As Covid-19 has created countless problems across the globe, an unseen disease has further spread alongside it, social media. Due to the pandemic, there has been an increase of social media use among adults and teenagers alike. Along with this increase, comes many effects on society, including an uptick in mental health problems.

As expected, the covid-19 pandemic currently ravaging countless countries, has also caused an increase in social media usage. Since many people around the world have been forced to isolate themselves from others, they have often turned to social media for connectivity and entertainment. Specifically, 72 percent of surveyed people living in North America shared that they believed their consumption of social media has increased due to the virus. What these users don’t realize is the negative effects that often come along with using these platforms.

Although the connectivity social media provides could be perceived as a positive, the negative effects far outweigh the usefulness of the platforms. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Biotechnology Information, an increase of social media tended to be associated with poor mental health among Americans. Specifically, during this pandemic, the increased usage of social media also increased the consumption of news via social media. This exposed users to often uncredible and generally negative news reporting, causing an increase in depression rates. The negative mental health effects of social media like anxiety, depression, decreased productivity, as well as many other problems, have clearly been exacerbated by the isolation and general effect of the pandemic.

It’s clear that these seemingly harmless media platforms have intensified numerous problems among their users. As time progresses, these issues will only get worse. Social media platforms are designed to be addictive. Like a slot machine, users don’t know what the result will be when they open the app. They have no way of knowing what posts they will see or how many likes they might have received. This unpredictability draws in users until they become addicted to the platforms. Due to this addiction, after the pandemic, this increase in usage is likely to continue. After allowing themselves to spend huge amounts of time on these applications for such a long period of time, many could find it difficult to begin rationing their time again. This increase of usage will only worsen the negative effects associated with social media as well. Studies have shown that the excessive use of social media fuels feelings of stress, anxiety, isolation, and inadequacy as well as increases the risk of self-harm and suicidal thoughts. As the isolation and social distancing caused by the pandemic has already caused a 30 percent increase in the average number of hours spent using technology per day, clearly this problem is only becoming more severe.

Along with mental health, the increase of social media use has caused worsening political polarization in America. Even more than most other news reporting, social media tends to deliver extremely partisan news. Consumers receive very one-sided information when they are looking to learn about current events. Most, 62 percent, of Americans have also said they felt these companies have far too much control over the mix of information viewed by their users. As well as Partisan reporting, the increase in social media usage has also triggered a rise in fake news. Studies have shown that false information on Twitter is 70 percent more likely to be retweeted than facts. For both of these reasons, political polarization has become a massive problem in our country. 

As Covid-19 has vastly increased the amount of time people spend on social media, it’s important to note the consequences these platforms have. Whether it’s political polarization or the suffering mental health of 80 percent of the U.S. population, the effects are entirely detrimental.

Image courtesy of Lin Shao-hua https://parentology.com/study-reveals-surprising-new-link-between-social-media-and-teen-depression/