Relationship between Instagram and depression in young adults

Relationship between Instagram and depression in young adults

Depression and anxiety have adverse consequences for adolescents. The WHO shows a considerable 20% of children and adolescents worldwide experience mental health problems associated with depression and anxiety. The prevalence of depression among young people has increased by 75% for the past 25 years, according to the Royal Society for Public Health and Young Health Movement. Various studies associate the rise in depression among the youths to self-esteem and the daily use of the internet and social media. Social media to the study refers to various internet-based networks such as Instagram, where people connect with others electronically. The study interest arises in investigating how Instagram use prevalence among the youths leads to loss of self-esteem, which, in turn, results in depression. The study seeks to answer the question of how Instagram use and addiction lead to depression through the loss of self-esteem among youths.

Literature Review

Fundamental researches have immensely shown the correlation of depression and the addiction of social media among the youths to depression but fail to connect or attribute self-esteem to social media interaction among adolescents. For instance, a systematic review conducted by Keles et al. (2019) shows the influence of social media on depression in various studies. Soma of the results showed a negative relationship between social media use and depression levels among an Australian population of youths. Also, Keles et al. (2019) also found a correlation among adolescents actively using social media as a contributor to depression among teenagers. The study finds no data on explaining the increase in youth’s psychological morbidity concerning Instagram use. It only explains it in terms of the thought experiences and how they limit the teens in socialization. However, the notion of social media limiting socialization and causing depression lacks ground since the network also provides a platform for the youths to connect with others globally and share their thoughts. Also, the study done on epidemiological studies to depression in children and adolescents through the low mood and feeling questionnaire tends to attribute the increase in low moods of adolescents to use of social media and correlates this to the significant depression levels among the adults. Adequate testing models have tested the direct and indirect effects of self-esteem showed a 20% prediction of the self-esteem and social media addiction to the daily use of the internet (Kircaburun, 2016). However, significant research provides immense knowledge but only draws a correlation conclusion and fails to explain why Instagram causes depression. The study is, however, aimed at providing more insights to these results through analytical research of how addiction to Instagram causes Instagram and thus helps the research in making substantial causation conclusions instead of linking it with other factors.

Causation of depression from Instagram

Through analysis and review of the different articles concerning depression and Instagram, the study seeks to highlight the causation of depression while using the available correlation data to generate evidence-based research. Conclusion of the causation is made through the vulnerability model that defines the relationship between depression and the various causation factors such as the sleepless night, Fear of missing out (FOMO), bullying, among other aspects (Macmillan, 2017). The finding finds solid reasoning of the causes regarding the use of Instagram, with the girls being the most affected among the youths compared to the boys at their ages. This confirms that there is a relationship between Instagram use and depression cases among adolescents.

Instagram, one of the most used social media platform, has caused interaction of youths on a one on one basis very limited with most teenagers keeping to themselves. The physical human interaction helps develop empathy, and thus the lesser connected to the physical, social interaction, the less one gets to enjoy the empathetic ways of relating, which makes one get relieved of their issues and feel better (Miller, 2020). The onset of technology use had very few cases of depression among the youths as compared to the current generation, which is widely using social media. However, the relation of Instagram use to depression may provide inconclusive information on levels of depression since also some of those who use social media also interact with others. However, the question to guide in understanding the situation is how does Instagram changes a person’s perception and leads to depression.

Fear of Missing Out

On Instagram, most people have a double life. The lives they portray on social media are different than what they have in ordinary life. Most people represent a very extravagant life and comfortable life. The effect is not necessarily changing the self-esteem of users but changes the perception of the person on the reality of life. A United Kingdom’s Royal Society for Public Health study among 1479 youths aged between 14 and 24 showed that the al platforms scored well on the issue concerning self-identity, self-expression community, and emotional support issues relating to mental problems (Macmillan, 2017). In 2014 alone, 2.8 million American adolescents between the age of 12 and 17 experienced episodes of depression (Kircarburun, 2016). However, among the platforms, Instagram scored negatively for affecting sleep quality and body image and other issues affecting the mental health of a person. This explains why self-esteem is not a cause of depression factors in social media platforms.

Lack of enough sleep

Instagram users who spend more time on their accounts spend less time sleeping, affecting their mental health, and thus become more prone to developing depression. When exposed to stress conditions under the state, they do not know how to handle the situation and therefore develop depression. Consequently, Instagram is one of the platforms which affect the mental health of the youths significantly. The unrealistic life portrayed on Instagram affects the state of mind. Many users start living in the fantasist of Instagram life, as evidenced by their celebrities and friends. In a bid to stay connected and not to feel left out, they start living the lying life and make it their realist world and mostly keep up on Instagram to update their lies. However, ones the reality of the situation hits them, most enter a denial state and fail to accept the fact hence leading to depression formation in them since they cannot afford to finance the fantasy life on Instagram in the real world of experience. Instagram though correlated with depression and self-esteem, but the causation factor of the depression through Instagram is the feelings that promote comparison and despair attitude of a person, making them what to keep up with the lifestyle of their friends or others on Instagram.

Various research also provides a discrepancy in the depression levels among the sexes regarding Instagram use. According to (Campbell), 2019 girls are more likely to suffer from Instagram related depression than the boys. 7.5% of 14-year old girls suffered online harassment compared to 4.3% of the boys of the same age, with 35.6% of girls experiencing depression having suffered bullying online (Macmillan, 2017). Girls tend to use Instagram more than the boys and are the most likely to become affected by the need for identity, proving affecting attitude among their friends. Most of the girls suffering from depression likewise spend less time sleeping and more hours on Instagram. Girls tend to take a picture and to post them on Instagram. Some to attain a certain level of lifestyle tend to borrow clothes that are fancy from their friends and take any moment in making anything looking expensive, such as cars and post on their Instagram. Most of the Instagram users put more value on the number of likes they get and struggle to gain more likes. The run for likes on Instagram and other social media platforms creates a fake life, which, in turn, causes depression when one comes back to the reality of life.

Recommendations

However, in the future aspect of how Instagram can have beneficial aspects to individuals, and society should become explored. Most of the research is about the effects of Instagram undermining also their significant inputs in creating awareness and conduct of business. The same girls who exhibit levels of depression also find economic value in the run for likes by being hired by companies to carry out their promotional marketing. However, much is needed to change the aspects of fake life worth on these platforms since it is the number one causation aspect of levels of depression since it defines a person changing their attitudes.

References

Campbell, D. (2019). Depression in girls linked to higher use of social media. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jan/04/depression-in-girls-linked-to-higher-use-of-social-media.

Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2019). A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal Of Adolescence And Youth, 25(1), 79-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851

Kırcaburun, K. (2016). Self-Esteem, Daily Internet Use, and Social Media Addiction as Predictors of Depression among Turkish Adolescents. Files.eric.ed.gov. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1112856.pdf.

Macmillan, A. (2017). Why Instagram Is the Worst Social Media for Mental Health. Time. Retrieved from https://time.com/4793331/instagram-social-media-mental-health/.

Miller, C. (2020). Does Social Media Cause Depression? | Child Mind Institute. Child Mind Institute. Retrieved from https://childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/.