Social Media: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Social media is popular among just about everyone these days. From job searching on Linkedin to sharing pictures of a couple's new custom built home on Facebook. There are pros and cons to every social media platform, but i would like to discuss my perception of how some social media sites can be benificial where others are not, and can cause issues in a persons mental health. I have mixed feelings with social media. I am a fan of Instagram and Pinterest, those are basically the only two that i spend time on. I love Pinterest because i use it to get ideas for cooking recipes, gardening, and even crafts involving wine corks. All of these things things, i believe, have positive impacts on a persons mental health. It allows people to get in touch with their creative sides and even learn things that they didn't know before. Sara Hart, a writer for SouthBay Community Services, wrote about how we can use Pinterest to even enhance our mental health by finding links that provide breathing, meditation, and self reflection excercises. From creative hobbies to physical fitness and mental health exercises, platforms like Pinterest can most definitely promote the users mental health. 


 My Pinterest inspired wine cork table top:
Unfortunately with every positive, there comes a negative. Some social media sites do have their drawbacks, especially in terms of mental health. I have my own personal experience that i can relate this with. I used to have facebook when i was younger, and before smartphones were a thing. After smartphones became popular, facebook was even more accessible. All you had to do was download the app and you were there. I realized i was spending an excessive amount of time on the app and would sort of go down the rabbit hole. I would see people my age, who, according to facebook, were much more successful than me, were homeowners, traveled all over the world, etc. I would get so down from comparing my life to the lives of my facebook friends that i would just want to isolate myself. It would honestly get me in the biggest funk. I finally realized that the negatives of facebook outweighed the positives for me and i deleted my account all together. I haven't had facebook for close to 10 years now and I have no intention of getting it back. I've added a link to an article that touches on the drawbacks of facebook and how it can cause problems in a persons mental health.

https://www.mentalhelp.net/internet/social-media-hurting-or-helping/#:~:text=Facebook%20can%20cause%20depression%20if,himself%20or%20herself%20and%20others.&text=Facebook%20use%20%22predicts%20declines%20in,they%20are%20with%20their%20lives.%22&text=Facebook%20can%20cause%20envy%2C%20which%20can%20lead%20to%20depression.


 I believe that everyone must find a healthy balance with social media. I like to think that I have. If a site is causing more problems mentally or physically than it is good, get rid of it. Use those platforms that promote health, happiness, and even success. 


  References: 

Hart, Sara. "Pinterest’s mental health portal: How social media can be used for good." SouthBay Community Services, https://southbaycommunityservices.com/pinterests-mental-health-portal-how-social-media-can-be-used-for-good/. 22 July 2021. 


 "Facebook and Mental Health: Is Social Media Hurting or Helping?." MentalHelp.net. https://www.mentalhelp.net/internet/social-media-hurting-or-helping/#:~:text=Facebook%20can%20cause%20depression%20if,himself%20or%20herself%20and%20others.&text=Facebook%20use%20%22predicts%20declines%20in,they%20are%20with%20their%20lives.%22&text=Facebook%20can%20cause%20envy%2C%20which%20can%20lead%20to%20depression.

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