HOW DOES THE RISE IN SOCIAL MEDIA USERS AND THE INTRODUCTION OF ALGORITHMS EFFECT SOCIETY’S MENTAL HEALTH AND PERCEPTION OF LIFE?

WRITTEN BY LUCY B

For my project, I have chosen the topic of the impact of technology on society’s views and mental health For years technology has been evolving in our world and it now dominates our everyday lives, whether it’s through social media, research for school, or watching television with family. In my project, I hope to look at the physical evidence of how tech has impacted and is currently affecting society’s mental health by looking into facts and statistics. I will delve into the increase of tech use in recent years and compare this with the rise in mental health issues to show the correlation. I plan to explore the way that people present themselves online and its impact on the public; more specifically, I will explore the idea of the ‘perfect body; which is shown online and the idea of having to conform to certain standards which then results in mental health issues such as eating disorders and alters how people view themselves. I hope to look at how algorithms on social platforms affect the content we view and the impact that has. I will discuss how algorithms can limit an individual’s views on subjects by exploring the ideas of echo chambers online. I also plan to explain how algorithms can worsen people’s mental state when they are already struggling as well as how algorithms cause this bad mental health in the first place. I chose to look at this sector because it is a prominent point in modern day life and something which I feel needs to be explored. Technology affects us constantly and my hope is that this project allows me to explore multiple aspects of this. Furthermore, the topic of technology has always interested me, and I am intrigued about the reaction of society to new concepts and how we adjust ourselves to the constant developments of our world, which is ultimately why I chose this to be the topic of my project.

aspects However, it has also manifested its way into being a seemingly indispensable part of our social lives, which therefore also contributes to the surge in consumption This increase has been both a blessing and burden to our society but either way has become an essential for our modern-day world

Have mental health issues become more common since the introduction of technology to society?

Mental health issues have been a rising rapidly in recent decades and are now finally beginning to have the discussion around them that has been needed Technology affects every user ’ s mental health, whether it’s positive or negative and the impacts have been huge In a paper published by the American Psychological Association, a National Survey was conducted, which looked at responses from over 600,000 people aged 12 and over between 2005 and 2017 It found that the number of individuals suffering depression in the last twelve months “increased 52 percent in adolescents from 2005 to 2017” but there was “ no significant increase in the percentage of older adults experiencing depression or psychological distress during corresponding time periods” (apa org – accessed 2019, ‘Mental Health Issues Increased Significantly in Young Adults Over Last Decade’ ) This presents the correlation between the known increase in social media in young people and the increased rates of depression due to it showing that as social media use has increased, so have the rates of mental health issues (and the older generations, who are not social media users, were therefore not affected ) It shows that mental health issues have become more common since the introduction of technology and the large extent of impact that it has Additionally, in 2010 it was reported that there was “970 million” social media users and by 2015, this number sat at “2 07 billion”

(backlink com – accessed 2021, ‘Social Network Usage & Growth Statistics: How Many People Use Social Media in 2022?’)

To show the link between this surge in social media users and the surge in mental health issues, I found a 2017 study in the U S, of 8th to 12th grade students which found that between this same time period of 2010 and 2015 the “suicide rate for girls in this age group increased by 65%” and “that high levels of depressive symptoms increased by 33%” (etactics com –accessed 2020, ‘40+ Frightening Social Media and Mental Health Statistics’) which further highlights the relationship between mental health issues and social media use By comparing these two studies from the same time frames, it illustrates the direct link between these two subjects and demonstrates that psychological issues such as anxiety and depression have become increasingly common since technology, in the form of social media, has increased in use. The 2020 documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’ is focused on the dangerous impact of social networking and how it nurtures the addiction to maximise profit and is a breeding ground for mental health issues In the documentary, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt analysed the change in hospital admissions for self-harm He explains that since social media became accessible on mobiles in 2009, these hospitals admissions have “been up 189% for the pre-teen girls ” He bluntly points out this significant increase to, once again, show the direct correlation between the commonality of psychological issues and rise in platforms such as social media This correlation is shown due to the statistics blatantly show that social media has been damaging for the public’s mental health as the known increase in social media usage aligns with the increase in issues such as suicide, depression, anxiety, and more.

Additionally, in the TED Talk ‘Why our screens make us less happy’ by Adam Alter, he talks about the public taking the amazing tool that is technology but using it in the wrong way. Alter encourages that the public should ask themselves “How enriching are the apps that we ' re using?” because some of them are enriching –“ apps that focus on relaxation, exercise, weather, reading, education and health ” And people say they spend “ an average of nine minutes a day on each of these ” But when talking about apps such as dating, social networking, gaming, entertainment, and web browsing he says that “About half the people, when you interrupt them and say, "How do you feel?" say they don't feel good about using them ” But people averagely “spend 27 minutes a day on each of these ” Alter goes on to highlight that we as consumers are spending “three times longer on the apps that don't make us happy” which accentuates his point that the addiction of pessimistic platforms is directly attacking people’s happiness His talk backs up that society’s use of technology, in many different forms, is responsible for much of how we think and often creates many of the negative thoughts in our heads The increase in technology and social media has clear links to the increase in the rates of depression, anxiety and even suicide These statistics present the direct link between the use of technology via social media platforms and the rapidly declining mental state of young people The platforms were initially created to be a form of socialising and connecting but many have become an unhealthy environment The data I have explored shows how the introduction of social media and technology has made mental health issues much more common in society and therefore, technology in the form of social media has dragged down the mental wellbeing of the public.

What is the idea of the ‘accepted’ body online and how does it pressure society?

