Social media becomes an essential tool for youth today. Undoubtedly it helps people in connecting with the people around the globe and also reduces the distance, but on the other hand, it created a detachment from the people who are around. Social media is mostly famous among youngsters; they spend most of their time on social platforms for different purposes. It is one of the tools which shares a single platform with many users and helps an individual in expressing their feelings, thoughts, and views and also helps in showing their other side of being bloggers.
According to Merriam Webster (2014), defines social media as “forms of electronic communication (as web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos).”
In this 21 century, youth, are preferring virtual communication, spending most of their time on social media for different purposes.
Interaction with the real-world is minimal, which creates the feeling of being isolated, and many youngsters feel irritated and disturbed. No doubt, social media is a great tool. It helps people in socializing with the world and also helps you in sharing your creativity, your perspective.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS LINK TO MENTAL HEALTH
There is a famous quote of Aristotle “human beings are a social animal.” It ultimately defines human beings who can’t live in isolation; they need interaction. Communication is vital for a healthy life, and through social media, people get a platform where they can easily share their opinion and feelings. On the other hand, the same social media creating stress, anxiety, overthinking, depression, and many more. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can make a contribution to his or her community.” There are many effects of social media; it could be positive and negative, but mental problems or mental issues that arise when something is negatively impacting us. We know that today, it’s impossible to live without smartphones and social media, but the excess usage of these things has significant consequences on the life of people. Extra use of social media leads an individual in isolation and cuts them off from real society as people started living in the virtual world.
POSITIVE ASPECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Interaction through social media possesses many benefits for you. It makes communication easy with family and friends anytime, anywhere, and helps you to keep up to date around the world and can create a virtual family.
Social media provides you a platform where you can raise your voice on any critical issues and raise awareness also.
You can promote your business and ideas with the world.
It helps you in educating yourself through distance mode or school from home.
It helps in reducing isolation and also helps provides you entertainments in the form of movies, songs, comedy shows, etc. which, in many cases, becomes emotional support.
NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Everything possesses good or bad in itself. Social media to have negative quality despite so much positivity. The same social media which reducing your isolation will create social isolation for you and reduce your face to face interaction.
CYBERBULLYING
According to Wikipedia, “Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying.”
In the article times of India 27 October 2018, it has been reported that 37 percent of Indian parents say their children have been a victim of cyberbullying. (Dhawan, 2018)
Victims of cyberbullying end up with psychological problems, like depression, isolation, anxiety, stress, low esteem, and in some cases, it becomes a case of suicide.
STALKING
For many years the term “stalking” described the activity of hunters pursuing animal prey (Heckels & Roberts, 2010).
Stalking is something that can be done deliberately towards an individual intended to frighten by making texts, emails, phone calls, explicit or implicit threats, blackmail, or even sexual assault; usually.
SOCIAL ISOLATION
One of the famous quotes of Aristotle, “human beings are a social animal.” Human beings cannot live in isolation because the mental and physical condition of an individual determines by the interaction. A mental state of an individual depends on social interaction because human beings are social creatures. It doesn’t affect only health but also our morality example, high blood pressure, sleep factor, and emotional factors, etc. (our social networks like families, communities virtual or real, etc.), helps us in surviving.
INTERNET ADDICTION
Today, it is very much difficult for anyone to keep away from accessing social media. Social media is one of the most talkative topics among youth. Most youngsters are addicted to the internet. Almost teenagers having a mobile in hand and accessing social media for a long hour is eventually become an addiction, and slowly it starts impacting their mental health, day to day routine, and personal development.
SUGGESTIONS
Youth should be careful while connecting with the people who are unknown to you; it helps you in keeping away from cyberbullying and won’t affect their mental health.
The relationship between parents and children must be friendly so they can share everything and will develop a happy and healthy life.
Youth should limit the usage of social media.
Sehba Jamal research scholar of Aligarh Muslim University
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