It’s 8 o’clock in the morning, you have woken up just in time for school, and you leave your house feeling like you can tackle on the world. As you leave your house and get on the train to school, you decide to catch up with the unknown content floating around on your four social media accounts during the middle of the night to make sure you have not missed out on anything. As you refresh the pages of your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat, you like and comment on other people’s posts. You soon start to realize that all these posts you have liked have gained a large amount of attention, and for what? Is it the way they dress? Is it the way they look? What about the way they act? Now, you are almost at school but on your walk there, you feel like something is missing from your accounts. After liking several posts you start to think that your account is “dry” and you suddenly desire that praise and attention by others. Now, you have arrived at school and notice that what you felt when you woke up, is no longer there.
This is a large issue among some users of social media. The online community consists of viral culture- the need or desire for one to feel or become popular. What exactly is it that makes someone/something go viral? Content virality is usually related to emotionality. Users of social media normally share content that make them laugh, happy, or angry. Usually many are able to say that popular people/things, as associated with a positive or negative emotion. Yet with viral culture comes many effects on users themselves, and since viral culture is mostly seen on social media, it is the users who are mainly affected. One result being that people who want to be viral, or are already viral, are at a higher risk of facing mental wellbeing issues. There are various real life examples that support this idea. Celebrities like Kendall Jenner have spoken out on mental health and social media; she stated, “I have such debilitating anxiety because of everything going on that I literally wake up in the middle of the night with full-on panic attacks… You go online and you see everyone saying the worst things to each other, and it’s hard to stay positive. It’s hard not to get eaten alive by all the negativity” (Roberts).
Social media has an effect of leading users to believe that they must live up to the expectations of society, 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 issues regarding one’s mental wellbeing. These issues could range from lowered self-esteem, insecurity, and even depression (Hunt). As social media grows over time, it makes us wonder how younger generations will combat or endure the adverse effects of viral popularity. It additionally leaves us wondering if social media plays a role in these mental wellbeing issues. Social media, a platform created to bring people together, has been creating a divide between users who ‘are’ and users who ‘want to be.’ Users who want to be viral on social media platforms, are likely to face costly effects such as depreciating self esteem, depression, and loss of creativity.
Viewing the viral culture of others through the usage of social media entails considerable risks among users. When users are continually observing the lives of others through their social media accounts, some may slowly find themselves forming comparisons between the two lives. It could be said that this leads to loss of authenticity and creativity. Users may feel the need to live up to the expectations displayed as “popular” on social media, or conform to what is mainstream in order to maintain social approval. When people use mainstream content as a guide to become popular, they end up becoming just like everyone else. An article on The Independent written by Grace Fearon, supports the idea that social media decreases individuality. Fearon states, “Social opinion plays a significant role in our lives, but are we changing ourselves too much in order to maintain an ‘accepted’ identity instead of simply being ourselves? This is the danger of the social ‘façade’. With the rise of social media, in particular, too easily can we create an entirely false public image.” Social media is meant to be used for self-expression and communication. However, by using social media and viewing the content of other viral users, their creativity is being condensed and limited to conform to what is seen as “normal” to society.
In addition to this, the usage of social media distracts users from their creative process. Instead of focusing their time on their own production and efforts, users will adhere to the accounts of others which decreases productivity and innovation. According to Statista, in 2018, users spent at least 95 minutes on Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram alone. Now just imagine if they included all the social platforms. The usage of social media not only entails uncreativity but also depreciates one’s emotional wellbeing.
