essay on social media destroying personal life

Social Networking

How your social media habits are damaging your relationships, are your social media activities causing real-life problems.

Posted August 9, 2023 | Reviewed by Davia Sills

• Individuals are spending more time than ever on screens and electronic devices.
• How people engage in social media can negatively impact real-life relationships with themselves and others.
• It's important to take steps to manage one's social media engagement and care for important relationships.

We’ve all participated in or witnessed social disconnection in action… people gathered together, with gazes fixed on screens rather than interacting with one another. Screens and social media have become a part of everyday life. Social media , at its best, has provided us with many ways to connect, interact and expand our social networks exponentially. In 2022, on average, people spent 152 minutes a day on social networking … slightly higher than the previous year’s 147-minute average.

Clearly, social media is on the rise. Not just how much, but where, when, and how we engage in social media could be negatively impacting our real-life relationships. Our relationships matter. Our deep connections and close social and romantic relationships with others are key to our happiness and longevity.

What’s the problem?

Though social media has become a part of our regular lives, in terms of our awareness of and our ability to manage the impacts of social media on our relationships—our relationships with the people in our lives and with ourselves—we have some catching up to do.

“Social Media Use and Its Impact on Relationships and Emotions” (Christensen, Spencer Palmer), a 2018 Brigham Young University study , found that: “the more time an individual spent on social media, the more likely they were to experience a negative impact on their overall emotional well-being and a decreased quality in their relationships.” The study also found that social media use negatively impacted interpersonal relationships due to: “distraction, irritation, and decreased quality time with their significant other in offline settings” and that participants reported increased “frustration, depression , and social comparison” related to their engagement in social media.

Driving intimate partner disconnection

According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study , 51 percent of people in a committed relationship reported that their partner is: “often or sometimes distracted by their cellphone while they are trying to have a conversation with them, and 4 in 10 say they are at least sometimes bothered by the amount of time their partner spends on their mobile device.”

Besides the disconnection resulting from screen distractions, partners can often feel threatened by real or imagined online third parties, including rekindled connections to former partners, habitual engagement with social media influencers, and habitual use of online pornography . These forms of engagement can lead to insecurities, an erosion of trust, and relationship breakdowns.

Feelings of low self-worth

Although it is not unheard of for people to share their struggles and hard times on their social media platforms, most people present an upbeat, curated—and sometimes highly filtered and photoshopped—that is to say, unrealistic—version of their lives to their online followers. “The Effects of Active Social Media Engagement with Peers on Body Image in Young Women” by Jacqueline Hogue and Jennifer S Mills, a 2019 York University body image study , concluded that comparisons “may lead to increased body concerns in young women.” When we compare ourselves to people with out-of-reach lifestyles, career success, beauty, or wealth, these comparisons can lead to feelings of low self-esteem and hopelessness.

It is important that we build awareness of how our social media habits impact our relationships—with ourselves and the people we care about—and that we take steps to manage and take care of our time, our energy, and our real-life relationships.

7 steps to creating healthier social media habits

If your online life is negatively impacting your relationships…

Listen to what the people in your life are saying to you about your social media habits. Observe their reactions to your decreased interactions.

Build awareness about your social media habits and engagement. Make an effort to track the amount of time you spend online for a week.

Create healthy boundaries around your online activities if you find you are spending too much time on social media. Scheduling brief times throughout the day to engage in social media and silencing notifications from social media apps could be a healthy first step in curbing over-engagement.

Put some distance between you and your devices daily. Go out for dinner, watch a movie, take a walk, or meet up with friends and leave your devices behind.

Prioritize your real-life relationships. Make an effort to stay mindful of how your actions and presence impact other people, and be engaged in person with friends, colleagues, and family members.

Unfollow unhealthy, unrealistic, attention -seeking social media influencers. Social media “models” and lifestyle influencers often present a false sense of who they are and set unrealistic goals and aspirations that can negatively impact your sense of self-worth or the self-worth of your partner.

Seek the help of a mental health professional if your social media engagement has led to feelings of low self-worth or depression or if your social media usage has become unmanageable.

Monica Vermani, C. Psych., is a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of trauma, stress, mood and anxiety disorders, and the author of A Deeper Wellness .

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When we fall prey to perfectionism, we think we’re honorably aspiring to be our very best, but often we’re really just setting ourselves up for failure, as perfection is impossible and its pursuit inevitably backfires.

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Is Social Media Ruining Your Life?

Examining How Social Media Affects Life Satisfaction

Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram – oh, my! Nowadays, it seems like everyone is on social media. However, the positives of social media are often overshadowed by the seemingly  endless negatives of the platforms . From addiction and mental health issues to jealousy and unhealthy comparisons, social media might be ruining our lives. This even causes some parents to want stricter legislation to protect kids on social media .

Those negative perceptions keep growing when you add the recent Facebook and Cambridge Analytica data scandals to the mix. This sparked a growing concern over the data that social media platforms keep on their users. Want to learn more about people’s perspectives on their social media data value? Find out how 3,000 adults responded when we asked them “ how much would you sell your social media data for? ”

Despite headlines insinuating that this is a common sentiment, how many people actually think negatively of social media?  We surveyed over 2,700 Americans about their digital habits and life satisfaction to see if social media is as bad as some say.  Keep reading to see what we found.

