Impacts of Social Media on the Mental Health of Young Adults
Today, social media is a popular medium that young adults use. Besides the fact that this media can be used for communication, it is also used to market ideas and information. Social media are a high target today for companies that want to market their items and people who want to market their ideas. Since there are few restrictions, this media is a hub of every kind of information. Young adults use social media frequently, and many studies have been done to evaluate the impact this media has on users. It is also important to study the impacts of social media on young adults while considering the role that the spiral of silence theory plays in mental health. The spiral of silence theory holds that when many people support a given idea, those few with contrary ideas tend to be silent to avoid isolation. This study underpins its argument that many young adults are affected mentally by the state of silence. Hence, this research proves that social media causes mental health issues like depression or lack of self-esteem because of the isolated struggle to conform. Those who conform struggle to fit in, and the remaining minority are pushed to resist. Do you need help with your assignment ? Contact us at eminencepapers.com.
Spiral of Silence Theory and How It Manifests
Spiral of Silence is best told through the story of an emperor who walked into the city, believing that he had a unique dress made for him by the best weavers. Even though the emperor was necked, no one said it since the majority told him that he was dressed up. Hans Christian Andersen told this story, and through it, the spiral of silence is seen as the pressure that pushes people to agree with the majority even when they have an alternative perspective. According to Neubaum and Krämer (2017), Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann is the author of this theory, which is used widely in understanding how the media industry is working and helps psychologists connect to the impact of this industry on the masses. In explaining this theory, Chen (2018) states that people are often willing to share their opinions with others only when they are sure that the majority in the group will likely agree with their opinion. However, whenever a person feels that their opinions differ, they tend to remain silent and keep their thoughts to themselves. Dalisay (2012) continues to explain that the decision to remain silent is influenced by a factor related to the human mental state. Specifically, Noelle-Neumann realized that since humans are social, they dislike isolation and thus will do what they can to avoid isolation and remain a part of a group. Therefore, people’s desire not to be isolated influences the decision to remain silent.
The model below shows how an individual with a divergent opinion may be motivated to speak at the initial part of the spiral. However, this person begins to drift because they do not want to be isolated, and eventually, the person remains silent. Also, the spiral can help explain that at the beginning of public opinion, there are many people with divergent opinions. Still, as public opinion becomes more popular, the minority opinion population diminishes to zero.
Examining The Effects Of Social Media On The Mental Health Of Young Adults Through The Lens Of The Spiral Of Silence
The Connection Between Social Media And The Spiral Of Silence
To better understand this argument section, it is important to begin by highlighting the connection between social media and the spiral of silence. The first connection seen in the research by Dalisay (2012) is that social media feeds the spiral and encourages silence. Many believe that social media has created a platform where people can speak freely. Also, there is a popular belief that since people can enjoy anonymity within social media, there is freedom for people to give their opinions even if these opinions conflict with popular beliefs. These observations are partly true, but they are not the dominant trends. Social media’s influence on young adults’ minds is undeniable. The youth and other people in society use social media as their source of knowledge to learn new trends. When using the context of this theory, one can conclude that social media shapes many people’s perceptions of society. Thus, it feeds the users, mainly the youth, with propaganda. Moreover, through features in the media, such as people’s reaction to information on Facebook using “Likes,” “Love,” and “Dislike,” social media tends to persuade people to lean towards a given direction. In other words, the more people like an idea, the more it is almost impossible to dislike the same popular idea. Similarly, social media feeds people propaganda because it encourages them to like something. The idea they use in this case is to disseminate the same information repeatedly so that the masses become familiar with that information.
Chen (2018) has explained the role of social media using the example of the rise of Nazism in Germany. In their explanation, Neubaum and Krämer (2017) stated that propaganda through the media was a very effective tool that the Nazis used to pursue the population and have Germans support the regime. It is evident if the media successfully influenced people’s minds to take a certain direction. Those who were opposed to the idea remained silent. In the same way, social media is used today to convince people to support certain popular ideas, and those with opposing opinions remain silent. As already seen, silence results from the fear of isolation. In other words, social media keeps feeding the Spiral of Silence by spreading certain ideas that are considered popular. Once these ideas are popularized, those who do not support them are isolated. As will be seen in the next section with examples, the more social media feeds the Spiral of Silence, the more social media users who are young adults encounter mental illnesses. Essentially, the desire to be like others, be a part of the majority, and avoid isolation results in mental illnesses. Those thrown into isolation also suffer mental illnesses; the same happens to those pressured to support popular ideas.
How Does The Connection Between Social Media And The Spiral Of Silence Cause Mental Illnesses?
In a study by Chen (2018), the researchers discovered that social media significantly influences how youth perceive themselves. As such, present-day young adults want to emulate what they see on social media. The study revealed that in many cases, young people want to be like their peers, but these young adults also want to be like the celebrities and the characters they follow on social media. Therefore, there is no doubt that social media strongly influences youth. The post retrieved from Elite Daily’s Facebook page is the best example of how social media could popularize unpopular ideas. This post features a lady applying red lipstick with her mouth somehow seductively opened. Then, a man’s face is suggestively squeezed on her face. Below the image are the words, “8 reasons to fall in love with the girl who rocks red lipstick” (Guerrero, 2015). This social media post seems to display ladies sexually. In other words, it objectifies women and makes them seem as though their primary characteristic is their sexual nature. Therefore, even though this image may have negative interpretations in various contexts, the post received more than 4,000 likes and was shared by more than 1,000 people (Guerrero, 2015). The number of people who liked this post and the number of people who shared the post shows how social media is creating a Spiral of Silence. In such a scenario where many people support this post, it becomes difficult for others to dislike it. Moreover, the more such posts are put on social media and people give a positive review, the more they become popular, and the more they gain support, the more the opposed population reduces.
