I promised myself five minutes on my phone. But when I checked the time, it was late, and the sun was setting. What I thought was some harmless screentime turned into hours wasted staring at my phone.
As concerning as this may feel, the experience is common in this age. Technology is all around us, but it is impacting our wellbeing more than we realize. While the term technology is broad and has a range of implications, the use of social media specifically has caused the biggest social impact.
The use of social media is multifaceted. In some ways the ease of mass communication has advanced society, yet many social and emotional complications are tied to it.
Even though there are obvious benefits to social media, we cannot ignore its relation to the mental health crisis we are currently facing. According to Gallup news, depression rates among 18–29-year-olds have increased 14% since 2017, which coincides with the increased use of social media.
The concerning spike in depression is not a mystery, but the answer is right in front of our eyes. According to Harmony Healthcare IT, Gen Z spends an average of six hours on their phone every day. Doing anything for six hours each day will impact one’s well being and lifestyle. But the long-term impact of social media has been purely negative.
Once we open our phones, our brains are overstimulated with information. Different opinions, events and trends flood our screen immediately. Never has such a large population had access to information about everything going on in the world. A person can learn about US politics, world hunger, the next celebrity being cancelled, and climate change all within five minutes.
Information overload has played a significant role in the recent spike of mental disorders. GoodRx found “Digital overload can lead to negative consequences like irritability, difficulty sleeping, depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure.”
Humans are not hardwired to feel these many emotions in such a short time. The body does not know how to react, so it begins to shut down. The irony of using social media to relax from a hard day is significant, because arguably it easily worsens a bad day quickly. Yet, we convince ourselves that it is healthy. It should not be normal to feel more depressed and anxious after attempting to unwind.