>> Learn More: The Data Big Tech Companies Have On You

Satisfaction Guaranteed?

Studies have found that the top five social media platforms – YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter – are associated with  bullying, body image issues, and even the fear of missing out , as well as being linked to depression and anxiety.  However, when asked about the effects of social media, 70.4% of people said it improved their life satisfaction.  But opinions – and negative consequences – weren’t equal for all.

FYI: Trying to stay informed to keep your kids safe from cyberbullying? Don’t miss our twenty crucial cyberbullying statistics for 2024 .

While gender and political affiliation had little variation in opinion, millennials and people in a relationship were the most likely to think social media worsened their life satisfaction. In fact, young people are significantly more susceptible to the negative aspects of social media. A  rise in mental health disorders among teens  has been linked to social media, and considering young adults make up the  majority of platform users  and are  highly influenced by social acceptance , it makes sense that their perceptions of social media would differ. This craving for social acceptance even causes some kids to partake in dangerous online challenges. We list the top 10 most dangerous online challenges so parents know what to look out for as their kids browse TikTok and other platforms.

For Better or Worse

Overall, those who claimed social media improved their lives were more likely to be men, baby boomers, Republicans, and from the South. Being married and having an associate degree also seemed to be linked to viewing social media in a more positive light.  On the other hand, those who believed social media worsened their lives were more likely to be women, millennials, Democrats, and from the Midwest.  Coinciding with their tendency to be younger, those with this negative belief were also more likely to be unmarried and have an incomplete college degree.

According to the Pew Research Center , women use Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest more than their male counterparts, while young adults use all social media sites more than those older than 50. Interestingly, those who had completed some college were more likely to use Facebook and Snapchat more than those who stopped at high school or completed a college degree or higher.

Our World Without It

The grass may always be greener on the other side, but when it comes to a world without social media – people weren’t too keen on the idea.  Nearly 60% of respondents said they would  not  prefer a society in which social media didn’t exist.  Nevertheless, millennials and Republicans were the most likely to say they’d prefer a world without social media, with 43.9% and 45% saying so, respectively. People who were not in romantic relationships were least likely to report this in comparison to married people —nearly half of whom preferred a society without it.

One might think that people who believe social media worsens life satisfaction would prefer a world without it, but 36.6% of people who reported this said they would not prefer a world void of social media. On the flip side, nearly a third of people who believed social media improved their lives would prefer a world without it, perhaps considering its negative effects on society a priority over the personal benefits they receive from it.

Satisfied in the South

Societal pressures and the negativity that stems from social media typically affect the population in its entirety. After all, Americans live in the same society and are subject to the same trends. But just as  cultures differ by region , so too do Americans’ opinions.  People living in the South were the most likely to believe social media improved their life satisfaction , while those in the Midwest were the least likely. However, the Midwest was the only region in which women were more likely than men to think positively of social media – compared to 62.4% of Midwestern men, 70.4% of women in the Midwest said social media improved their life satisfaction.

Country of Consequences

Flipping sides entirely,  people from the Midwest were the most likely to say social media worsened their life satisfaction , followed by those in the Northeast. While women in the South, Northeast, and West were more likely than their male counterparts to believe social media reduced their life satisfaction, men in the Midwest were more likely to believe this (41.2%).

However, there is no clear reason why people in the Midwest seem to have more negative experiences and perceptions of social media – for one, it isn’t necessarily because they have a worse quality of life than other regions. In fact, states in the South rank the lowest for well-being scores, yet are the least affected by social media’s negative aspects. For some, this may be because  social media is a type of escape , while others may view it as something from which they need to escape.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

There is no denying that there are pros and cons to social media. On the one hand, digital platforms bring people together, allowing them to keep in touch with family and friends. However, societal pressures can seep through posts – Instagram portrays unrealistic images, while Snapchat shows life highlights and alters face shapes. And while users may not notice these negatively affecting their self-esteem, stress, mood, and overall mental health, the consequences are ever-present.

While studies have found the negatives to be widespread, the majority of people don’t seem to notice them. Men, baby boomers, and those living in the South were more likely to see the positive sides of social media,  but Americans, as a whole, thought that social media improved their life satisfaction . But even among people who thought it worsened their life satisfaction, a society without social media didn’t seem to be the answer.

Methodology

We collected responses from 2,718 American respondents. 39.9% percent of our respondents identified as male, while 60.1% identified as female. The respondents were primarily millennials, with 53% of respondents between the ages of 23 and 38, another 36% of respondents were between the ages of 30 and 54, 6% between the ages of 55 and 75, and 5% reported as above the age of 75. Survey responses were self-reported and are, therefore, limited by self-reporting biases.

Fair Use Statement

There are plenty of plus sides to social media – one of which is talking about its effects. If you’d like to share our findings on perceptions of social media, the content and graphics found here are available for non-commercial reuse. Just don’t forget to link back to this page to give the authors proper credit.