When users scroll through their feeds and come across the accounts of others, some may find themselves comparing their life to others, consequentially increasing self-consciousness, along with the likelihood of decreased self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. A study done by researchers, Taylor Argo and Lisa Lowery, defined the relationship between social media and adolescent health. During this study, participants between the ages of 11 and 22 were surveyed a patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) that included patient demographics, usage and social media habits, self-reported feelings of depression and anxiety after social media use, social comparison and envy among users, prevalence of bullying, and reflected sense of community and connectedness. The PHQ-9 items screened for the presence of nine symptoms: depressed mood trouble sleeping, guilt or worthlessness, trouble concentrating, suicidal thoughts, anhedonia, feeling tired, change in appetite, and feeling slowed down or restless. Each item was rated from 0 to 3 based on frequency over the last 2 weeks (0 = not at all, 1 = several days, 2 = more than half the days, and 3 = nearly every day). A score of 5–9 indicates mild depressive symptoms, 10–14 moderate, 15–19 moderately severe, and ≥ 20 indicates severe depression). The results found that those with a higher PHQ-9 score reported significantly increased feelings of depression and anxiety after social media use. They also found that higher PHQ-9 scores were associated with a greater frequency of jealousy and comparing their life to others on social media. According to Argo and Lowery, “there are reports that SM [social media] can lead to depression, envy, decreased self-esteem, and risky behavior.” With this being said, it may be because users of social media have become so adept to seeing viral figures, such as models and celebrity figures, thereby giving users a negative self body image. Constant exposure to social media causes potential psychological harm to oneself to uphold their ideal image.
Adolescents who have low self-esteem indirectly blame social media due to the unrealistic and over exaggerated content. A study done by Michelle O’ Reilly, who researches clinical child psychology and psychiatry, built data on the perspectives of adolescents on the potential impact of social media on mental health and wellbeing. Participants of different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds were questioned about their understanding of mental health and defining concepts. The participants were also asked for their input on the potential of social media to promote mental wellbeing, and the benefits and challenges of it. According to O’ Reilly’s study, a reported factor of low self-esteem was photoshopped images seen on social media. One of the participants of the trial stated “As well I think that like nowadays you’re taught to have low self-esteem you know like with photo-shopped images and things like that.” Relating to virality, many of these photo-shopped images are the pictures of famous celebrities or popular figures. For example, Kim Kardashian, a businesswoman, model, and socialite, often gets caught photoshopping her images to make herself look skinnier on her Instagram account. It’s possible that the viewing of these photoshopped images on social media could lead to body dissatisfaction. Another example is her sister, Kylie Kardashian, who is also a businesswoman and socialite. Kyle is often found photoshopping her images to make her hips seem curvier than they actually are. There are also various brands that photoshop their images of models, and many users can quickly pick up on it. These images are seen on places like advertisements, magazines, and social media.
Even though viral figures on social media have the potential to leave users with a negative body image, it could be argued that social media merely encourages body positivity. Body positivity is a social movement which was designed to encourage men and women to have a positive body image. It challenges society of its unrealistic beauty standards and addresses self acceptance, beauty, and self esteem. The hashtag, “#bodypositivity” is a commonly shared concept among social platforms such as Instagram and Twitter. Furthermore, because the hashtag “#bodypositivity” is vastly shared among social platforms, some could say that the virality of this hashtag has the possibility to represent people of diverse backgrounds (Andsager).
Another damaging effect of social media is cyberbullying, which could also create issues for one’s mental wellbeing. Users with large recognition and virality have a greater chance of experiencing malicious criticism from viewers. The criticism might be to humiliate the victim or make them feel inferior. Experiencing this type of hate is dangerous since it could lead to depression, and even worse, suicide. Cyberbullying plays a role in decreasing one’s emotional wellbeing, and increasing self harm. As said by Renee Garett, who researched how abusive behavior [cyberbullying] affects the wellbeing of victims, “children who are bullied are more likely to experience symptoms of mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, changes in sleep and eating habits, increased feelings of loneliness, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy.” Additionally, a study done by researchers from the Universities of Oxford, Swansea and Birmingham reviewed previous studies on cyberbullying across 30 countries across the world. The studies consisted of about 150,000 cases on people under the age of 25 over a 21-year period. The review found that cyberbullying raised the risk of self harm or suicidal behavior 2.3 times (Ann). Secondly, a number of cross-referenced studies found that adolescents who are cyberbullied experience more depressive symptoms (Gámez-Guadix). With it being said that cyberbullying is more common among users of social media, it is also evident to say that cyberbullying is persistent among many celebrities, such as Megan Fox, an extremely famous American actress. Megan Fox had said “I don’t think people understand. They all think we should shut the f—k up and stop complaining because you live in a big house or you drive a Bentley. So your life must be so great. What people don’t realize is that fame, whatever your worst experience in high school, when you were being bullied by those ten kids in high school, fame is that, but on a global scale, where you’re being bullied by millions of people constantly” (Scordo).
