By Olivia Snaith-Cairns
Social media has changed a lot since it was first introduced. It has transformed many aspects of our lives for the better, such as communication and keeping in touch with family. But, sadly, for many of us it has also taken some toll on our mental health. How much is social media affecting us mentally?
Many women suffer from poor mental health due to social media and the stigmas that social media can give. Even though social media platforms can be beneficial for some people, for others they can be bittersweet. Social media can take a toll on our self-esteem, and lead to stronger insecurities.
Caroline Flack was a television and radio presenter who took her own life in February, 2020 after suffering from anxiety and being ‘tired of the pressure of social media’. According to the Mirror, Flack’s mother said: “Social media companies fail to protect people from abuse.”
“Social media is affecting women’s mental health, acutely and severely, because not only is there ‘fomo’ but you’re seeing photoshopped images every day that might give you a sense of ‘oh I can never achieve this’, even though they are not realistic,” said Maria Victoria Calabrese, a second-year journalism student.
“There is this thing where women feel pressured to achieve body standards that are just not possible…they feel like they are missing out on something without seeing the reality of whatever is behind the Instagram page.”
Calabrese said social media has affected her. “I see those images, I see the very beautiful girls with their very beautiful bodies and I just feel horrible about myself,” she said.
“Even though I logically know it’s fake and photoshopped and posing, it still feels like ‘oh I can never look like that’. So, it’s sort of very very disheartening for me.”
Florentina Cercel, a second-year photojournalism student from London Metropolitan University, said: “I think social media has become more and more of a tool for young women and men really, to criticise and comment on someone’s persona without thinking they might deal with some issues themselves.
“I think recently more and more women have gained their confidence back and realised that it’s okay to look the way they do and encourage other women to do so. Breaking away from the stigma that you need to look and act a certain way to be beautiful and accepted.
“I think certain elements of social media stick with me every day, and it hasn’t affected me in a way that I can’t cope anymore. I choose to not let everything affect me and live my life the way I see fit, and not follow what other people who think they know me better think.”
How can we change the way we see social media?
Is there a way we can change social media to help people from suffering?
“You can’t really change social media. Social media is going to be social media, it is always going to be a preference for idealised images and idealised bodies, but if we can ‘normalise’ imperfections I think that would make a great difference in people’s mental health, not only women’s but also men’s mental health,” said Calabrese.
Cercel added: “It should be a community where we can all embrace all of our flaws and qualities together and erase all that toxicity that some choose to bring in it. If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say it type of thing.”
How can we support young women?
There are certain ways that we can use to support young women who may be suffering from poor mental health, from giving advice to limiting the amount of time on social media in one sitting.
Calabrese said that young women can be supported by making sure that they understand that whatever they see on Instagram ‘isn’t real’. It is very important for women “to see and to understand that what they see isn’t the whole reality, and that it needs to be understood and communicated effectively”, she said.
“I think young women should be fully supported and not ignored. Everyone needs a little reminder sometimes that they’re doing the best they can, and it should be enough. There is so much outdated stigma that flows around, and it should really be left in the past,” said Cercel.
Photojournalism student Alex Cimpeanu explained that she has ‘quite bad acne and seeing people with perfect skin on Instagram used to make her feel really bad’. However, then she realised “it’s makeup and photoshop, in the most extreme cases. Skin has texture and it’s okay”.
Cimpeanu added: “I think social media algorithms are quite unhealthy and make you want to spend more and more time, which is a bit scary. I think social media should be taken less seriously.”
There are different sites that offer support on mental health if needed. These include:
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