How Social Media Is Slowly Killing Us

Social Media is a big impact on our society, although it can be very damaging. Three billion people, around 40% of the world's population, use any type of social media. And the majority of them spend an average of at least 2 hours every day, using these social media platforms.  With social media being such a big part of society today, it also comes with many disadvantages. Research shows that the impact of social media can cause many mental health issues, that could even lead to higher issues. These social media platforms can cause signs of anxiety and depression. Not only does it lead to serious mental issues, but also causes addiction, which leads to bigger issues in the future.   Looking through Instagram or Facebook does in fact trigger more sad emotions rather than more positive ones. The reasoning behind this is, the fact that the use of social media is linked to a greater feeling of social isolation. Seeing a group of friends posting together while you are at home in bed, does indeed cause us to compare our lives with others, which is very mentally unhealthy. Not only comparing, but it may also lead to jealousy, studies have certainly shown that the use of social media can trigger feelings of jealousy as well as other negative feelings. So why are we all addicted to something that can be so negative?  Although, we all are continuing to get caught in the delusion of thinking social media will cure us, the matter of fact it, is slowing killing us. So why are we so addicted to it although we know the negative effects of it.  Studies from Melbourne University show that by decreasing your time on social media has measurable effects on the users, mental health. Although it is not as easy as it sounds, social media has become a wide addiction to the generation these days and is slowly getting worse.  Another study from York University in Canada found that young women who were asked to interact with a post on Instagram of someone whom they perceived as more attractive than them, which made them begin to feel worse, about themselves. I decided to interview one of my close friends to see a view from another perspective. â€Å"To be honest, social media is so addictive for me, although always leaves me in a negative mood† she claimed. â€Å"Whenever I see someone who is perceived to be more attractive than me, it does, in fact, put me in a bad mood and leave me feeling negative about myself.† So, in fact, it is true, when going on any type of social media and seeing someone who is somewhat perceived as better looking than you, it does leave you feeling negative about yourself.  Ã‚  Although, social media may be damaging to us teens or adults, in recent years has become a threat towards the younger generations. With kids being as young as 7, using social media platforms, being exposed to how bad social media has become.  Ã‚  The bottom line is what researchers themselves been saying for a while now. Social media and spending long periods of time on it is just not mentally or emotionally good for us. And the use of social media can lead to serious mental illnesses in the long run. So why are we associating with something that can potentially ruin or even kill us in the long run?