Social Media and Mental Health

Mental Health Collaborative, Inc

27 Nov 202005:15

Summary

TLDRThis script from the 'Help Yourself and Others with Mental Health Collaborative' series discusses the impact of social media on mental health. It highlights how excessive use can increase loneliness and decrease the quality of real-life interactions. The video suggests strategies for healthy social media use, such as setting time limits, curating feeds, and being present in conversations. It also emphasizes the importance of engaging with positive content to mitigate the negative effects of 'doom-scrolling' and maintaining a balanced approach to social media.

Takeaways

📱 Social media is designed to connect us, but excessive use can damage relationships and increase loneliness.
🔍 Research indicates that having a smartphone in view can reduce empathy and lower conversation quality.
⏳ Spending over two hours daily on social media can heighten feelings of loneliness, especially if used as an avoidance of social interaction.
🔗 Social media can decrease loneliness when used to foster deeper connections, such as through support groups or engaging in meaningful conversations.
🚫 The phenomenon of 'fubbing'—using social media during social interactions—can lead to missed opportunities for real connections.
🌐 Social media can provide support and connect us with distant friends and family, and even facilitate positive change.
📉 Negative content and 'doom-scrolling' can be detrimental to mental health, causing feelings of powerlessness and increasing depression and anxiety.
🆚 Comparing ourselves to others' highlight reels on social media can harm self-esteem and leave lasting negative impressions.
🚨 It's crucial to be mindful of our social media usage, as these platforms are designed to be addictive and can negatively impact our mental health.
🛑 To maximize benefits and minimize harm, establish healthy boundaries with social media, such as setting time limits, reducing app usage, curating feeds, and being device-free during important interactions.

Q & A

What is the common issue people face when they pick up their phones for a quick task but end up scrolling on social media?
-People often intend to use their phones for a brief task but find themselves scrolling through social media feeds for extended periods, which can lead to increased feelings of loneliness and negatively impact relationships.
How does having a smartphone in view affect empathic concern and conversation quality?
-Studies suggest that even the presence of a smartphone can lessen empathic concern for others and lower the quality of conversations.
What is the impact of spending two or more hours a day on social media?
-Spending two or more hours daily on social media can increase feelings of loneliness, especially if it's used as a means to avoid social interaction.
What is 'fubbing' and how does it affect social interactions?
-Fubbing refers to the act of using social media to avoid face-to-face interaction, which can lead to missed opportunities for real connection and can be disheartening and isolating.
How can social media be beneficial in connecting people during times of need?
-Social media can connect people in need of support, such as through grief support pages or groups for those with rare diseases, and it enables communication with distant friends and family.
What is 'doom-scrolling' and why is it harmful to mental health?
-Doom-scrolling is the practice of endlessly looking through negative news, which can overestimate the prevalence of bad events, induce feelings of powerlessness, and increase depression and anxiety.
Why does comparing ourselves to others' highlight reels on social media affect our self-esteem?
-Comparing ourselves to the curated highlight reels of others on social media can lead to feelings of inadequacy and damage self-esteem, as it creates a false perception of others' constant happiness and success.
How are social media platforms designed to influence user behavior?
-Social media platforms are designed to be addictive, profiting from the time users spend on them, and often include features that encourage constant checking for updates.
What strategies can be employed to create healthy boundaries around social media use?
-Creating healthy boundaries includes setting time limits on apps, deleting apps from phones and accessing them only at predetermined times, narrowing down the social media feed to focus on close connections, and keeping devices out of sight during work or conversations.
How does the Mental Health Collaborative aim to reduce stigma and improve mental health treatment?
-The Mental Health Collaborative is committed to providing education and increasing awareness about mental health to reduce stigma, helping people learn when and where to seek help, and what to expect from treatment.

Outlines

00:00

📱 Healthy Social Media Use

This paragraph discusses the impact of social media on mental health and relationships. It highlights how social media, while designed for connection, can sometimes lead to loneliness and decreased empathy. Studies show that excessive use can increase feelings of isolation, but using social media to connect on a deeper level can be beneficial. The concept of 'fubbing' is introduced, where people use their phones to avoid social interaction. The paragraph also touches on the positive aspects of social media, such as providing support and spreading awareness. It emphasizes the importance of being mindful of our social media consumption and suggests strategies for creating healthy boundaries, like setting time limits and being present during conversations.

