Is Mental Health Being Effected by Social Media?
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Uses and Gratifications Theory
The Theorists Behind it All:
| Jay Blumler |
Elihu Katz, Jay Blumler, and Michael Gurevitch were the three men who theorized how UGT was focused on "the social and psychological origins of needs, which generate expectations of the mass media or other sources. This lead to differential patterns of media exposure (or engagement in other activities), resulting in need gratifications and some other consequences, perhaps mostly unintended ones." Put simply, people rely on things such as social media to meet their psychological needs and the exposure to these things could end up in healthy and unhealthy patterns which may lead to trouble. As you read below, we will be diving deeper into understanding social media, Uses and Gratifications Theory, and why people are so addicted to this type of scapegoat.
By understanding why we use social media, we first need to know what social media is. Social media is a form of mass communication that is on the internet. It is a way for people to share their information, lives, work, and stay connected with friends and family. Social media are websites or platforms that allow people to stay connected with the world and share content. There are so many different forms of media outlets, and we continue to see more and more each year. We are able to post photos on these apps, take instant pictures of ourselves and send them to people. We are able to share our whole lives with the world through these social media outlets which can be scary at times.
Uses and Gratification Theory "is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs"according to an educational article composed by Georgetown University on Wikipedia. This theory allows us to understand why we choose the media platforms we get on each day. On an article written by CEO and founder of Seven Boats Academy, Debajyoti Banerjee explains that, "One of the most prominent social media theories is Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT), which explains that individuals actively seek out specific functions from media content to fulfill their needs and desires". People get drawn into social media platforms because they are looking for entertainment, connections, knowledge, and even opportunities professionally. Another reason people choose to go on social media is social comparison. People will compare themselves to others online to try and fit in and seek approval from the world. Seeking approval from the world is hard. This can cause you to compare yourself to others and want to look more like other people. It can cause you to change things about yourself just so you fit an image that social media has caused you to think is normal. We need to make social media more about being our true authentic selves and not about trying to be like everyone else. It can cause you to go down a dark path.
"The Social and Psychological Origins of Needs"
Social media usage goes hand and hand with uses and gratification theory. People chose to use their social media to vent and complain about others and even their life. Forums, which is any conversational app are the most common apps used when someone wants to express negative feelings. This can cause people to bully others and say mean and harsh things. Apps like snapchat are used for more private needs. Snapchat is "...used to attain emotional support from others, look for advice on important decisions, and seek help to solve problems, satisfying the need to socialize, vent negative feelings, and connect with others" according to an educational article on Wikipedia written by a scholar Fromm Georgetown University. Each mass media app has a specific purpose, and we use them to fulfill our needs. Indeed, is an app that allows us to find jobs, Facebook is an app that allows us to stay connected with family and friends. The same goes with Instagram. We share what is going on in our lives and we are able to see what is going on in others as well. Social media platforms are great if you use them to stay connected with friends and family and show your life. They can become dangerous because of stereotypes, bullying, and comparing yourself to others. So, make sure you are using social media the way you want and not for validation from others. It is something for you to enjoy and if you find yourself comparing yourself to others then take a step back. It is okay to take a break. Mental health is very important and social media can affect that.
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