social media

The podcast discusses the impact of social media on mental health, particularly in young adults. It explores the negative effects of platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook, such as increased anxiety, depression, and loneliness. The guest speaker, Justin, shares his experiences with social media and how it can influence emotions. They discuss the responsibility of social media companies and the need for user awareness and healthy usage. Suggestions are given on setting boundaries, being mindful of who you follow, and engaging in other activities to promote a healthier relationship with social media. Prioritizing mental health is emphasized. Hello everyone, my name is Maryam, and welcome to today's podcast. Today we'll be discussing a topic that affects almost all of us nowadays, social media and its impact on our mental health. As young adults, social media platforms have become an integral part of our lives, and while of course there are positive sides to it, the negative impact on mental health cannot be ignored. And so in today's podcast, we'll explore the research on this topic, discuss how social media affects us, and offer some tips on how to navigate the digital world in a healthy way. Joining me today is a special guest that I'm going to interview, Justin Tan, if you could go ahead and introduce yourself to the podcast. Hi, hello, my name is Justin, I'm from Singapore, I'm a friend of Maryam's, and I'm very happy to be here, very excited to be on this podcast. Great, Justin, so you're a Fordham University student as well, right? Yes, that's correct, I'm a freshman as well. Great, so as you already probably know, my podcast is about social media, so let's just go ahead and talk about social media in general. What are your most used apps on social media? I am chronically on Instagram, I'm sure you know. Of course. I'm sending you memes all the time. Of course. Sometimes you read them, sometimes you don't, but that's part of the joy. Do you think it has ever been so that your mental health has been affected by social media in a way? Well, I can't really say that it's really affected me in a very obvious way. I mean, it does play a very big role in my life. I think most of the time I scroll through it, it does make me feel certain emotions, like if I see things are funny, it makes me happy, but also, you know, you always get things that piss you off sometimes. I see bad news and my day is ruined. Well, there was once I lost my phone for about two weeks. Oh, I remember that. Yeah, I was completely off the grid. I had to use a paper map just to get around. But specifically for social media, it was tough. I was very indoctrinated to just use my phone, open up Instagram, and do that more. Now I actually have to talk to people. I know, it's crazy. I remember when you lost your phone, I feel like you were the saddest I've ever seen you. That was your lowest point in life. Oh, for sure. I was cut off from the world almost. It was quite refreshing in a sense, that I could survive without it, but at the same time, I knew that in the long run, I would have to get back to it. It's very much a part of my daily life. It makes sense. But going back to the topic of this podcast, on to the most research part of it. As we all know, there were numerous studies that found a link between social media and poor mental health in young adults. According to a study by the Royal Society for Public Health, apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook have been proven to increase anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Do you think this is true? How real do you think this is? I'd say I believe it to a certain degree. There are times as well, where I am as a single lady, I'm sure you know as well, 14th of February, you open up your Instagram, you will definitely feel lonely when you see all those happen. I know I do. A lot of times, it makes you compare yourself to other people. Oh yeah, for sure. I'm sure that if social media is setting you to unrealistic standards, unhealthy habits, then it's definitely going to be at least a contributor to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Also FOMO, I feel like the fear of missing out is a very troubling topic that's floating around. That was definitely a feeling that I was experiencing for those two weeks when I lost my phone. FOMO was a huge part of that. Do you think that companies, or do you think that there should be any regulations or guidelines for social media to protect young adults' mental health? Do you think they're responsible for that? I feel like it always takes two hands to clap. I believe that yes, ISD's platform should have at least a certain kind of appreciation of the amount of influence that they have on its users. But at the end of the day as well, I believe a lot of the responsibility lies on the user. I think the user should also be very aware of the effects of social media, how to use it properly, and how not to let it really control our lives. It's like that argument that they used to say that violent games make you a violent person. I feel like it takes two hands to clap. It's violent, but at the same time, it's really how you take it as the user. That's very true. I agree with that. Do you think that in a way, social media has changed the way we interact with people? Because I feel like a lot of people nowadays, for instance, genuine connections, the genuine connections that we're talking about, people are just like, oh, I'm just going to send them a text. You know how, oh, I'm going to come up to them and talk to them, and now it's just like, oh, I'm just going to send them a message, and that's it. That's how a lot of people just interact. Do you think it's an easier way, or is it just a kind of escape in a way that we don't have to interact anymore? I feel like, well, me personally, I was someone who always preferred in-person connections. I feel like, especially when you text, it's really convenient. A lot of things, like body language, nuance, it often gets lost in translation. Yeah, for sure. And it's definitely weird, like just the other day, I had to ask someone about texts, and it was the most awkward thing ever, because usually