Essay Sample: Why Is Social Media Toxic?

The grass is always greener on social media platforms than it is in reality. In today’s world there are many social media platforms that are supposed to bring people together and give our lives more satisfaction. However, there are studies that show that these types of social platforms actually divide people and can lead to a person feeling lonely, isolated, and depressed. The toxicity of platforms such as Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and others lead to the suffering of severe mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Our society needs to be educated on how these social media platforms have a tendency to divide people and cause depression, especially amongst the teenage population.

In the past, mental illness rates for anxiety and depression were much lower than they are currently. Today the rates are extremely high, due to how easily accessible it is to buy a cell phone. Cell phones used to only be landline phones with no apps and no social media platforms. Individuals could only speak on the phone and that was all they were able to do. The invention of the smartphone has negatively affected today's generation. Teenagers are addicted to using social media platforms, and it’s drastically decreasing their dopamine levels in their brain. Without a high dopamine level, an individual will find themselves feeling unhappy, sluggish, and dissatisfied with their life. Although cell phones may seem like an advanced piece of technology, in reality they’re very dangerous for a human's brain and their mental health.

The over-use of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, lead to a significant decrease in one’s confidence. Individuals only post pictures of themselves when on a fancy vacation, at a special event, or even just a picture where they appear to look attractive. When somebody sees these pictures they feel as if they have to meet these standards. For example, if someone’s figure looks nice; then people compare themselves and feel as if it is a necessity for them to meet that person's appearance and physical standards. Since people feel as if they have to look like somebody else, this can lead to eating disorders. Social media platforms are extremely toxic since people continuously compare and contrast themselves to one another. Although many people seem to love social media and the few benefits it has, it is still very bad for the human brain and leads to mental illness.

Teenagers and adults can easily develop an addiction to social media. The constant use of social media leads to people feeling as if they depend on it. Individuals feel the need to scroll through instagram and facebook to cure boredom. People rely on social media platforms everyday to keep them busy, and to become more knowledgeable of events occurring worldwide. Many individuals are so addicted to using these platforms on their cellphones. People stay up on their phones late at night leading to a lack of sleep. A lack of sleep can lead to the feeling of sluggishness during the day. Extreme tiredness will contribute to depression and anxiety from not allowing oneself enough sleep. Another bad effect of social media addiction is procrastination. Teenagers and adults procrastinate to complete everyday tasks. Social media has many negative effects on a human's mental state.

Another factor that the overuse of social media contributes to is poor physical health. Instead of going outside and getting exercise, people would rather be cooped up inside their home on their electronic device. However in the long run, it's very unhealthy to not get enough exercise. At least a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise is needed per day. Exercise is very important not only for one's physical health, but for their mental health as well. Exercising is the best thing somebody can possibly do for their physical and mental health. Taking the time to exercise daily also helps to just take a break from life on the cellphone.

Social media’s toxicity can lead a person to feeling down, anxious, stressed, and depressed. People feel the need to compare and contrast themselves to others on these platforms. When somebody sees a person with a great body and they appear to have an attractive appearance, they will then shame themselves because they feel that they don’t meet the expectations. People will then feel insecure about themselves, and have a major decrease in confidence levels. When somebody is constantly shaming oneself, feeling insecure and self-conscious, it’ll then lead to mental illnesses. Depression and anxiety are normally caused by the feeling of unhappiness and failure to meet the expectations of most people. But in reality, everyone is different and wears different skins; which is what makes the world unique.

Another dramatic effect of using social media platforms is cyberbullying. Multiple individuals are cyberbullied on social media. Cyberbullying is a serious problem, and can lead to people feeling threatened. People will deliberately say rude comments and make accusations towards others on these platforms. Cyberbullying can sometimes even be life threatening to some people feeling so triggered from comments that people will say. According to the website, https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/cyber-bullying-statistics , 25% of social media users who’ve experienced cyberbullying have engaged in self harm. Another 26% of users have experienced suicidal thoughts; 37% have developed depression, 47% developed extreme social anxiety, and another 14% developed eating disorders all due to cyberbullying on social media platforms. These have continued to rise throughout the history of social media platforms and the accessibility.

Many individuals get caught up in the delusion of using social media. People believe that social media helps to better lives and people rely on these platforms. Social media platforms are similar to video games, for people get attached to using social media and believe that it’s a healthy platform for interacting with people. However social media is extremely unhealthy and addictive, which leads to inevitable mental illnesses. People get very caught up and revolve their lives around social media, leading to people having a dependency on these platforms.

The more friends and followers a person has on social media, such as Instagram and Facebook, doesn’t truly determine who a person is. Individuals rely on followers and friends on these platforms, while these followers really do not matter. In reality, the owners of such social media accounts do not even know half of the people following them. Some people feel as if they aren’t good enough and they don’t meet society's standards, when it comes to having over a certain amount of followers. When somebody has very few followers, they feel as if they don’t fit in and they aren’t popular enough.

The competition on social media platforms is never ending. Account users are extremely competitive. Many people compare themselves to others, which only leads to one thing; mental illness. People believe they have to look or act a certain way in order to fit in with society's standards. When somebody views others posts they will immediately compare and contrast one another. Mental illnesses are connected to the comparisons of what somebody has and doesn’t have.

Social media platforms including Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and Facebook lead to mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. The toxicity of all social media platforms can severely affect a person both mentally and physically. The standards set on social media are very destructive to today's society. Social media platforms should be prohibited amongst the teenager and adult population. The use of social media platforms continues to contribute to the rise in mental illnesses all over the world.