What the experts say II

About social media 

What do the scientists say about the most used “communicating“ platforms?  

 

I will start with Facebook. The longest „living“ platform. Every new post releases cortisol, and this deregulates our immune system and inhibits the release of the growth hormone (Rathi, 2014). This network also decreases our communication skills in real life. Taking a break from Facebook has positive effects on the two dimensions of well-being: our life satisfaction and our emotions become more postive (Tromholt, 2016).

 

Instagram broadcasting is associated with higher lonelines. The usage leads to anxiety, depression, low self esteem, bullying, FOMO (fear of missing out syndrome), it also worsens your sleep and in the worst case it can lead to self-harm and suicide. A 2021 study made by Molly Callahan says: “Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse.“

 

The third app is Snapchat. Builds up competition and insecurity. People think it is about "us and friends" but no, it is about "us and our best image". BJ Foster from Allprodad non-profit organization researched that: “Teens on Snapchat become emboldened to post more risque pictures of themselves.“ 

 

The last one I will mention is the one considered being the worst social media app, Twitter. Fake news on Twitter spreads six times faster than true news (Harris, 2020). What is the actual point of this service? Should it be a daily based blog for an American president? Or a diary for crying teenagers about their love life? It is full of hate and I do not think we need more of it in our lives.

https://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2014/08/28/facebook-is-bad-for-you-and-giving-up-using-it-will-make-you-happier/

https://www.abingtonhealth.org/healthy-living/health-news/library/articles-related-to-general-health/are-instagram-and-other-social-media-bad-for-your-teens-mental-h/

https://www.allprodad.com/dangers-of-snapchat/