Social Media

Exposure to social media can provide young students an enriching social experience with their peers that dwarves the experiences of previous generations. But with all things comes trade-offs. Are there diminishing returns to social media usage? At what point are the costs too high?

Social Comparison

Studies show that individuals who are exposed to upward social comparisons have lower self-esteem. These comparisons are quite common; popular, good-looking, and well to do individuals often get displayed on the front page much more so than others. This disproportionate sample of the population corresponds to a distorted view of society.

Recognition of these implications may help reduce susceptibility to these primarily unconscious processes. Successful personalities make up a very small percentage of all social media users. People generally only show the good parts of their life and don't post the negative aspects of it. Exposure to lower social comparisons may also help (children in 3rd world countries, poorer neighborhoods, less-privileged environments). Social comparison is an evolutionary instinct; do better if you're behind (and feel bad about it) and be satisfied if you're ahead.

There are plenty out there without access to proper education that would love the opportunity to learn in more supportive environments. These types of images appear rarely on our social media feeds.

Unlike movies or books, social media use can last indefinitely. You can keep scrolling until the end of time. The engineers and businessmen at large social media companies spend a lot of resources to develop the best algorithms to keep you on their platforms.

Social Media Addiction

(source) Social media addiction is negatively associated with mental health and academic performance. Mental health was explored in the previous section, and it is not surprising that poor mental health and academic performance may feed off of each other. Addiction is primarily treated through cognitive-behavioral approaches, which involve individuals recognizing their addiction and its impact on health and academic outcomes.

The cognitive aspects include:

Behavioral changes involve reduction of cues (remove phone from common areas, have a lock-screen reminder to not use phone).

Takeaways and Considerations

Social media results in negative self-perceptions of worth due to comparisons with better off individuals. Since the social media feeds are biased (you only see what you like), the effects are magnified over time and one gets a warped perception of reality.

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Recognize that social media is not reality. Be careful of comparing yourself to others. You should also recognize that a lot of the comparisons happen subconsciously, whether you want it to not. Try taking breaks from social media if you suffer from self-esteem issues, depression, or similar issues.

Mental health and academic performance are linked. Solving social media addiction may improve academic outcomes.

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Social media addiction, like other addictions, need to be addressed seriously. Generally, one must first admit that they have a problem, then undergo proven methods to combat the addiction.