The Invisible Cost of Social Media

The advent of social media has brought about major changes in society. People are able to connect easier, share information faster, and even build a business around the use of social media. The cost? Virtually free!

I say virtually free because there is still a cost that we cannot see; the cost of our mental health. The cost to our mental health is a draining one, from overuse of social media, and the societal pressures that go along with current events. Sometimes that means the pressure to respond to every comment, or comment on every post. Sometimes it looks like “doom scrolling”, where you helplessly scroll through a sea of negative posts after a major current event. The cost to our mental health comes in many forms, but it is the invisible tax on ourselves when we invest too much time on social media.

Social media has been a difficult place to find solace from, given recent events in the last 2 months. The barrage of negativity and anger that fuels the content has taken over, leaving those who seek refuge on social media to connect with others feeling lost or frustrated. The original intent to connect with others in a meaningful way somehow feels stifled and miscalculated now, given how much anger and negativity seems to be on social media some days. Is it any wonder that many of us (myself included), feel frustrated and sometimes overwhelmed with social media every time something happens in the news?

Full disclosure, I do not watch the news much anymore; hardly ever in fact. The news is filled with negativity, and only evokes anger and sadness from me on any given day. Therefore I do not watch it. When it comes to social media, I am feeling the same way when something new happens in the news, only it feels much worse. It feels like a tidal wave of negativity, crushing any normal or civilized conversation and content with sheer force of social pressure. Those left near the wave’s crash either feel the pressure to comment on the event, or they have an overwhelming feeling of sadness and frustration of not being able to communicate something different that day/week.

That is why I believe there is an invisible cost to social media, whether you feel compelled to post during current events, feel lost in the crowd doom scrolling others’ responses, or simply feel isolated and alone during those events with no voice to share. Our mental health suffers from too much social media, but it also suffers from the way social media has changed our society.

What can we do about it? Be more conscious of your social media usage. If you feel unhappy from your use of social media during these times, it might be better to get off of it and spend time with friends and family; because the human connection is simply not as powerful online as it is in person.