Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
CARAGA Administrative Region
Bislig City Division
Bislig City National High School
Effects of Social Media on One’s Mental Health
Researchers :
Calape, Nicole, D.
Feliscuzo, Julia Marie, S.
Mosende, Vanjoker, V.
Teresa May A. Mundiz
Research Adviser
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Now a day’s which is really available through the advancement of technology, thereby
opening a platform for discussion between social media and mental health of present era from
the dawn of internet and social networking sites human resources of contemporary world have
become social virtually but less practically. This virtual life is isolating present man from other
fellow beings thereby affecting the health (mental&physical) and overall balance. Increase usage
of social networking among adults of the present era is a matterof concern for the parents,
society and researchers, as there are always two sides (positive&negative) of every innovation.
The excessive usage of social media has become a growing phenomenon and
controversial issue. People have become addicted to the various social media platforms,
particularly Facebook (Andreassen,Torsheim, Brunborg,&Pallesen, 2010).Scientific
evidence suggest that heavy usage of social network sites can lead to symptoms of
substance-related addictions including: salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal,
relapse, and problems with behavioral addictions (Kuss & Griffiths, 2017). With the
emergence and rapid prominence of social media, it is vital to understand the impact it has
on active user’s mental health and relationships. Individuals are so caught up and amazed
with tweets, likes, and shares, that they have overlooked the influence social media has on
shaping and reshaping society. They have ignored the addictive aspects of social media
usage and its impact on actions, thoughts, confidence, and security (Phoon,
2017). Numerous studies have identified linkages between social media use and negative
outcomes such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, compulsive behavior, and narcissism
(Strickland, 2014). Researchers found that extensive usage of the Internet was associated
with increases in depression and loneliness as well as lower levels of communication within
households (Kraut et al., 1998).
Social media is a potentially useful tool used by practitioners to engage and access
unreachable populations to bring mental health awareness, education, and support to those
suffering from severe mental health illnesses (Naslund & Riefer, 2018). Mental health
practitioners can utilize social media to raise awareness about risks such as privacy, safety,
cyberbullying, stigma, and discrimination (Naslund et al., 2017). Grove (2019) also found that
social media could serve as a tool by family members seeking information to gain more
education about a loved one mental illness.
Human beings are social creatures that requires of companionship of others to make a
progress in life. Thus, being socially connected with other people can relieve stress, anxiety, and
sadness, but lack of social connection can pose serious risks to mental health. Social media has
recently become part of people’s daily activities ; many of them spend hours each day on
Messenger, Instagram, Facebook, and other popular social media. Thus, many researchers and
scholars study the effects of social media and applications on various aspects of people’s lives.
Statement of the Problem
It is clear that most of our youths, especially undergraduate students have lost their control
over social media usage begun having problems with their functionality in social, vocational and
personal circles as the internet has taken over total control of their lives. They have given the
social networking media the indescribable power over their sense of decision and focus. This has
influenced to a great extent what and who they connect with, what they look at and the measures
of their decision making process.
1. What is driving one to use social media?
2. What are the negative aspects of social media on one’s mental health?
3. What are the positive aspects of social media on one’s mental health?
Scope and Delimitations
Given the prevalence of social media use, it is vital to understand the effects it plays on
mental health. The purpose of this study was to shed light and better understand how frequent
social media usage can affect mental health. The individuals who are involved in using social
media is included in the study. Youth are the most active users in social media and they’re the
common one who experienced mental health issues and in our study it will be conduct at Bislig
City National High School on the Second Semester of Senior High School students. The method
that will be use is interviewing the participants who met the following criteria: 18 and over,
residing in Bislig City, and current social media user. Three (3) participants is enough for our
study. Particularly, this study focus on how the social media use affect the individuals’ mental
health.
Significance of the Study
Social media use is dominating people’s lives and attention. Research and evidence
suggest that social media usage, particularly heavy use, is linked to depression and various
other negative side effects (Rohilla & Kumar, 2015). Some argue that it is changing active
user’s brain chemistry and reshaping their relationships. Dr. Siegal, a professor who
specializes in psychiatry, revealed that social media physiologically rewires the human
brain. He believed that social media is replacing the time for face-to-face interactions and
communication (Gmose, 2014).
