In this sense, The Social Dilemma presents an over-sensationalized generalization of social media’s negative impact when its relationship with mental health is actually more nuanced. In an increasingly digitized world, and particularly now as we are social distancing, social media has become a vital lifeline to stay connected, and its use will likely increase in the future.
That said, while they cannot be held solely responsible for poor mental health across the board, these platforms can have a negative impact on those with preexisting vulnerabilities and particularly those with body-image issues. So how can we protect ourselves and those most vulnerable from the negative impact of these platforms?
Remaining in Control
“Remember you are in control of how you use social media, how long you spend [on it], and what you consume and engage with,” says Craddock. Increasing our media literacy, raising awareness of how we use social media and how it operates, and curating our feeds around positive content are all strategies we can use to protect our mental well-being. “If you’re conscious that each of us is accessing a version of social media that has been curated to drive us to take particular actions, you can upset these algorithms by actively seeking alternative sources of news, following people and brands you wouldn’t usually,” explains Goldstaub. “You have a lot more power over the algorithms than you think—don’t let your bubble define you.”
Ultimately, though, action needs to be taken at a legislative level. What The Social Dilemma gets right is its call for change. As Harris notes toward the end of the film, as it currently stands, social-media companies believe they can fix the problems they’ve created with more data and algorithms. But what these companies really need is to have increased regulation and enforced laws around how they use their technology so that they operate more ethically, promoting positive behaviors and mental well-being over negative ones.
At the same time, we should be wary of scaremongering and clickbait articles on how social media is affecting our mental health (which you’re ironically probably reading after someone shared it on social media). Focusing solely on social media as the root cause of mental illness and creating panic around it can result in, as Marsden argues, “shifting the focus away from the long list of underlying causes of mental ill-health, such as major adverse life events, abuse, conflict, poverty, inequality, lack of life chances, and substance abuse.”
And until we address those, the effects of social media on our mental health are much less significant. Marsden concludes: “Perhaps social media is in fact a mirror that reflects the good and bad in society. Let us not mistake the reflection for the cause.”
"Media" - Google News
October 06, 2020 at 02:06AM
https://ift.tt/2I2NwHP
How Social Media Is Affecting Our Mental Health, According to Top Experts - Vogue
"Media" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ybSA8a
https://ift.tt/2WhuDnP
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "How Social Media Is Affecting Our Mental Health, According to Top Experts - Vogue"
Post a Comment