Download - Film assignment 2 - Connie Li
Utilization of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat has increased dramatically in recent years, especially among
adolescents and young adults [3]
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A recent Ontario study indicates that 80% of young people use social media on a daily basis, with almost 50% using it for over 2
hours per day [7]
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Heavy social media users are young
adults are 300%more likely to be depressed than
occasional users [7]
Facebook use worsens “how
people feel moment to moment and how
satisfied they are with their lives” [7]
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Key Question: Why is the heavy usage of social media associated with depression?
1. Negatively impacts physical health
2. Passive use is detrimental
to mental health
3. Increases their exposure
to cyber-bullying
1. Negatively Impacts Physical Health
One study of adolescents indicates that social media usage can seriously
disturb the quality and quantity of sleep. This study shows that many
have difficultly logging-off and going to sleep. Others may deliberately
wake up to check social media during the night. [7]
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1. Negatively Impacts Physical Health
One study of adolescents indicates that social media usage can seriously
disturb the quality and quantity of sleep. This study shows that many
have difficultly logging-off and going to sleep. Others may deliberately
wake up to check social media during the night. [1]
Likewise, heavy users of social media often remain slumped on a chair or in their bed, shut up in their room, and glued to the screen. This means that they are skipping meals or staying sedentary for excessive periods
of time [6].
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2. Passive Use Is Bad For Mental Health
Passive use refers to the practice of quietly observing other people’s social media profiles and pictures – sometimes known as “Facebook stalking” [3].
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One study shows that this can lead to envy and
resentment, while another indicates that passive use provokes and intensifies a
negative emotional experience known as “FOMO” the fear of missing out. This can lower self-esteem and well-being. [7]
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Study on 753 Ottawa students between grade 7-12…
…uncovered an association between teenagers who are heavy users of social media and poor mental health.
The study found that teens who are on social media for more than 2 hours a day report poor self-rated mental health, psychological distress, suicidal ideation or
unmet need for mental health support [6]
3. Increases Exposure To Cyber-
bulling
University of Alberta study revealed that
there were distinctive associations between
exposure to cyberbullying and
increased likelihood of depression [2].
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The studies covered a variety of social sites, but Facebook was the most common – between 89% and 97.5% of the teens who used social media had a Facebook account [2].
23% of teens reported being targeted
15% of teens reported bullying someone online themselves.
Facebook knows that its social network feed tremendously affects the moods of its users. For example, Facebook’s data scientists conducted a controversial human behavior experiment where 689,003 users were manipulated by having all positive posts or negatives posts removed
to see if it would affect the moods of the users [1]
Master OSM 2011
A number of social media companies have been proactive at helping users that appear to be depressed. For example, if a user
searches for tags on Tumblr such as “depressed” or “suicidal” then the blog platform will show helpful resources and ask if everything is OK [1].
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It is highly recommended to work with a mental health
professional. Furthermore, you should limit your social media usage every day in favor of
other activities.
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Works Cited:
[1] Chowdhry, A. (2016, April 30). Research Links Heavy Facebook and Social Media Usage To Depression. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/04/30/study-links-heavy-facebook-and-social-media-usage-to-depression/2/#3596d9e87786
[2] Durlofsky, P. (2016). Can Too Much Social Media Cause Depression? Retrieved from http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Blogs/Thinking-Forward/February-2014/Can-Too-Much-Social-Media-Cause-Depression/
[3] Matrix, S. (2017). Module 1, Lecture 1, Part 1, Media Convergence
[4] Matrix, S. (2017). Module 1, Lecture 2, Part 2, Media Use Research
[5] Pappas, S. (2015, June 22). Cyberbullying on Social Media Linked to Teen Depression. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/51294-cyberbullying-social-media-teen-depression.html
[6] Payne, E. (2015, August 08). Student links poor teen mental health to social media use. Retrieved from http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/study-links-poor-teen-mental-health-to-social-media-use
[7] Whitley, Robert. (2016, September 14). Here’s Why Social Media Harms Your Teen’s Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robertwhitley/social-media-mental-health_b_11893462.html