interactions: A new social media reality

by the Center for Disease Control, which found that among teenage girls, “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” increased by 60 percent from 2011 to 2021.

The timing of this marked change points to a potential culprit. The popular social media app Snapchat was released in 2011; today, it is used by 59 percent of teenagers. Likewise, according to the Pew Research Center, rates of Instagram use amongst teenagers have risen from 52 percent in 2015 to 62 percent in 2022.

With the ongoing rise of social media, this correlation is of growing concern. To examine this evolving issue, the Bark explores the effect of a uniquely impactful social media platform, SnapChat, and, generally, how social media affects everyone’s interactions.