For the last 3 years, I have been a facilitator for a body image workshop on campus called “Body Brilliance”. This bi-weekly workshop brings together women of all backgrounds to engage in interactive conversations about health, wellness, body image concerns and the societal pressures they face on-campus and beyond. A common theme that arises is the pressure to “fit in” to the thin ideals that social media portrays.
According to PSYCOM, social media can be destructive through focusing too much on likes, cyberbullying, making comparisons and having too many “fake” or internet friends that cannot provide a real support system like an in-person friend.
A study through University of Pittsburg found that those who spent the most time on social media had 2.6 times the risk of reporting eating and body image concerns, compared to those who spent the least amount of time. Another small study shows that teens ages 13-18 from UCLA Brain Mapping Center found that a high number of likes on a photo correlated with increased activity in the reward center of the brain. This proved the point that it feels good to be “liked”.
In March of this year, lawmakers in the U.K are proposing that social media addiction should be formally classified as a disease and the companies behind the platforms should be subject to paying a 0.5% tax on their profits in order to fix the problem. This would be about $415,000 a year for Facebook and $1.34 million for Google.
It is important that we encourage younger people in our society to find the balance between social media and real life. This can be done through disconnecting during the weekends or a set time throughout the day.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Do you think there should be a social media tax?
Do you think social media platform developers realize they are contributing to mental illness amongst younger generations?
Do you see a correlation between your social media usage and your own mental health?
EXTRA LINKS
https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/
https://www.statista.com/chart/15720/frequency-of-teenagers-social-media-use/
In regards to your first question if there was a social media tax the monetary funds can benefit a certain party. However, I don't believe that a tax would hurt these huge companies such as Facebook and Google because they already make so much as it is. With that said, I definitely believe the developers/companies realize they are contributing to mental illness amongst younger generations. For example, Mark Zuckerberg barely consumes Facebook. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteHi Olivia
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though recently (last 4 years) I have been hearing a lot about the negative effects that social media has on younger people. It is encouraging to know that universities like Pitt and UCLA are researching this topic because people should know more. I agree with Lelan that there should be a tax where the money goes directly to rehab centers to help people struggling with social media related mental issues. I think social media companies are aware of the harm younger people face when using their platforms but, they are a business and will want to make money first. Lastly, I definitely think that when I am not on social media I have more energy/motivation and generally have more mental health stability.
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