Over the past decade, social media platforms have become an integral part of our lives. The constant spotlight and pressure to put on a facade of having a perfect life can be quite challenging. This can seriously affect our mental health and may give rise to conditions such as depression or anxiety. Here are some factors that link social media usage to developing depression and anxiety.
Through the looking glass
Scrolling through Instagram or binge-watching videos from our favorite YouTubers has become a part of our everyday lives. On the other side of the screen, a career as a social media influencer may seem like a piece of cake, but with a large following comes great responsibility. Aside from creating and editing content every day, these influencers are responsible for making sure that the products and services they are promoting are authentic and of good quality. Therefore they tend to spend a lot of time and energy curating every single post that we see on our phone screen. Even though it may not seem like it, it takes hours of hard work, planning, and creativity to be able to run a successful social media account, which can take a toll on the mental health of such content creators.
Unrealistic standards
A common theme that seems to run in the lives of all successful social media influencers, especially those that cater to the entertainment industry, is that they have all experienced some level of anxiety and pressure to live up to some really high standards when managing their personal and professional lives. Whether it is unrealistic body image expectations, lack of empathy for people who haven’t been posting enough content, or negative criticism for work being sub-par compared to others, such expectations end up putting such influencers under a lot of stress.
Privacy problems
Social media success can lead to a lot of fame. While that is the upside to being an influencer, it also comes with an unhealthy lack of privacy. It can be extremely difficult for popular influencers to even get a cup of coffee from across the block without getting noticed by the paparazzi. This can soon get to be quite uncomfortable and may end up making them quite vulnerable to bad situations.
Fear of missing out (FOMO)
When scrolling through these platforms, it can be quite easy to fall into a hole of self-doubt and low self-esteem. People tend to look at posts of influencers traveling to different countries or living lavish lifestyles and feel self-conscious about not doing the same. It is important to remember that these influencers do not post everything they experience on social media. Just because nobody is posting their failures and setbacks doesn’t mean that they don’t have any. Social media is used to show the world your best moments, and it is important to remember that just because someone’s social media is displaying a perfect lifestyle doesn’t always mean that it is. It is important not to fall for unrealistic standards that are sometimes set in society.
