Opinion | OP-ED COLUMNIST

Claudia Mortati

February 15, 2018

The More Connected We Get The Less Connected We Are

Do you remember your high school’s popular crowd? Do you recall those beautiful and

talented students who made balancing athletics, good grades, and social stardom look easy?

Imagine one of those young students taking his or her own life. Now imagine two of them doing

it. In 2014 two students from a small town in New Jersey killed themselves just months apart.

The losses rocked the community and ultimately shed light on a prevalent issue in modern

society, suicide. This issue has inflicted tragedy nationally. At Elon University there have been

four suicides in less than three years. Nationally, for all age groups under 75, from 1999 to 2014

suicide rates had a 45% increase for females and a 16% increase for males (NCHS Data Brief

2016). There is a correlation between an increase suicide rates and an increase in technology

usage. Primarily this paper will focus on the negative effects of social media on adolescents.

Links between social media and depression, lack of face to face (in person) validation, and a

false sense of communication all contribute to the correlation.

Social media perpetuates unrealistic expectations. Since someone may make snap

judgments about another based on his or her social media presence, people attempt to portray

their best selves to the world. Each social media platform is filled with glorified views of

peoples’ lives. Photos of beautiful public figures litter social media for people to compare

themselves to. The truth behind those photos is rarely revealed, but all too often a public figure
will step out and admit to taking hundreds of photos just to get one perfect photo. These social

media stars then spend hours editing the photo in order to achieve the optimal aesthetic. The

pictures are unrealistic and yet are idealized. The two students from New Jersey maintained

social media pages that portrayed happy and successful lives. They posted polished photos of

themselves constantly. Because they constantly posted pictures of themselves with beaming

smiles on sports fields or laughing with their friends, people didn’t think to look beyond the

surface to see any sadness.

It is easy to forget that there is more to someone’s life than the pictures they post.

Followers often assume that if someone is beautiful and posts cool pictures, that person must

have the perfect life. Studies have found that due to constant comparison, young adults have

lower self worth and this provides a link between social media and depression and anxiety

(Stapleton, et. al). The need for people to feel validated and the ability of social media platforms

to allow them to receive validation from their peers, creates a relationship between social media

and self worth. This relationship creates a dependency on a negative tool. A study found that

social media’s use was signicantly associated with increased depression (Lin, Liu Yi, et al.).

Although one may have countless followers, they might not have anyone in reality to turn to in

times of need.

Relationships with others are important factors in having a healthy sense of self worth. It

is human nature to crave human interaction. A lack of such human interaction is linked to

negative effects on mental and physical health (​Baumeister 1995). These human interactions are

beneficial in a multitude of ways. As well as promoting a positive self worth, human interactions

also give a sense of belonging which can contribute to a positive mindset. Suicide prevention
methods argue that suicide is 100% preventable. Without intervention, a suicidal person may

make a grave mistake which could have been prevented by human interaction and connection.

One of the main suicide prevention tips is to keep an eye out for someone who appears to feel

hopeless. (QPR). Human connection allows for people to know they are heard and understood

and that fosters a sense of hope.

For pe​ople who cope with social anxiety technology can be a blessing. It allows those

who crave interaction to experience relationships without the pressure of a face to face

encounter. Although there are many negatives to technology and specifically social media, it also

has great benefits. ​“Online, social presence and intimacy levels can be controlled; users can

remain invisible as they observe others’ interactions, and can control the amount and timing of

their interactions.” (Morahan-Martin 2003). While the comfort of socializing from behind a

screen benefits some people, it decreases the value of relationships and decreases the face to face

and human connection that is important to establishing healthy relationships throughout life.

Social media pressures us to be living our best lives and be perfect. The knowledge that

someone can make a snap judgment about who you are and what you stand for based on your

appearance and your social media presence causes people to put immense pressure on their

online lives and value that over day to day interactions. Getting to know someone for who they

are not what they decide to show the world is the real importance of interaction. Face to face

relation is what helps us know we belong. Belongingness is a basic human need and the feeling

of belonging could save a life.

 Bibliography:

Baumeister, Roy F., and Mark R. Leary. “The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal
Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation.” ​Psychological Bulletin​, vol. 117, no. 3,
1995, pp. 497–529., doi:10.1037//0033-2909.117.3.497.

Increase in Suicide in the United States, 1999–2014 Sally C. Curtin, M.A., Margaret Warner,
Ph.D., and Holly Hedegaard, M.D., M.S.P.H., ​U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES​ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics

Lin, Liu Yi, et al. “Association Between Social Media Use And Depression Among U.s. Young
Adults.” ​Depression and Anxiety​, vol. 33, no. 4, 2016, pp. 323–331., doi:10.1002/da.22466.

Morahan-Martin, Janet, and Phyllis Schumacher. “Loneliness and Social Uses of the Internet.”
Computers in Human Behavior,​ vol. 19, no. 6, 2003, pp. 659–671.,
doi:10.1016/s0747-5632(03)00040-2.

Stapleton, Peta, et al. “Generation Validation: The Role of Social Comparison in Use of
Instagram Among Emerging Adults.” ​Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking,​ vol.
20, no. 3, 2017, pp. 142–149., doi:10.1089/cyber.2016.0444.