Review of Related Literature (RRL)

In our exploration, we found out that social media affects the mental health of
people. Human beings are social creatures. We need the company of others to thrive in
life, and the strength of our connections has a huge impact on our mental health and
happiness. Being socially linked to people may reduce stress, anxiety, and depression,
increase self-esteem, bring comfort and joy, prevent loneliness, and even add years to
your life. On the other hand, a lack of strong social relationships might endanger your
mental and emotional wellness.

Many of us now rely on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat,
YouTube, and Instagram to locate and communicate with one another. While each has
advantages, it's crucial to remember that social media can never replace face-to-face
human interaction. It takes face-to-face interaction with others to activate the hormones
that reduce stress and help you feel happier, healthier, and more optimistic. Spending
too much time on social media, ironically, for a tool supposed to bring people closer
together, can instead make you feel lonelier and more isolated and aggravate mental
health concerns like anxiety and depression.

According to Stabler, Christine M. MD, MBA (2021). Social media is a technology

with a lot of wonderful benefits. It allows people to share and connect, get news and
information, and even meet new people. But there can be a downside too, especially for
college-aged young adults who have grown up in a world of screens. Social media use
has been linked to depression, anxiety and loneliness. Recent studies referenced by
The Child Mind Institute and The National Center for Health Research suggest people
who frequently use social media feel more depressed and less happy with life than
those who spend more time on non-screen-related activities.
 Stabler, Christine M. MD, MBA (2021), stated that social media has five negative
impacts on our mental health. First, almost addictive, social media apps and websites
have the same kind of effect on the brain as playing a slot machine. Since you don’t
know the content, as you’ll see until you open the app, the spontaneous results actually
cause a feeling of "reward" by releasing dopamine. The same chemical is associated
with other pleasurable activities like sex and food. Second, focusing on interactions,
more trouble can arise when you place too much emphasis on the interactions you
receive (or don’t) on the content you share. For instance, if you post a picture hoping to
receive likes or comments and don’t get the feedback you desire, you may feel
disappointed or invalidated. We may also experience disappointment when comparing
your posts to those of other people. All this can cause low self-esteem, distraction from
other tasks, and even feelings of anxiety or depression. Third, filters are fun, but also
fake. Filters exemplify how social media can be both positive and negative. Sure, silly
filters can be great for a laugh, but the ability to easily whiten teeth, airbrush body parts,
and hide imperfections can create false illusions. Even if we know posts are filtered and
carefully selected, constantly seeing other picture-perfect highlight reels can make it feel
impossible to live up to other people’s lives. Try to see filters for what they are: a fun
tool to make yourself look different online, but not something that’s necessary to
recreate. Fourth, feeling of missing out. Fear of missing out, or FOMO, is another
reason why scrolling through social media is so enticing. When your friends and
classmates are using social media, you may worry about missing a message, inside
joke, or other information that connects you to your peers. However, constant checking
and scrolling can have a detrimental effect on schoolwork and studying. Distraction can
lead to procrastination, less retention of information, and higher levels of stress. You
may also experience feelings of exclusion, loneliness, or anxiety when you see posts of
others having a good time. Lastly, the unhealthy social media behaviors. Using social
media less than your usual amount can decrease loneliness and depression. While it’s
probably unlikely you or someone you know will quit social media entirely (after all,
there are certainly some positives), it’s important to be self-aware and recognize these
warning signs: feeling increased anxiety, depression and/or loneliness, spending more
time on social media than with friends and family, comparing yourself with others or
frequently feeling jealous, being trolled or cyberbullied online, engaging in risky
behaviors or outrageous photos to gain likes and comments, noticing that your school
work and relationships are suffering, and de-prioritizing self-care (such as exercise,
sleep and mindfulness).