With viral culture comes many effects on people, and since viral culture is mostly seen on social media, it is the users who are mainly affected. One effect being that people who want to be viral, or try to be viral, are now at a higher risk of facing mental health issues. Most users who want to be recognized are often first inspired by other users. This “inspiration” may lead them to believe that they must live up to the expectations on social media, or conform to what is mainstream, or maybe even feel pressured to be completely different. With viral popularity, it seems that there is room for many mental health issues. As social media grows overtime, it makes us wonder how younger generations will combat or endure the negative effects of viral popularity. It also makes us wonder if social media is the cause of these mental health issues. How is it that social media, a platform created to bring people together, has actually been creating a divide between users who ‘are’ and users who ‘want to be’.

It has been known that younger generations now are more susceptible to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and ADHD. There have been many said studies which confirmed that social media is linked to these illnesses. What I plan on researching is the effects of “viral popularity,” which is mostly portrayed on social media, on younger generations and users. I also want to research why this is the case, if it is true. Additionally, part of my research will be understanding how big of a role social media plays in mental health, and understanding how the effects of mental health now are different from the effects of mental health in the past.

I will be doing my research by using databases through Baruch’s Library. Additionally, some other methods that I could use will be from the news or other databases.