it's meant to be something that's very sincere, you walk up to the person, but now it's like, I just drop them a text. And it does feel a little insecure, but I also feel like it's just the way of the world now. There's not much we can really do about it, per se. Yeah, but there's also this trend, I guess, of going around, to be more genuine with, well, I guess, what you post. Like the app, for instance, Be Real, which is like, in a way, it's making us post real-time, basically, to be more genuine about what we're doing, and kind of desygnetize this idea that social media is a platform where we present ourselves as put together, and having everything like... So Be Real kind of just is supposed to break that. But I feel like, also, what do you think about Be Real, in general? I like it. I like the idea, you know? The whole message is like, you know, just be real in the moment. But at the same time, you know, the pathway to hell is always based on good intentions. And I feel like that's one of the things with Be Real, because how many times have you seen someone actually be very real? Exactly. Like, I feel like whenever I... As much as I want to be genuine in Be Real, every time I see the notification, I'm like, oh my god, I have to be doing something interesting. I have to sort of like... I can't just post myself in my bed, laying there, and just like, oh, okay. I think, in fact, it might be even worse, because now we're even trying to portray the facade of sincerity. We're trying to fake sincerity, and that's probably even worse than Instagram. Yeah. Yeah, did you ever consider taking a break from social media or anything of that sort? Not really. I mean, I've always... I've heard friends who've done it. Yeah, like a detox? Yeah, like a detox, electronic detoxes and stuff. Not really gone cold turkey, but I definitely try to hold back on it. Like, one thing I did try is for breakfast, and I try not to swim. I can't really promise you how successful that's been, but at least it leaves me that space to really just be with myself. Yeah. I feel like a lot of the time, we don't have enough time with just our thoughts. Yeah. Always scrolling. That's the common joke, right? Being left alone with your thoughts. Yeah, it's kind of scary. But how do you think we can... Do you think there's anything we can do as a society, as a collective, to just promote a healthier relationship with social media? Especially among young adults. I feel like it's the most... The people that are affected the most by this are young adults, for sure. Yeah, I think at least for me, the number one thing is just awareness. I think people need to know the effects and the influence that social media has on you, and I think with that, just the awareness really helps you to navigate and to really troubleshoot when you start to catch yourself. Like, hey, I've been doom-scrolling for three hours. Maybe I should go out, see some sun, touch some grass, take a shower. Yeah, for sure. So I think awareness is probably the number one tool, and actually, ironically enough, you could spread that awareness through social media. Another topic I want to touch upon is comparing yourself to others on social media. Okay, social comparison. I feel like that's such a... Also a really huge issue, but I don't know. Have you ever found yourself in a position where you're just like, oh, man, I wish that was me? Yeah, I mean, definitely. Sometimes if you're on a Friday night, you're alone, you have meetings with clients, and everyone is out, everyone's having a good time. I'm sure there are times where you feel like, damn, I wish I was there, too. But I think, at least for me, what really helped was this fact that once you really internalize the idea that everyone's really just trying to put their best face forward and their best foot forward, you start to realize that you are really only seeing the best parts of everyone's life. That's very true. So it's very easy for us to just kind of appreciate like, yeah, you know, but we are seeing the best of it. That's very true, yeah. Because I feel like social media is, I mean, at the end of the day, it's very fake, and it's very unreal, unrealistic. And I think we should always be aware of that, and a lot of the times we tend to forget about it, I guess. But yeah, so you're saying awareness is one of the most, one of the key factors. I believe so. I think if we empower our users with just more awareness and education of how to really deal and how to navigate this relationship with social media, I think this would lead to a lot more healthier relationships. I agree. I agree with that. All right. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Ram. I'm very happy to be here. Very happy to have you here. Have a nice day. To conclude this episode, I think we can all agree that social media has become an integral part of our lives. And we simply cannot just ignore its existence since it has so many benefits and has brought so many connections into today's world. However, I would like to include some personal tips on how to navigate a digital world in a healthy way and in a way that will not affect your mental health as much as it would in any other case. So if you're feeling overwhelmed by social media, the three most important things to do is, of course, to set boundaries. So limiting your screen time, especially before bedtime. And the second thing is to be mindful of who you follow and unfollow accounts that make you feel bad about yourself or trigger negative emotions because there's no need for you to feel like you compare yourself to someone, especially someone unrealistic. And last but not least, we have to remember to engage in other activities. So the most important thing is to find other hobbies and activities that make you happy and give you a sense of purpose. So I think the most important out of all of this is to have a life outside of social media and be aware that at the end of the day, who you present yourself to the public is the most important out of everything else. And remember, it's important to prioritize our mental health and well-being above everything else. Thank you for listening to today's podcast and I hope you enjoyed. Tune back in for more.