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Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Life

Author _ Katherine Omerod

Publisher _ Cassell , 2018. 256 pp. Hardcover. £12.99. ISBN: 978-1-7884-0062-6.

Reviewer _ Sarah Grace Glover, Assistant Professor, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Collection Selector for Modern and Classical Languages and Spanish Departments, University of North Georgia

Katherine Omerod’s Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Life takes a cursory look into social networks and their effects on mental health and day-to-day life. As a fashion blogger who uses Instagram as the main source of her business, Omerod uses both personal accounts and academic research to address current issues and bad behaviors developed through frequent social network use. Omerod’s main argument is that social media exaggerates self-esteem and mental health issues. She discusses how social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram interact with the brain like an addiction. Each time we get a “like” from a picture or status we have posted, our brains receive a dopamine hit. She goes further to point out that social networking companies have created algorithms to keep our addiction alive; this is often done by limiting how many people see, and thus “like” our posts, as well as timing when the post is shown so we are continually refreshing our app for updates. As we become addicted to these networks, we also become addicted to curating our online image. With the advent of editing apps such as Facetune, it’s easy to get caught up in erasing our faults, causing us to be overly critical with ourselves, which can lead to body dysmorphia. And as often as we edit our own images, we tend to forget that others have done the same, which can lessen our self-esteem and heighten our sense of inferiority. Omerod’s advice to counteract these negative feelings often falls flat as she merely suggests “don’t let your digital persona overwhelm you” or to “cut yourself some slack” (56-57).

Omerod discusses how social networking sites have become a source of constant critique of how others live their lives—one of the most targeted groups is mothers. Social media has turned a watchful eye on how women choose to parent their children, whether it be using formula instead of breastfeeding or being a working or stay-at-home mom—social media users feel inclined to share their opinion. There is also constant comment and expectation on quickly losing baby weight and becoming fit. This pressure is unhealthy, both mentally and physically. New moms are under the extreme stress of taking care of an infant and often dealing with symptoms of postpartum depression. While social media does provide a community for new moms to share and connect, it doesn’t outweigh the images of stick-thin moms months after giving birth or silence the constant stream of “advice” from “friends.” Again, Omerod’s advice for dealing with this intrusiveness falls flat. She suggests you simply give yourself some space and ignore the haters.

Social media is now firmly centered not only in our social lives but our financial lives as well. Our posts are centered around filtered versions of ourselves, including how we spend our money. Images of high-end meals and cocktails or run-throughs of our new shopping spree or exotic vacations make users seem relevant and as if everyone around us is living a life of luxury. It can put added financial stress on users to seem up-to-date when they are only scraping by financially. These stressors contribute to the false narrative we present through our posts; often these vacations or work trips are stressful and not the pleasurable time we post about (179). The other side is influencers, who are being paid to post ads. Many celebrities or celebrity bloggers can make all of their income from endorsing products on Instagram. This turns into its own debacle of pay based on your follower counts.

While others are seemingly jet-setting around the world for their glamorous jobs, those of us left behind in the cubicle are left to follow online (190). The temptation to check your phone repeatedly throughout the work day greatly affects workplace performance. Taking frequent breaks from work to check social media accounts rewires our brains’ functioning and thus creates a big issue with attention deficit. If we are constantly rewarding ourselves with little media breaks we are interrupting our workflow and harming our attention span. Soon we start reaching for the phone and taking these quick breaks without even noticing it.

We have all noticed the infiltration of political opinions on media feeds. Social media has offered the opportunity to share opinions with a safe distance between us and our followers. This has led to people being much more open and vocal about political beliefs, but at the same time much more closed-minded and hostile to opposing beliefs. As we learned with this past election, users seem very willing to post articles that align with their own beliefs without checking the validity of the source. The spread of fake news is as alarming as the people who believe it even when confronted with its faults. Facebook is a free app; it makes its money from selling user data. So it’s no surprise that they cashed in on the windfall of the 2016 election, selling data and posting user targeted ads regardless of the intent behind the ad. After the election, many American Facebook users admitted that the Facebook ads and articles they were shown influenced their voting decisions.

It is important to note that Omerod herself is an Instagram fashion blogger who builds her career on her social media presence, and while she offers insightful thoughts she ultimately gives no concrete solutions for today’s problems with social media. Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Life is easily digestible for all readers and suitable for anyone with a surface interest in social media.

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Social Media — The Impact of Social Media on Personal Relationships

The Impact of Social Media on Personal Relationships

• Categories: Effects of Social Media Social Media

About this sample

Words: 654 |

Published: Feb 7, 2024

Words: 654 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The deductive argument, examining premise 1: reduced face-to-face interaction, examining premise 2: diminished quality of personal relationships, evaluating the conclusion.

• Premise 1: Excessive use of social media leads to reduced face-to-face interaction and communication with loved ones.
• Premise 2: Reduced face-to-face interaction diminishes the quality of personal relationships.
• Conclusion: Therefore, excessive use of social media leads to a decline in the quality of personal relationships.

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