addict’, has said that “[he] entered the cyber world, [he] escaped responsibility for a while… [he] did not have to think or feel anything real”[14]. Within this statement the idea that the internet or the “cyber world” are more than just services to some, and can in fact be likened to an alternate life is only proved further, and with 45% of subjects within the constructed survey about how social media plays a part in our day to day lives agreeing that they use the internet to “block out negative disturbing thoughts”[15], one has to question whether social media
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can in fact be considered to be a modern form of therapy for younger generations, as it allows them to distract their attention from the negative aspects of their own realities. In a 2013 survey carried out by Pew Research Centre[16], 73% of Americans use at least one social media site regularly, and 42% have multiple accounts, many visiting it once or more on a daily basis. After speaking to many about the apps they use and how they make them feel personally, it’s clear that their mentality is affected, for example one person stated that, “[they] get a bit anxious if [they] don’t check their notifications immediately”[17], another stating that “when people don’t reply to [them] quickly, [they] become paranoid and agitated”[18]. Alongside these statements made only by peers, there was also a survey, that could be used to support the theories discussed within this paragraph, taken in 2012 by Psychological Science[19], in which researchers discovered that people found it harder to resist the urge keep on top of their social networking accounts than they did the urges for alcohol and Tabaco. This only strengthens the argument that social media has a prolific affect on the psychological state of users, conjuring up feelings of anxiety when other users don’t respond to them, or they lack the amount of desired attention. Similarly they find it hard to cut off these elements of their almost cyber fuelled life, having a need to see how people online are interacting with them, and how others are reacting to their own online activity. The normalization of achieving senses of confidence and self-‐worth entirely through social media outlets whilst younger generations are still developing physically and psychologically is often considered to be a dangerous aspect of modern society. Scientists predict that “by 2020 the worldwide information base will double every seventy-‐three days”[20], meaning that the internet and the opportunity to have online presences on any forms of social media will become more and more available, particularly to those who are growing up without ever experiencing a life without being surrounded by technology. In a study carried out in 2013 by Common Sense Media[21], it was found that 38% of children under the age of two were using iPads and smartphones before they were learning to speak. Figures like this can only fuel the debate over how limited society, especially children, who still have a vital mental and physical development left to engage with, should be to the world of technology and social media. Is it healthy for such young generations to have the internet at their fingertips before they’ve even come to grips with their first language, or can it even be helped? Is it fair to limit children when their peers may possibly have every opportunity and access to a virtual online world? And more importantly how can one find the balance between bringing a child up in a modern world that it completely understands and prioritizing it’s fundamental learning processes over it’s technological education?
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On the right is an example of artistic commentary on the effects social media and technology has started to take on society’s idea of self-‐worth. ‘Ego’ by John Holcroft[23] depicts how receiving ‘likes’ on the social media platform ‘Facebook’ can have a direct impact on a person’s self-‐confidence and inflation/deflation of their ‘ego’. Often people can gain fame from sites such as this, fame that undoubtedly has a profound effect on how they view themselves. If thousands of people are viewing one’s material and showing appreciation or admiration why wouldn’t one’s ego be elevated? This concept can often get out of hand, with the modern idea that likes and comments via social media sites reflect equal levels of popularity and confidence. Overall, it is clear to see that technology and social media platforms have a strong, and often disadvantageous affect on the mental health and stability of an individual. As well as an exploration into the impressionable nature of the human mind through image and false information, this essay has also depicted a clear connection between social pressures within the cyber and social world and the direct implications they have on the mentality of regular internet users. From the research it is fair to say that modern technology is gradually picking apart and piecing back together what the common concept of self-‐confidence actually means, and what decides whether a person has a strong sense of personal worth or not. It seems that now attempting to tackle and control the increased impact on mental health caused by social media platforms could be seen to be a redundant effort, based on the fact that the worldwide information base is enhancing rapidly, which raises questions surrounding the debate on how it can be managed, and how can it be guaranteed that it won’t spiral out of control or consume the individual’s mind completely? Synthesizing Practical Outcomes Within a collection of practical work, the illustrator looked into combining personal illustrative interests with an exploration of the topics touched on throughout the research project. The project focused on how shape, pattern and texture could be used to communicate ideas around mental health and how it is affected particularly through the use of technology and social media. The illustrator chose to look into medication, both the physical attributes and the mental stimulative affects, focusing primarily on pattern, an area of interest for the practitioner. The project focused on how preferred illustrative techniques, such as the aforementioned colour, shape, texture and line could create interesting compositions depicting the physical appearance of medication prescribed for mental instability, such as
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Sertraline and Prozac, moving into more gestural and quick images, composed of strong brushstrokes and bright colours, all staying within a strict colour scheme relating to each part of the brain and it’s relevant cognitive function, including memory, function, emotions and personality. As the project moved forward, the practitioner started to focus on how other forms of media could be used to explore the topic, and how alternative aesthetics could be achieved through use of paints, pencil, felt pen and cut-‐paper. Within this investigation, shape was also introduced, and the work became much more abstract. Although this wasn’t the initial intent of the practical work, it soon became a depiction of how the mental state can become distorted and complicated by the constant pressures of modern technology and social media, particularly within the adolescent generation. The illustrator’s use of a number of forms of media, whilst producing images with strong similarities, is also an attempt to demonstrate the preferred way of image-‐making expressed typically by alternative generations, for example felt pen is often used by those in the developing stages, whereas collage and pen are often materials associated with a more mature age group. In an attempt to demonstrate a range of age appropriate responses, the practitioner has hoped to communicate an awareness of the differences and also similarities between each individual’s typical mental capacity and fragility, as well as their responses to certain behaviours discussed within the research part of the project. Jenny Bewick 6
Bibliography [1] G. Bedell, The Independent, (27th February 2016‘) -‐ How has society managed to produce a generation of teenagers in which mental-‐health problems are so prevalent?’ [2] M.Soat, Marketing News, (November 2015). Social Media Triggers a Dopamine High [3] Jenny Bewick (me) https://www.surveymonkey.com/analyze/f5GSnXD5hdpuIGelcA7hfIsdcT9OHK gdFdIfNjkibpQ_3D Survey Monkey, Social Media Addiction, How do the internet and social media play a part in our day to day lives? [4] S. Shalm (Documentary) (10th July 2013) Web Junkie, (documentary). [5] W. Hassan, Socialnomics.com, (January 8th 2016) How Social Media is bad for Mental Health [6] Facebook.com [7]Twitter.com [8] Instagram.com [9] [10] M. Garry, (December 2005) ‘When Photographs Create False Memories’, pp 321-‐325 [11][12] Loftus Ef, Coan J, Pickrell JE (1996), M’anufactory false memories using bits of reality’ [13-‐14] Internet and Social Media Addiction, Andrea C. Nyaka, 1st January 2015, pp 6, pp 35 [15] Jenny Bewick (me) https://www.surveymonkey.com/analyze/f5GSnXD5hdpuIGelcA7hfIsdcT9OHK gdFdIfNjkibpQ _3D Survey Monkey, Social Media Addiction, How do the internet and social media play a part in our day to day lives? [16] Andrea C. Nyaka, (1st January 2015), ‘Internet and Social Media Addiction’, pp 16 7
[17] [18] Esmee Balcewicz, Patrick McCrossen, face interview [19] J Meikle, The Guardian, (Friday 3rd February 2012) ‘Twitter is Harder to Resist than Cigerettes or Alcohol’ [20] Common Sense Media , Children’s Media Use in America, 2013) ‘Zero to Eight’, pp 9. [21] John Holcroft ‘Ego’, (2015)
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