Social media, including but not limited to Instagram, Snapchat, twitter and Facebook, has increased in both popularity and its power to affect people’s emotions and psychological well-being since it’s development in recent years. There is a growing body of evidence that discusses the negative effects of social media on humans psychologically. Fear of missing out (FOMO) and Likes Social media like Snapchat or Instagram encourages people to share videos with their friends when they have something to say or when they are doing something fun. However, this can become problematic in several cases, as it can lead to feelings of FOMO – anxiety associated with the fear of missing out on an experience that is rewarding (1). For example, someone who is feeling low or going through a difficult time, sees videos such as “Snapchat Stories”, regularly, of their friends doing fun things without them (2). Sometimes this portrayal on social media that seemingly everyone is having a better time and coping with life more easily, can be very constant and can encourage people feeling low to feel more isolated and fearful that they are missing out on key events. Another example could be during adolescence when people can suffer from low self-esteem and are trying to form friendships at school. Videos or photos shared on social media offer potentially accidental opportunities for teenagers to heighten someone’s insecurities. For example posting a lot of videos without a new member of a friendship group who could not attend the meet-up, or a person not receiving a lot of “Likes” on their selfie compared to their peers (3). Feelings of Inadequacy – Reality vs Insta-Reality It is human nature to compare yourself to those around you. This comparative behaviour that humans experience can lead to feelings of deep inadequacy when scrolling through apps such as Instagram. Through Instagram, with all its editing tools, people can present an image of reality that can be very difficult to replicate in real life. Social media allows everyone to select out the happy moments from their lives that they wish to share. The danger comes when people compare themselves or their lives to this airbrushed, all happy perfect reality that is presented online. This can make people feel very inadequate for experiencing normal universal human pitfalls for example having a bad skin day or going through a break-up. Studies have recently suggested that social media is linked with low self-esteem, anxiety and depressive symptoms (4). References include: 1. Dogan V. Why Do People Experience the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO)? Exposing the Link Between the Self and the FoMO Through Self-Construal. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2019;50(4):524-38. 2. Franchina V, Vanden Abeele M, van Rooij AJ, Lo Coco G, De Marez L. Fear of Missing Out as a Predictor of Problematic Social Media Use and Phubbing Behavior among Flemish Adolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(10):2319. 3. Wang R, Yang F, Haigh MM. Let me take a selfie: Exploring the psychological effects of posting and viewing selfies and groupies on social media. Telematics and Informatics. 2017;34(4):274-83. 4. Pantic I. Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2014;17(10):652-7.

Such an interesting opinion. I agree that social media has several negative effects. There are still positive elements to the sites, one being allowing people to connect with others who may live far away (i.e. this has been particularly useful during the pandemic). However, in many cases the negatives have outweighed what is good about social media. Perhaps, moving forwards the solution is not to just simply delete the sites but rather develop them so that they solve these negative attributes. One idea is to stop people being able to view how many likes a photo / post has been given (which Instagram has started to roll out in some selected countries).

Social media definitely has a lot of negative psychological effects, however I do think that the positive outcomes of social media outweigh the negatives. Firstly, you are very right about people comparing themselves to others on social media, but there are also many ways in which people build each other up on social media also, both friends (e.g. commenting nice things on a friends Instagram post) and strangers (e.g. your artwork receiving praise from people you don't even know on Tumblr). Additionally, there are many campaigns promoting self-love and not to compare yourself to others- campaigns which are mainly spread and continued through social media, such as #ImNoAngel and #LoseHateNotWeight [1]. Learning to be proud of who you are and not compare yourself to others is not the only thing social media teaches us. It can be extremely informative in other areas, such as educating us on current affairs. If it wasn't for social media, I for one would have never known about many things: how awful police brutality is in the USA for example, the UK government's unacceptable response to feeding schoolchildren, the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China, and, if it wasn't for Pinterest I would never have found out about feminism when I was fifteen years old either. This educational side of social media is also very helpful in making the world a better place. An example of this would be how awareness threads, GoFundMe pages, links to petitions, stream to donate videos, and more are spread around the world through social media. Not only does all this promote good causes, but also helps in terms of psychological effects as people start to see social media as a safe-space, a place of support, or a place for knowing that they are not alone, and that other people are going through similar experiences to them, or actively trying to support them. Even meme pages and social media sites such as Tiktok for example can provide comfort in times where you are feeling alone or are just in need of a laugh, or even just a funny cat video to give you a little serotonin (e.g. LGBTQ+ meme pages that queer people can laugh with and relate to when there may not be anywhere like this for them in real life). As mentioned before in this opinion, social media is also beneficial to your mental health due to the connections it creates. It can be argued that you can still keep in touch with people without social media through telephone calls etc, however, sometimes it can be easier and less nerve-wracking to just connect with faraway friends by messaging on a WhatsApp group chat for example, where more than one person can converse and there is less need to call everyone to catch up individually, which also fits in better with busy modern life. Social media does have it's many negative psychological effects, but the positives it can bring, not only in terms of improving one's mental health, but also educating and creating a sense of unity, greatly outweigh the negatives. [1] Erin McKelle in *Bustle*, April 15, 2015 (https://www.bustle.com/articles/75539-9-body-positive-social-media-campaigns-that-are-changing-how-we-perceive-beauty-both-in-and)

The psychological impact of social media is complex and varies depending on individual use and context. For: Mental Health Risks: Studies have linked excessive social media use to increased anxiety, depression, loneliness, and lower self-esteem, especially among young people. Addiction and Overuse: Social media platforms are designed to be addictive, which can lead to compulsive behavior and reduced real-world social interaction. Cyberbullying: Social media can facilitate harassment and bullying, leading to significant psychological harm. Against: Social Support: Social media can provide emotional support and connection, especially for marginalized groups or those isolated geographically. Awareness and Education: It offers access to valuable information, mental health resources, and positive communities. Individual Differences: Psychological effects depend on how users engage with social media; mindful and balanced use can mitigate negative impacts.