Social media can serve as an outlet for individuals to develop and begin
relationships, but it can also aid in ending relationships. Many report feeling disconnected
from friends and family due to the lack of interaction with them in person. Social media
affects active user’s romantic relationships and their relationship satisfaction. Jealousy and
partner surveillance can result in partners not getting along and relationship dissatisfaction,
which then can result in users developing physical and mental concerns (Farrugia, 2013).
This study examined the relationship between social media and mental health of active
users. The researcher explored the negative impacts of social media on mental and
psychological well-being and wellness.
Definition of Terms
The following terms are operationally defined in the present study:
Social media – This refers in the study as a useful tool that may impact one’s mental health
positively and negatively.
Mental health – This refers in the study as a person’s condition with regard to their
psychological and emotional well-being.
Effects – This refers in the study as the consequence or outcome of using the social media.
Impact – This refers in the study as the influence of the social media that affect one’s mental
health.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Social media is a new study that is rapidly growing and gaining popularity. Thus, there
are many unexplored and unexpected constructive answers associated with it. Lately, studies
have found that using social media platforms can have a detrimental effect on the psychological
health of its users. However, the extent to which the use of social media impacts the public is yet
to be determined. This systematic review has found that social media envy can affect the level of
anxiety and depression in individuals. In addition, other potential causes of anxiety and
depression have been identified, which require further exploration.
This study has attempted to systematically analyzed the existing literature on the effect of
social media use on mental health, this review found a general association between social media
use and mental health issues. Ashford (2017) found that individuals may experience feelings of
social isolation, depression, insecurity, jealousy, and poor self-esteem while using social media.
Some individuals develop cognitive distortions when comparing their lives to other users’
content, which may lead to feelings of sadness and depression (Ashford, 2017). Some examples
include comparing users’ number of likes and followers, feeling left out for not being invited to
events, and comparing grandiosity pictures to one’s photos. Some teens experience anxiety from
social media related to fear of loss, which cause teens to try respond and check all their friends’
messages and message on a regular basis. As a result, social media has a higher rate of affecting
vulnerable populations, like those who suffer from mental health diagnosis and have the potential
to cause mental health symptoms to surface. In today’s world, anxiety is one of the basic mental
health problems, people liked and commented on their uploaded photos and videos. In today’s
age, everyone is immune to social media context. On the contrary, depression is one of the
unintended significances on unnecessary use of social media. In detail, depression is limited not
only to Facebook but also to other social networking sites, which causes psychological problems.
A new study found that individuals who are involved in social media, games, texts, mobile
phones,[Link] more likely to experience depression. The other social media that causes
depression is sexual fun. The intimacy fun happens when social media promotes putting on a
facade that highlights the fun and excitement but does not tell us much about where we are
struggling in our daily lives at a deeper level. Another study revealed that depression and time
spent on Facebook by adolescents are positively correlated. More importantly, symptoms of
major depression have been found among the individuals who spent most of their time in online
activities and performing image management on social networking sites.
The importance of such findings is to facilitate further research on social media and
menta health. The information obtained from this study can be helpful not onlly to medica
professionals but also to social science research. The findings of this study suggest potential
causal factors from social media can be considered when cooperatings with patients who have
been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Meanwhile, with social media being universal,
access to anyone around the world has become unlimited. While social media has brought new
ways of communication, new opportunities for bullying have also emerged, such as
cyberbullying. Also, if the results from this study were used to explore more relationships with
another construct, this could potentially enhance the findings to reduce anxiety and depression
rates and prevent suicide rates from occuring.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This qualitative study utilized through online interview to the participants. Online
interview assisted in capturing the usage of social media, mental health status and relationship
satisfaction. Online interview are beneficial as they are standardized, and participants can partake
when it is convenient for them. This chosen method requires minimal cost and time. Online
interview assist in gathering and collecting data from a structured interview.
Participants were presented with the consent form, which required acceptance of
conditions to continue. The first several questions of the interview were geared towards
demographics, relationship status, and social media usage habits. These included questions on
age, residence, relationship status, social media use. Questions such as are you over the age of
18? Are you currently in a relationship? How many times per week do you use your social
media? How many hours of the day do you use your social media accounts? The questions will
be sent through the Google Form Interview and the participants will answer it to the provided
link.