Online, we often see the same body types in the media which are repeatedly shown as admirable and ‘perfect’ Over the years, the constant implementation of the desired body in the media and social media has been detrimental to the public and the evidence shown the through studies and surveys proves the damaging effect of the idea of needing to have the ideal body Before phones and social media, there was already the TV which spread these toxic messages In the 90’s, obesity increased massively worldwide and as an attempt to combat this, campaigns/adverts were shown across TV screens But at the same time, images of unhealthily skinny models were also broadcast. This decade created segregation between the larger and smaller bodies by presenting one as ‘right’ and the other as ‘ wrong ’ During the 1990’s, “anorexia nervosa was associated with the highest rate of mortality among all mental disorders” (edition cnn com – accessed 2018, ‘The history of the ‘ideal’ woman and where it has left us ’) which presents how the unhealthy images projected online put a pressure on society and resulted in mental health issues like anorexia In the 2000’s, a study found that the “peak age of onset for an eating disorder was during adolescence” and that “between 1999 and 2006, hospitalisations for eating disorders in the US spiked 119% among children under 12 ” (edition cnn com – accessed 2018, ‘The history of the ‘ideal’ woman and where it has left us ’)

These figures show that the way that the ‘perfect body’ has manifested it’s way in society’s mental health is through issues such as eating disorders like anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia and more They also show how it has altered the public’s views on themselves, for example, the issue of body dysmorphia Furthermore, I conducted a surveyi at my school which focused on multiple aspects of technology’s impact The use of this survey provides a truly authentic and realistic view about how people in everyday life are affected, it provides a human aspect rather than just numbers and figures In this survey, I found that 100% of respondents agreed that “there is an unrealistic lifestyle or particular body type that is presented online.” This strongly presents that even though we as a society are aware of the fake and damaging images projected online, it doesn’t change the fact that this is the content that we as consumers are constantly being fed Though people are aware of the construct of the ‘accepted body’, it doesn’t remove much of the pressure that society feels, and the survey shows this awareness. Although more people are now aware of what’s going on, our unconscious minds are still absorbing every standardised photo This then manifests its way to becoming part of how we think and the level that we hold ourselves to Technology has broadcasted body stereotypes for decades which in turn, has largely impacted the mindset of many members of the public

People with societal power often all have the same ‘perfect’ body type and diet which forms a standard which everybody then feels they must conform to These are people such as celebrities or social media influencers For example, if a youtuber posts a ‘what I eat in a day’ style video, they are often filled with ‘healthy’ foods and don’t include the realistic side of their diets. It’s human nature to compare yourself to others, and by seeing this person that you idealise have a seemingly ‘perfect’ diet, it may cause the individual to compare and judge themselves Though society is developing, there are still judgments and preconceptions made due to having a larger or smaller body This is consequent to decades of TV and the media enforcing that to be accepted, you have to look a certain way. This message is engrained into society and technology has helped to spread these narratives

What is the effect of algorithms on the public and their mental health?

Since their introduction in 2007, algorithms have become a key part of online life, but not without controversy They are a tool which are now widespread in use for all social media platforms and have been shown to be damaging to people’s mental health and also alter their views But, there are advantages to algorithms, such as increasing the likelihood that you see relevant content and providing you a personalised experience on the platform In the surveyii I conducted, part of it surrounded the theme of algorithms and the content which the respondents consumed. Through this, I found that “63 6% of respondents agreed that the content that's recommended and they view is stuff that they want to see ” This shows how algorithms effect the public in everyday life and how they are seemingly positive for society

However, many argue that algorithms are damaging to consumers ’ mental health If a user is liking negative comments/posts then the algorithm will show more of these Although technology is smart, the algorithm cannot differentiate between positive/helpful and negative/harmful content, all it knows is what’s related This creates a snowball effect as liking a post turns into a continued feed of the upsetting content. A microclimate of negativity is created within that user ’ s account and headspace Online addiction is another issue that’s harmful to user ’ s mental wellbeing; Forbes found that “the average 16-24 year old spends three and a half hours every day looking at content such as clickbait articles or scrolling without a purpose ” (amplimark com – accessed 2021, ‘Pros and Cons of the Social Media Algorithm Age’). This shows that the more addicted and reliant people become on the fulfilment of social media, the less they feel the fulfilment of real-life interaction This is what leads to issues such as social anxiety or depression as people begin to feel less and less fulfilled A 2015 study showed that “those in the highest quartile of SMU (social media use) frequency had more than three times the odds of having greater PSI (perceived social isolation)” (science direct.com – accessed 2017, ‘Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U S) which presents how the addiction caused by algorithms directly correlates to mental health issues such as depressive symptoms as it shows that the people who used social media more were shown to feel more isolated and show depressive symptoms

To conclude, technology and social media impacts society’s mental health and views to a very large and damaging extent Social media is the root of the issue but of course the widespread increase of technology/devices has amplified these problems on a level that has never been achieved before Toxic messages and unrealistic standards have become unconsciously implanted into the public’s everyday living and have been detrimental to the mental health of adolescents especially Their developing minds are highly vulnerable and susceptible to accepting these false narratives which leads to a pandemic of mental health issues This project has really made me consider my own actions online and self-reflect on what exactly it is that I am allowing my mind to process. Through exploring the aspect of specific problems such as body image and self-esteem, we can see the effect of our own acts on those around us as well as how we ourselves are being affected Researching into algorithms has also shown how these online tools which were created to be beneficial, have also had a spiral of negative effects which shouldn’t be allowed Looking at these three particular features has clearly illustrated the large extent in which technology and social media has been deleterious to the mental health of the public and harmfully altered people’s views on both themselves and those around them Considering all these points, it’s clear that technology has broken society much more than it has built it