Social Media and Our Health
Social Media
Our daily lives are surrounded by social media. Whether its TV ads that encourage you to like a place’s Facebook page or a famous celebrity posting a new selfie that got everyone talking. It all thanks to social media. This kind of new technology plays a role in modern life and our health as well. An article published by Medical News Today explores how modern life affects our physical and metal life.
I have summed up in a few paragraphs the main points of this article to share with you.
The American Psychological Association’s Stress in America Survey 2017 shows that:
- 99% of adults own an electronic device
- around 86% own a computer
- 74% own a smartphone
- 55% own a tablet
The same survey also notes that between the years of 2005 and 2015 the percentage of adults using social media boomed from a little 7% to a great 65%, with usage rates of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 increased from 12% to 90% in that period.
Teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 have shifted their preferred social media platforms to Snapchat and Instagram.
Key findings from the same study:
- 75% teens use Instagram
- 75% use Snapchat
- 66% use Facebook
- 47% use Twitter
- <30% use Tumblr, Twitch or LinkedIn
- 91% teens
The Constant Checker
According to Medical News Today, a constant checker is a person who constantly, almost obsessively, checks their emails, texts, and social media accounts. This is found in 43% of Americans.
42% of constant checkers worry about the effects of social media on their physical and mental health, compared with 27% of non-constant checkers.
Social Media and Happiness
A study on the friendship paradox concluded the following.
Most people are less popular than their friends on social media, which may lead to reduced happiness.
This study suggests that happiness is correlated with popularity, and also that the majority of people on social networks aren’t as happy as their friends due to this correlation between friendship and popularity.
Happy social media users may think their friends are more popular and slightly happier than they are – and unhappy social media users will likely have unhappy friends who still seem happier and more popular than they are on average. – Prof Bollen.
To read more on the complete article click here.