Reflective Essay on the use of Social media
Question 1
After reading Jessica Brown’s article “What the Science Suggests so far about the impact of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram on your mental well-being,” I learned that social media has a significant impact on our lives as users. I realized that frequent usage of social media could lead to addiction, where Jessica Brown states that “social media addiction would be classified as a type of internet addiction- and that is a classified disorder (Brown, 2020). I also noticed that people tend to interact less physically as they spend most of their time online, which is a sign of addiction. From Brown’s work, I learned that excessive usage of social media is linked to relationship problems, less participation in offline communities, and worse performances in different fields such as academics. I agree with Brown’s take on the issue because one of my friends finds it hard to relate with people physically but is always happy when using his phone online. He once lost his phone and almost got into depression due to getting bored.
Additionally, I also learned that social media could either cause or relieve stress on different users (mostly females), depending on the feedback they get online. Brown highlights that individuals use social media to vent about personal events in their lives, but the feedback from other users resembles an endless stream of stress (Brown, 2020). I have realized that social media influences the lives of users because they often copy the lifestyles of their colleagues. Users, mostly women, admire the lives portrayed by their counterparts; hence, they get stressed if they feel unworthy or lesser to others. I also noted that individuals might get trolled on social media platforms contributing to their stress by feeling unworthy. I also learned that social media, on the other hand, acts as a stress reliever for some individuals who seek help online from experts or people experiencing the same problem. Brown’s analysis of social media and stress is accurate because I watched a documentary on a local channel, where different individuals shared both good and bad online experiences that either contributed to or relieved stress.
Furthermore, if I were to write a similar report to that of Jessica Brown, I would use most of the topics she used and add some more because she brought out most of the vital themes regarding the use of social media. I would ensure that I analyze the topics of addiction, stress, Relationship, self-esteem, and depression because I relate to different situations I have witnessed in life. I would also include the issue of knowledge and brain development. Social media platforms are used by diverse individuals and organizations such as government, institutions, and companies. These individuals and organizations share different information such as hospitals sharing information about a disease. This shared information helps in the brain development of people, especially those looking for knowledge online.
Moreover, I would also include the topic of humanity because it has unfolded several social media platforms. Tolerance is one of the themes that is brought out across all social media platforms. I feel that people across the world have changed their perception of things such as racism because these platforms bring people together by eliminating different perceptions of specific people or groups of people. I have, on several occasions, read posts by people confessing of their perception changes regarding different individuals, thus creating a society driven by humanity. I have also witnessed social media users organize live changing events such as creating ethical awareness, contributing towards disasters such as hunger, and encouraging fellow users not to give up in times of disparity (Brown, 2020). The theme of humans is, therefore, significant in the topic of social media and human mental-health.
On the other hand, I picked Chris Stokel- Walker’s article “How China’s hyper-professionalized market could be a model elsewhere.” As one of the sources hyperlinked by Jessica brown in her report. I learned from reading the article that social media platforms are not only used for having fun and sharing life encounters, but also for business purposes such as marketing. Chris highlights the story of a girl in China named Zhang “BB” Xi, who, in her early twenties, had more than three hundred thousand followers across all her social media platforms (Stokel-Walker, 2020). She was scouted by a talent scout team from Ruhnn Holding, a key influencer management company in China, for an online marketing job. Before she lands the job, she has to undergo a battery of tests together with the other chosen candidates.
The first argument I learn from the article is that the chosen candidates have to undergo a survival for the fittest test, where between five to ten of the best candidates are chosen (Stokel-Walker, 2020). I realized that the chosen individuals do everything on their social media platforms to ensure that they lure the right customers for the products they advertise. I understood that the theme of survival for the fittest is bad for the candidates because too much competition can negatively affect our thinking. I also learned how advertisements through social media platforms had become a business not only in China but also to the rest of the world. I support Jessica Brown for drawing upon this source because it has many articles bearing vital information that is accurate, as most of it is derived from actual research.
Question 2
Naslund, J. A., Aschbrenner, K. A., Marsch, L. A., & Bartels, S. J. (2016). The future of mental health care: peer-to-peer support and social media. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 25(2), 113-122.
The authors at Cambridge University explore the possibility of social media platforms being used as treatment platforms for mental illnesses. The authors explore the possible methods of treatment, such as sharing the problem with peer groups for peer to peer support (Naslund, Aschbrenner, and Marsch, 2016). I realized that the authors’ results indicated that individuals with serious mental health problems enjoy connecting with similar others online for comfort. I recommend this source because it directly explores the relationship between social media platforms and mental health.
References
Brown, J. (2020). Is social media bad for you? The evidence and the unknowns. Retrieved 19 April 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns
Naslund, J. A., Aschbrenner, K. A., Marsch, L. A., & Bartels, S. J. (2016). The future of mental health care: peer-to-peer support and social media. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 25(2), 113-122.
Stokel-Walker, C. (2020). China’s influencer incubator. Retrieved 19 April 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190621-chinas-influencer-incubator