Is Too Much Social Media Bad For You?
I am not a “henny penny” type. (OK. I do think we are screwing up our environment, but that’s not the topic of today).
I do not think that technology is bad, nor do I yearn for yesteryear when things were simpler. I love the digital world we live in. Information is easier to consume, products are easier to buy. The convenience and connection that digital media brings is mind blowing. I love it.
Regarding social media in particular, I’m a heavy user of multiple platforms. That’s probably atypical for someone in their 60s, but so what? I’m younger in thought and action than in body. And I’m a marketing guy so it’s important to know anyhow. But I’m starting to worry about the “dark side” of social media. At first I thought talk of negative/antisocial behavior caused by heavy social media usage was a lot of hooey.
But I am seeing too many studies among teens that indicate that heavy social media creates antisocial behavior with a high incidence of mental health issues. I’ve written about these in recent Strumings, Social Media and Lack of Sleep and Does Social Media Cause Anxiety?
The latest study looked at the high index of mental health issues among those 10-15 years old who spend 3+ hours daily on social media. It very well may be that the profile/mental make-up of those who spend that much time on social media is one which is consistent with a higher incidence of mental health issues. So in lay terms, social media doesn’t not cause the problem, the behavior is merely part of the profile. But it’s still worth understanding. Below is an excerpt from an article on the study reported in a October 23, 2015 article from Eric Sass in MediaPost, titled, Excessive Social Media Use Linked To Mental Health Issues In Kids (Again)
The latest study, carried out by the UK Office of National Statistics, found that children ages 10-15 who spend more than three hours a day on social media were significantly more likely to experience mental health problems than those who spent less than three hours on social media (27% versus 11%).
Overall, the study found 8% of children in this age group spend three hours a day or more on social websites, while 56% spend up to three hours a day, and 37% don’t spend any time on social websites. The study also found girls were twice as likely as boys to spend over three hours a day on social media than boys (11% versus 5%).
As noted, these results don’t prove that social media is causing depression: it’s easy to imagine that kids who are already experiencing mental health issues gravitate to social media for some reason, and that social media may simply have replaced other kinds of excessive media consumption for depressed kids of previous generations (e.g. TV, video games, the poetry of Sylvia Plath).
By the same token As noted, these results don’t prove that social media is causing depression: it’s easy to imagine that kids who are already experiencing mental health issues gravitate to social media for some reason, and that social media may simply have replaced other kinds of excessive media consumption for depressed kids of previous generations (e.g. TV, video games, the poetry of Sylvia Plath).social media may be playing a specific role by reinforcing unhealthy patterns of behavior, for example be enabling teens (and adults) to compare their lives unfavorably to the idealized images presented by other users. In that case, limiting social media use might indeed be an effective tactic to combat mental health issues for this group.
The net of this study and others probably means that excessive social media usage is an indicator of the potential of anti-social behavior and the possibility of mental health issues among teens. Again I am not blaming social media as the “cause”. It is merely the outlet of choice, but it is still worrisome.
On a personal basis, I am proud to be a heavy social user and though I may be a bit obsessive, it’s fun and is a powerful communication tool, so what the heck. I may be addicted, but I do not check Facebook in the middle of the night–at least not yet.
More Strumings
- Strum Consulting: 25 Years
- Change is the status quo of life.
- Tips= To Insure Prompt Service
- It’s All Over.
