GROUP 3

● LEADER: Galverio, Carlo

● ASSISTANT LEADER: Jimenez, Maricris
● Members:
- Guaño, Mariela
- Llanes, Trishia Mae
- Galupe, Jhemerome
- Manuevo, Ella Nicole
- Manota, Alexandrea
- Domagsang, Edmar
- Loñosa, Koreen
- Gabac, Jerecho

Effects of Social Media Connections

Does a constant social media connection affect our mental health? Is social media the
reason why most of us are lonely and stressed? Most of us have these questions in our minds
especially in today’s era where we are in the middle of a pandemic. Many of us talk on social
media, be it calls or chats. The World Health Organization (WHO) initially declared the
COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and then
characterized it as a pandemic, rigorous policies to restrict public movement and large gatherings
have been implemented. Due to the strict physical distancing measures, people rely heavily on
the media, especially social media, to learn the latest news about the pandemic and maintain
connectivity. Social media connections affect your health without knowing it and it may promote
negative experiences such as leading to serious mental health problems, forces you to leave the
outside world and isolate yourself, and inadequacy about your life or appearance, and here's why.

First, social media users are finding themselves more stressed than ever from their time
spent on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And it's leading to serious mental health
problems, including depression and anxiety. Studies show that interacting with someone online
triggers the release of glucocorticoid (cortisol), your body's stress hormone. This messes up your
immune system and prevents the release of growth hormones. A 2018 University of
Pennsylvania study found that the less time people spend on social media, the less symptoms of
depression and loneliness they felt. A similar study conducted in 2016 involving 1,700 people
found a threefold risk of depression and anxiety among people who used the most social media
platforms. Reasons for this, they suggested, include cyber-bullying, having a distorted view of
other people’s lives, and feeling like time spent on social media is a waste.

Furthermore, communicating on social media or virtual is what forces you to leave the
outside world and isolate yourself. As a result, people's self-esteem will decrease because they
do not have much experience in socializing outside. In Japan, half a million Japanese youths
have become social recluses, as well as more than half a million middle-aged individuals. It is
called Hikikomori or "pulling inward, being confined" also known as "modern-day loners" which
is total withdrawal from society and seeking extreme degrees of social isolation and
confinement. It usually lasts for about 6months of self-isolation or more. Study shows that
people choose to become Hikikomori or isolate themselves because they do not have interest in
the outside world and they prefer social media connection virtually rather than staying intact and
communicating outside the real world. A new study by the University of Pittsburgh in
Pennsylvania found that teens who use social media heavily are 3 times as likely to feel socially
isolated. Some hypothesize that this is because they’re seeing through a screen everyone
partaking in different social activities in the real world–and they’re not part of it. This can cause
a teen to feel even more alone than before, leading to lower confidence and motivation to engage
in social interactions. Evidence from past literature has associated heavy social media use with
increased loneliness. This may be because online spaces are often oriented to performance,
status, exaggerating favorable qualities (such as by posting only “happy” content and likes), and
frowning on expressions of loneliness.

Lastly, social media can cause envy and inadequacy about life or physical appearance.
According to 2018 research published in Computers in Human Behavior most feelings of envy
and jealousy that are associated with social media use are caused by comparing your actual life
to the constructed lives of those you follow online. By constantly comparing your life to your
friends, you may lose sight of the amazing things about your own life. A 2015 study found that
Facebook users who felt envy while on the networking site were more likely to develop
symptoms of depression.

However, social media helps us build our relationships, especially this pandemic, where
we cannot be with our friends and those we love. "Social media is about connecting people to
people", said Lauren Friedman. We have the ability to educate ourselves through social media.
"Social media allows you to hone in on what you really care about and what you really want to
read", she added. It can also help to start our online business amidst a pandemic. That can help us
to have additional income and we can help others to meet their needs.

Yes, social media can help us in many ways because that is really the purpose of social
media in the beginning but, if we continue to depend on social media it will also continue to
destroy our lives because of the negative effects mentioned above earlier. We can reduce the use
of social media in our lives, but what about people who got addicted and no longer able to leave
it? will their health continue to be affected?

In precise, there may be specific reasons why social media exist because of its good
benefits whereas it can be used for easy communication and it is usable for a business like online
shopping especially in this time of pandemic and I'm one of the people who use them personally.
However, it would be better if we reduce the time we spend on social media connections affect
your health without knowing it and it may promote negative experiences such as leading to
serious mental health problems, forces you to leave the outside world and isolate yourself, and
inadequacy about your life or appearance. To avoid the bad effects of social media, it is better not
to use it at all or otherwise it is better to make a schedule with a time limit so that it does not
affect daily life too much and further improve the quality of life we ​have.