Furthermore, some may argue that virality on social media is a comical medium, connecting people through joy and humor. With comedic content being shared on feeds like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter, people are able to share their happiness with others. A particular piece of content would be a meme, which is a humorous social commentary, consisting of bits of cultural information (Williams). Memes are an amusing or interesting item, such as a captioned picture or video or genre of items that is spread widely online, especially through social media. An example is the “Keep Calm or Carry On” post that usually takes on other versions. Another is the condescending and sarcastic Willy Wonka picture that usually follows with a caption. Virality can be seen through memes, since one meme could be shared multiple times by users in a day. Social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter even consist of meme pages, which are meant specifically for memes, and these pages consist of millions of followers, assuming they have quality content. For example, the most popular meme page on Instagram, has around 15.2 million followers. One could say that meme pages on social media are mediums of self expression among adolescents, that connect people and bring joy. Although this may be true, viral memes on social media can also be detrimental to one’s health. According to Amanda Williams, in some cases, “racial themed memes, such as stereotypical images posted on Facebook, can be categorized as one form of environmental racial microaggressions.” As founded in the study done by Amanda Williams, “the cumulative experience of racial microaggressions is related to reduced positive effect and increased depressive and somatic symptoms” thus meaning that people who face racial microaggressions are likely to face depressive symptoms while using social media. Subtle discrimination posts are mostly common in memes and found on the explore pages of platforms like Instagram and Facebook. These memes get turned into a humorous topic, but it still entails effects to one mental wellbeing.
The usage of social media has the potential for social isolation (O’Reilly, M., Dogra, N.) According to a study done by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine “young adults with high SMU [social media use] seem to feel more socially isolated than their counterparts with lower SMU.” By decreasing social media use, one would be able to reduce levels of loneliness and depression. A study done to determine the relationship between social media and well-being found that limiting social media use could lead to significant improvement in mental wellbeing (Hunt). Additionally, consistently being active on social media accounts of people who are ‘viral’ can be harmful because we only view the highlights of other people’s lives. The usage of social media offers a false representation on people and does not uncover the true half of people’s lives. Users easily forget that what they are viewing is not completely authentic.
Its arguable to say that people who have attained virality through social media are individuals with the most power and the most significant platforms. This might be said because these influencers have the ability to spark certain conversations into public online spaces. Now, more than ever, mental wellbeing issues such as anxiety and depression, have been brought into light and have gained more exposure among younger generations; This is vital helping with society’s progression. The exposure of mental wellbeing issues and how to deal with them, entails significant benefits to users such as a sense of solidarity, a sense of empowerment, and confidence to be one’s true self (Betton). Moreover, going viral on social media is not limited to a person, as ideas and concerns could also go viral. Going back to hashtags, users can quickly spread ideas and initiate positive protests among society against the wrongdoings of people and institutions. For example, the hashtag “#blacklivesmatter”, was created in order to protest and expose the negligent treatment of African American civilians by police officers and the government. This hashtag sparked an international movement campaigning against violence and systematic racism towards African Americans. The use of hashtags could highlight the positive effects of social media since it is an efficient way to bring people together. For example, there were several Black Lives Matter communities that were created on Twitter in 2014 and 2015: Black Lives Matter, Anonymous/Bipartisan Report, Black Entertainers, Conservatives, Mainstream News, and Young Black Twitter (Acosta). With this being said, virality makes it possible for people across the world to feel connected to each other and lift one another. It would also be possible for anyone who is facing a mental health issue to gain support and give support. A simple hashtag being shared to raise awareness on how to handle mental health, or raising awareness on mental health, could be beneficial to one’s life. For instance, in 2017 Instagram launched a mental health campaign “#HereForYou” to bring awareness on mental health issues and allow people to share their own stories. According to an interview done by Teen Vogue, Instagram COO Marne Levine said “People come to Instagram to tell their stories in a visual way and connect with communities of support…Through an image, people are able to communicate how they’re feeling, making even the most invisible struggles more visible to friends and family.” And although I could agree that virality on social media could be beneficial in some cases, the effects of going viral on users still remain extremely detrimental to one’s emotional wellbeing. Although there may be no firm evidence that social media is the direct cause of a declining mental and emotional wellbeing, it is definitely a factor that many adolescents who are aware of virality believe to be impactful.
