Internet Usage As Cause Of Mental Illness
In the past few years, the rate of developing mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and loneliness have all increased significantly. These mental illnesses are more prominent and usually observed in the lives of adolescents and adults (Stacie & Bearman 2001; Selfhout et al. 2009). The evolution of technology in this modern society has been proven to be one of the major contributing factors to the increase of mental disorders, as it allowed individuals to access the internet.Internet Usage As Cause Of Mental Illness
The daily use of internet has a direct correlation with the development of mental disorders such as depression and loneliness, as the rates of these illnesses increase with the daily usage of the internet (Selfhout et al. 2009; Shaw and Grant 2002). The internet can be viewed as a very beneficial resource as it consists of a wide range of opportunities; from researching studies, to discussing political opinions on twitter, and liking images on Facebook, the opportunities are endless. That being said, how is it that a beneficial resource such as the internet is considered as contributing factor to the developmental of mental illnesses? The constant use of the internet can result in an individual feeling loneliness, it also creates an introverted environment as it creates isolation between the individual and society itself, and finally it sets unrealistic beauty standards that harm the self-esteem of the younger generation, resulting in the development of depressive behavior, and loneliness (Selfhout et al. 2009; Morahan-Matrin and Schumacher 2003; Shaw and Grant 2002)
The internet can be viewed as a drug for most adolescents, not only can the usage be highly addictive but it is also something most individuals can not go through their day without using. Illnesses such as loneliness and depression are influenced by the amount of time spent on the internet (Morahan-Matrin and Schumacher, 2003). Lonely individuals whom may also be categorized as the social outcast in modern society are often found to be the ones who divert most of their time surfing the internet (Morahan-Matrin and Schumacher, 2003).
Furthermore, the two primary factors to why these individuals depend on internet usage are for emotional support and social interactions causing them to continuously surf the internet for hours trying to seek satisfaction (Morahan-Matrin and Schumacher, 2003). Although exploring the web for long hours may not be perceived as a harmful activity in society, the consequences with spending long periods online are harming the individual’s social competence and may cause them to have difficulty when trying to adapt in society (Morahan-Matrin and Schumacher, 2003; Selfhout et al. 2009). Loneliness is a feeling that can be attained by social isolation, as isolating oneself from society can result in losing any form of connection with reality (Morahan-Matrin and Schumacher, 2003). Additionally, it can weaken or disturb the relationship bonds between the individual and their family or friends (Morahan-Matrin and Schumacher, 2003; Bargh and Mckenna, 2004). The depressive feelings are a result of social isolation, the more isolated one becomes the greater the feeling of loneliness, and the higher the risk of developing depression (Matthews et al. 2016).Internet Usage As Cause Of Mental Illness
The internet can govern the relationship of an addicted internet user with their family or friends, in fact, it dictates how strong or weak the relationship can become. An individual who is frequently browsing the internet will most likely have a weaker face to face communication with the ones they have a close relationship with (Bargh & Mckenna, 2004). Not having any form of face to face communication can create an introverted environment, due to all forms of communication being done online. Constant online interactions are harmful as the person not only becomes introverted but will have problems when trying to interact in social situations (Bargh & Mckenna, 2004). This will further result in the individual being isolated from society as they will not be able to understand the societal norms of communication. The more an individual spends time online, the less time that person will be spending with family or in social activities. Face to face communication is crucial in order to avoid the development of loneliness and depression (Bargh & Mckenna, 2004; Stacie & Bearman, 2001).
Self-esteem consists of one’s perception of themselves, an individual with a good self-esteem would be categorized as confident in society, however, an individual with a lower self-esteem would be seen as insecure (Vogel et al. , 2014).
There are a countless amount of social media applications that are accessible with the use of the internet, these applications include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The social media applications consist of profiles which include personalized posts, videos, and pictures, and can be viewed as beneficial as they allow individuals to communicate with one another. However, it also gives individuals the opportunity to compare themselves with others regarding their appearance, and social life; this form of comparison can be destructive towards the one’s self-esteem (Vogel et al. , 2014). Popular social media applications such as Facebook has a direct correlation with the development of depression, as individuals spend an excessive amount of time on these applications often comparing their personal life with others, resulting in a lower self-esteem (Vogel et al. , 2014). Self-esteem is often associated with depression as those with lower self-esteem tend to be more depressed (Vogel et al. , 2014; Orth et al. , 2008). Social media also set ideal social standards of beauty and the individual features that are considered beautiful in society (Engeln- Maddox, 2006). These standards can be harmful to those who are constantly exposed to them which include all social media users, as it gives the opportunity for the comparison to occur between society’s beauty standards and the individual’s appearance. This form of comparison can be destructive as it can cause dissatisfaction with oneself (Engeln- Maddox, 2006). Depressive symptoms are frequently observed with individuals who are dissatisfied with their appearance and have low self-esteem (Engeln – Maddox, 2006).Internet Usage As Cause Of Mental Illness
In the modern society technology and the use of the internet can be very beneficial, and a useful resource. However, the easy accessibility of the internet can be harmful to the individual members of society who spend a significant time using it. Excessive usage of this useful resource creates an isolated community and encourages online communication thus reducing the amount of face to face communication (Bargh & Mckenna, 2004; Morahan-Matrin and Schumacher, 2003 ). Social isolation not only makes it difficult for this individual to integrate themselves into society but it also contributes to their development of mental illness such as depression and loneliness. The internet uses social media to set social standards of ideal beauty in society and that can affect the self-esteem of the individual users, and lower self-esteem about personal appearance causes one to experience depressive behavior (Engeln – Maddox, 2006). Although in society the internet is not seen as a harmful, it is indirectly affecting the individual users by slowly creating an introverted society filled with insecure introverted individuals. Internet Usage As Cause Of Mental Illness