https://doi.org/10.36719/3104-4700/3/31-36

Shabnam Ashrafzada

 Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8956-4827

 shabnamashrafzada@gmail.com

Social Media and Mental Health

Abstract

Social media has changed the way people communicate and interact with each other, and has incredibly accelerated access to information, events around us, and the world. With the spread of social media, people's perceptions of one another, relationships, approaches, and the world have undergone significant transformations. Consequently, research on how and in what form this transformation affects individuals' mental health has become increasingly widespread. One of the reasons for the widespread adoption of these networks, which have quickly become an integral part of our daily lives and have millions of users, may be that they provide platforms where young people are less pressured by social and environmental factors and can express themselves more freely. People who carry small worlds in their pockets and bags use social media to signal their presence and alleviate the burden of stress in their daily lives. On the other hand, social media makes individuals feel that life is passing them by. It traps people who live in fear of not being able to keep up with what is happening on their tablet, computer, or smartphone screens, affecting academic performance, work life, sleep, and many other areas. It separates emotions and thoughts from reality by making them virtual, distances individuals from each other, and leads to loneliness, increases mental fatigue, encourages increased use through positive feedback received in a short time, and thus makes the existence of the individual and the virtual self he creates dependent on the presence and existence of other users.

Keywords: mental health, social media, depression, anxiety, psychiatric diseases, personality psychology