05:02

🤔 Reflecting on Social Media's Role

The second paragraph is very brief and only contains the word 'you,' which does not provide enough context or content for a detailed summary. It seems to be an incomplete thought or possibly an error in the script. It might be intended to prompt reflection on the viewer's personal social media habits or to encourage them to consider their own experiences with the points discussed in the previous paragraph.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Social Media

Social media refers to digital platforms and applications that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking. In the context of the video, it is highlighted as both a tool for connection and a potential source of negative impact on mental health. The script discusses how excessive use can increase loneliness and decrease the quality of real-life interactions.

💡Mental Health

Mental health encompasses a person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and can determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. The video emphasizes the importance of maintaining good mental health and how the use of social media can either positively or negatively influence it.

💡Loneliness

Loneliness is a subjective feeling of sadness or emptiness due to a lack of social connections. The script mentions that spending two or more hours a day on social media can increase feelings of loneliness, especially if it is used as a means to avoid social interaction, rather than to foster deeper connections.

💡Fubbing

Fubbing is a term derived from 'Facebooking' and 'snubbing', referring to the act of looking at or using a smartphone while in the company of others, effectively ignoring them. The video script uses this term to illustrate how social media can interfere with real-life social interactions, leading to missed opportunities for genuine connection.

💡Doom Scrolling

Doom scrolling is the act of endlessly scrolling through negative news or social media feeds, often leading to increased anxiety and a distorted view of reality. The video warns against this practice, suggesting that it can be damaging to mental health by causing individuals to overestimate the prevalence of negative events and feel powerless.

💡Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. The script cites a study indicating that even having a smartphone in view can lessen empathic concern for others, suggesting that the presence of social media can detract from our ability to connect emotionally with those around us.

💡Real-life Conversations

Real-life conversations refer to face-to-face interactions that occur without the interference of digital devices. The video encourages viewers to engage in these types of conversations for their proven mental health benefits, emphasizing the importance of being present and focused during interactions.

💡Mental Health Collaborative

Mental Health Collaborative is mentioned as an organization that uses social media to spread mental health education and awareness. This example from the script highlights how social media can be leveraged for positive impact, contributing to the reduction of stigma and the promotion of mental health support.

💡Boundaries

Boundaries in the context of the video refer to the limits or rules one sets for their social media use to maintain a healthy balance. The script suggests various strategies for creating boundaries, such as setting time limits, deleting apps, narrowing feeds, and keeping devices out of sight during important interactions.

💡Notifications

Notifications are alerts sent to users through social media platforms to inform them of new activity or messages. The video discusses how these notifications can be addictive and disruptive, contributing to the compulsive checking of social media feeds and the potential for decreased focus and increased stress.

💡Presence

Presence in the video refers to the state of being fully engaged and attentive in the current moment, particularly during social interactions. It is contrasted with the distracted state often induced by social media use, and the script encourages practices that promote presence to enhance the quality of personal connections.

Highlights

People often pick up their phones for a quick task but end up scrolling through social media feeds for extended periods.

Social media, while designed for connection, can sometimes damage relationships and increase loneliness.

Finding the right balance in social media use is crucial for maintaining healthy relationships.

Studies show that having a smartphone in view can lessen empathic concern and lower conversation quality.

Spending two or more hours daily on social media can increase feelings of loneliness.

Social media usage increases loneliness for those who use it to avoid social interaction but decreases it for deeper connections.

Fubbing, or using social media to avoid interaction, can lead to missed opportunities for real connection.

Intentionally putting away phones can lead to the proven benefits of real-life conversations.

Social media can connect us when we need support, such as through grief support pages or rare disease groups.

Social media enables us to reach friends and family who are far away.

Platforms like Mental Health Collaborative use social media to spread mental health education and awareness.

Our feeds are often filled with negativity, which can be damaging to our mental health.

Doom-scrolling, or endlessly looking through bad news, can increase levels of depression and anxiety.

Comparing ourselves to others' highlight reels on social media can damage self-esteem.

It's important to be aware of when, how, and why we use social media due to its addictive nature.

Features like photo tagging, stories, and notifications can make it hard to avoid the negative cycle of constant checking.

Social media has both advantages and disadvantages, and creating healthy boundaries is key to getting the most out of it.

Setting time limits on apps, deleting apps temporarily, narrowing feeds, and keeping devices out of sight can create healthy social media boundaries.

Mental Health Collaborative is committed to providing education and increasing awareness about mental health to decrease stigma.