Perhaps social media apps may be useful in bringing people together and keeping them connected, but the viewing and the desire of virality on social media could have many psychological and emotional effects. These effects are among the lines of: depression, lowered self-esteem, and isolation. The usage of social media and virality can be damaging to one’s self-image. Because users are always active in viewing other peoples accounts, they tend to compare their lives to the lives of others on social media, resulting in a decrease in their self-esteem and increase in self-doubt. Since users of social media are heavily influenced by other users, there is a possibility of losing creativity and self-expression. This is ironic because social media is a medium used by many adolescents for self-expression. Ideas that were once considered to be creative and unique can quickly turn into something boring and be associated with mainstream culture. Another risk of viewing virality on social media is also a negative body image, which may be due to photoshopped images circulated by celebrities and other viral figures. While it may be true that social media could empower people through hashtags and can give people a sense of solidarity, virality on social media is still a potential cause of social isolation. As users spend more time on social media, they are experiencing less face-to-face contact, and unproductivity. Isolation could result in detrimental effects on one’s mental wellbeing because of the lack of social progression. As users gain recognition and become viral, their risks of experiencing cyberbullying elevate. Cyberbullying could result in increased self-harm, suicidal ideation, and depressive symptoms. These effects are merely possibilities of using social media with the intentions of becoming viral. It is likely that factors such as personality type and reason of using social media can play a role in avoiding these outcomes, as these factors can determine social media’s impact on one’s mental and emotional wellbeing. However, one solution may be deleting apps or reducing the usage of the app. Another solution which may be less intense is simply blocking the posts of users who exert negative energy. Virality through social media can make users susceptible to various destructive mental and emotional effects.
Through this research, I have been able to determine how this would tie into a topically relevant cultural artifact. Emotional and mental wellbeing plays a big part in social media and marketing in general. Many marketing agencies are able to exploit consumers and their feelings. Mental and emotional wellbeing would be easy to incorporate into the cultural artifact since the artifact itself would need to be properly marketed. By understanding the effects of social media and virality, the marketing aspect of the cultural artifact would be based off of that and created in a way that would properly adhere to someone who either is in a stable state of mental or emotional wellbeing or adhere to someone who is not in a stable state of mental and emotional wellbeing. For example, if my group were to create a website, as our cultural artifact, that invites users of social media to subscribe to our virality company, knowing the effects of social media and knowing how people perceive virality would be extremely helpful in selling our item. Another way in which my research might be helpful in informing about this cultural artifact is that it could describe to users the effects of their actions. For example, on our cultural artifact, the website, we could add a tiny little disclaimer at the very bottom of the website, that would warn users about the risk of subscribing to our website. Another example in which we would be able to use my research is that our website may have a celebrity be the “face” and the research I did would help in utilizing that celebrity to possibly get people to subscribe, this would also be part of the marketing strategy we would use.
Additional Sources:
Acosta, Ericka. “BLM Report Article.” American University, American University, 8 Mar. 2016, www.american.edu/media/news/20160308_cmsi_freelon_hashtag_activism_study.cfm.
Grace Fearon iStudent. “’Society Is Too Gullible in Believing the Social Illusion so Many People Create’.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 22 Jan. 2016, www.independent.co.uk/student/istudents/our-need-to-maintain-social-approval-is-actually-making-us-lose-what-is-best-about-ourselves-our-a6827316.html.
McNamara, Brittney. “Watch 3 Instagram Users Explain How They’re Ending Mental Health Stigma.” Teen Vogue, Teen Vogue, 26 May 2017, www.teenvogue.com/story/instagram-launches-here-for-you-mental-health-campaign.
Roberts, Kayleigh. “39 Celebrities Who Have Opened Up About Mental Health.” Harper’s BAZAAR, Harper’s BAZAAR, 15 Jan. 2018, www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/g15159447/celebrities-depression-anxiety-mental-health/.