In an attempt to keep my phone in my pocket this week, I have decided to take a break from social media. Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and other social media platforms have become a major part of my life and I often feel like I am being consumed in the addicting algorithms. While I do find a lot of enjoyment in posting and viewing pictures and activities, it is very common become trapped in all of the negativity that "scrolling" brings. Studies have shown that the use of Facebook has been associated with constructs such as greater distress, induction of negative social comparison, and lower self esteem in addicted and problematic users. My "social media cleanse" led me to do a bit of research on the impacts of social media and stress and I found something interesting.
A study done by Rus and Tiemensma examined how Facebook influences reactivity to acute social stressors. They had participants use facebook before experiencing an acute social stressor. Facebook users reported lower levels of psychosocial stress, physiological stress and rated the stressor as less threatening. These results suggest that Facebook use could buffer stress if used before experiencing an acute social stressor. These findings are understandable when considering the benefits of facebook use; feelings of increased self esteem, enhanced social support, general well-being, and overall life satisfaction.
Social media platforms have many benefits and now have been found to possibly act as a buffer for acute stress, but to what extent does social media have a positive impact? Personally, using instagram and facebook can lead to toxic thoughts of comparison, negative self talk and fear of missing out (FOMO). This study was incredibly interesting in that it offered a unique stance on social media and stress.
Here is the study:
Rus, H. M., & Tiemensma, J. (2018). Social media as a shield: Facebook buffers acute stress. Physiology & Behavior, 185, 46–54. https://doi-org.dml.regis.edu/10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.12.021
Hi Maddie! Thank you for the very interesting article about social media. Social media is often a place of negativity through comparison, and I too find myself being consumed in this negativity as well as the algorithms that these platforms come up with. I find it very interesting that Facebook users had lower stress levels than non-users when experiencing an acute stressor. Generally, I feel like most of my stress comes from these addicting platforms because of the toxic environment it contains.
ReplyDeleteI found an interesting article that relates to the one you have provided in the sense that it compares the role of social media in the use of traumatic events (examples given are the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola pandemic, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, etc.) and how it effects mental health. This article really emphasizes that traumatic relates social media usage was “significantly associated with negative mental health” (Zhao and Zhou 2020). Their findings specifically address that social media usage contributed greatly to PTSD, depression, anxiety during times of hardship. This was more than likely a result of social media being used to clarify information of certain events, but more false information was given to the public from this outlet (Zhao and Zhou 2020). Given that these articles talk about the stress of social medias in different ways through a variety of circumstances, I find it very interesting that this is another example of how acute stress can be beneficial and chronic stress is detrimental.
Here is the link to the article I found:
https://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aphw.12226
Hey Maddie, thanks for the post, I think this is a very interesting topic because it is something so many of us fall a victim too. Just like you said I often times find joy in social media and even use it to "relax" or take a break from homework or studying. However, this is ironic because social media is often times leading to more stress. In an article by Penn Medicine it broke down all the ways in which social media lead to higher levels of stress and even impact your health. These consist of things similar to what yoe've mentions such as comparison to the "perfect" lives of others, overflow of information and sometimes misinformation, and the fear of missing out on things. More specific things such as people editing their photos that create false comparisons and dearly 1 in 4 people saying the've shares a fake political new story.
ReplyDeleteIt is very easy to get caught up in scrolling and it's something I have a habit of, but when reading your post and looking into these acute stressors and the toxic environment social media creates, it's easy to see that its not that relaxing and enjoyable after all. Looking into these facts and toxic algorithms is the first step, but breaking the addiction of picking you phone up and scrolling is the tough part.
The facebook effect: How is social media impacting your stress levels? - chester county hospital: Penn Medicine. Chester County Hospital | Penn Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.chestercountyhospital.org/news/health-eliving-blog/2020/march/how-is-social-media-impacting-your-stress-levels.