Can Social Media lead you to Depression?

Does Social Media lead to the Rise in Depression Cases?

Introduction

Before going into the details, I believe you’ll admit that social media has changed the way you interact with your surroundings. Social media was meant to enable people to reach out to a wider audience and keep in touch with relatives and friends. Initially, it was used for sharing ideas with a limited audience but with technological advancements, social media has become an inseparable part of our daily life. Everything we do is on social media. “Facebook knows everything” is almost true today. Today, the tech-savvy youth relies on social media networks for news and doesn’t bother reading newspapers and magazines. Social media has made the world smaller but the cons of this are becoming clearer every day. Depression is one of the gravest impacts of social media.

What is Depression?

To know how social media triggers depression, it is necessary to know what the word means. Everyone is sad sometimes and that is normal. But if these distressing symptoms last longer than 2 weeks, then the person is suffering from clinical depression or simply, depression. Depression affects daily life and reduces productivity. It’s a medical condition that can’t be detected by pathological tests and hence is hard to diagnose. The person suffering from depression lacks a positive outlook towards things and suffers from an inferiority complex. He/she loses interest in work or any kind of recreational activity. Loss of appetite and lack of concentration are noticed. The symptoms of depression vary with personality and age-group and the best way to deal with it is to open up to a trusted person.

Social Media and Depression

Social media is not directly responsible for depression. People on social media have different experiences. Some boost their moods with memes, funny videos, motivational speeches while others take it upon themselves to compare their lives with others and self-depreciate themselves. The way you use social media will decide if you’ll be a happy person or a depressed mess. With the arrival of social media, a virtual world has come into existence which has fooled people into believing that it’s the real world. It has especially ensnared young minds and made them blind. The youth of today can have 300 friends on Facebook but failed to make even one in the real world. Instead of meeting up with friends at some café or fast food stall, they prefer making a WhatsApp or Messenger group and pour their hearts out there. Lately, a new species called ‘introvert’ can be spotted. They hate human interaction and don’t like going to any public place. These people are often the primary targets of depression. They spend most of their time wallowing in their thoughts and calling themselves unable to socialize. They prefer scrolling through social media all day, looking at the experiences of other people, and feel inferior in the back of their minds.

Then come the people with the subconscious mentality of jealousy. They see other people in relationships, posting romantic pictures and begin to find all the faults (some of which don’t even exist) responsible for them being single. They see their friends posting pictures with Louis Vuitton bags or Gucci shoes and set ambitions of buying them someday. While some are lucky enough or rich enough to afford those, most can’t and they call themselves worthless for not having a posh lifestyle. Some get iPhones as birthday gifts and post pictures on Facebook and Instagram while others are struggling to pay rent. Some of these people call themselves unlucky and deprived and childishly wish to have the dream life. What I’m trying to say is that having ambitions is okay but setting them after seeing people on social media is not a principle to follow. People who are not content with their lives are subject to depression.

The next group of people is the only one which I think has a valid reason for being depressed. This group comprises mostly of teens and young adults. They’re largely ignored by their friends on social media. Coincidentally, I’m part of that group so I have an insider’s view. We are not given much importance in the real world or the virtual world. The virtual world has a more noticeable impact as we check for Facebook and Instagram notifications frequently with the hope that someone might’ve tagged us somewhere but are always disappointed. We struggle to find friends in both the real and the virtual world and miserably fail in both. The blame is essentially on us but for the sake of mention, I have included it here.

With Instagram coming to the limelight, Instagram models came up. They live for their followers and their happiness and confidence are directly proportional to the number of followers. If they begin to lose followers or not gain enough, they begin questioning themselves and end up being models of depression.

A Possible Way Out

This is for the information of all readers that the following remedy is not tested and is not professional advice. If you’re suffering from distress symptoms, get in touch with a health professional as soon as you can. Many people will suggest a ‘social media detox’ in which you stay away from any kind of social media for a week or so. While I admire those, who can do this, I’ll suggest a more user-friendly way. It’s impossible to filter social media so, the best way is to filter your thoughts. Life on social media might seem ideal but it never is. Don’t get depressed about seeing the success or privileges of others rather try to find a way of your own. With proper personal restrictions in place, social media will never bring you depression. Have a good day!