Figure 1: social media posts that get shared like crazy (Source: Guerrero, 2015)
The second artifact is a YouTube video, The Percocet & Stripper Joint (Official Video), an example of many other music videos of the same kind. This video features strippers and alcohol and drug abuse. Such music videos are very popular today and are gaining support from young adults. These videos’ support and positive reception hinder any negative opinions. From the video, one can see that all the comments are positive, and one specific comment by one of the fans indicates that they were influenced into the use of drugs by this video (Future, 2016). Therefore, it shows that this media is creating a Spiral of Silence regarding morality. As a result, social media is expanding the number of people who are normalizing vices like the abuse of drugs and alcohol and irresponsible sex.
Like the previous artifact, the third artifact also stresses that social media affects young people’s mental health because several socially unacceptable things are normalized on social media. This artifact is a specific Instagram post that features a celebrity musician posting nude photos (SWNS, 2022). The result is that a larger population embraces this trend, while another population feels it is not right. However, it is often rare to find a few who oppose such posts (Chen, 2018). In cases where some oppose these posts, the majority overshadow them. When such actions become normal, many young people also make an effort to post such videos and pictures. Some will desire to spend money on their body to post nude photos and videos. Also, some will shun such behavior and then become isolated. The isolated group may end up in a state of lower self-esteem. This celebrity’s post on Instagram is an example that can be used to explain how social media is feeding the Spiral of Silence on the subject of ethical or unethical conduct. Many people post nude pictures and videos on social media, and society is accepting this as a social norm. The moment such conduct becomes normalized, self-esteem issues emerge.
Medium Theory
The medium theory is a set of approaches that are used by scholars in the media industry to describe the different meanings found in a message. This theory holds that a message’s meaning differs based on the medium used. The assumption made by this theory is that the medium is not only a channel for communication but also influences the environment where communication takes place and thus enables communication to happen (Friesen, 2010). This trend affects the meaning of the communicated ideas. In other words, these changes can also mean a change in the meaning of the communicated information. The media features in this theory play a crucial role in determining the interpretation of the message (Zhu, 2022). Even though this theory was developed way before the present-day internet and social media, it has effectively explained social media and its impacts on society today. Initially, the media was meant to pass information, but there was a lack of knowledge, and the machines and technology needed to spread information were missing. However, the massive spread of information began after more people got literacy knowledge and new publishing methods. The theory clearly explains how media can influence people by propagating information.
Friesen (2010), therefore, reveals that when McLuhan stated that the media is the message, which means that to him, the message did not matter; what mattered was the medium that carries the message and its impact on people’s conscience. This scholar believed that the nature of the media affected the content that the media carried. McLuhan used the example of a bulb and explained that media is like a bulb with no content, but when the bulb gives light, it changes its environment and the people around it (Friesen, 2010). Hence, a bulb can be compared to content-less media, which can change the way people think, the knowledge they acquire, and the skills considered important. According to this scholar, media is not a tool but a conveyor that conveys messages to the environment, thus leading to social effects (Zhu, 2022). McLuhan was interested in how media and the technology within it change and affect society.
When this theory is used within this context, it means that social media is examined for its impacts on society. Currently, social media has become very dependable. Many people, especially young people, prefer getting information from social media as opposed to getting news from traditional sources. This is a form of dependability. Also, social media is found to be addictive and thus occupies people’s time. This change in behavior is seen through statistics that show how much time people spend using social media. Some data has shown that most people spend more than eight hours on social media, such that there is increased dependence. Other changes include increased connectivity, resulting in cultural exchange between people across nations.
Examining the Effects of Social Media on the Mental Health of Young Adults through the Lens of Medium Theory
The Connection between Social Media and Medium Theory
Social media is a medium that is identified in a general context. However, from the perspective of this theory, social media can be understood as an agent of change in society. Social media has changed society significantly in terms of how people communicate, how information is spread, how marketing is done, and how people adopt foreign cultures (Zhu, 2022). Social media, which is supported by the internet, has made it easier for people to communicate. Moreover, the methods of communication have changed. For instance, today, people can communicate through video calls, audio calls, and text messages simultaneously. The most outstanding thing is that the speed at which communication takes place today is very high, which also impacts society’s behavior (Roncallo-Dow & Scolari, 2016). The impact is an increased dependency on social media as a means of communication. Also, distance is reduced, making transactions and interactions possible over long distances. This means that people can exchange ideas and even share the same moments in distant places. For instance, through sharing pictures and videos and real-time communication like video calls, people can share moments even when at a distance. Within this same context, social media has increased the level at which people believe the information contained on social media. Through these changes, social media reaffirms this theory that the media affects people’s lives.
Also, social media has changed the way marketing and advertisement are done. Decades ago, marketing was done through traditional media like newspapers and television. However, today, companies are reaching their target market through social media, a platform millions use (Roncallo-Dow & Scolari, 2016). The fact that this is the media used to market products means that companies can market the right products to the right people (Zhu, 2022). Most companies use data mining to identify their target population’s products and services of interest. The result is that access to products of interest is easier, and there is increased competition and pressure on companies. Another attitude affected by media here is the speedy shelf life of items.
Social media has also transformed how people behave towards news from traditional media. Many people tend to believe news from social media and other digital media, especially when broadcast in real time. As such, attitudes towards the traditional media have changed because people rarely trust news from these traditional media.
How Does The Connection Between Social Media And The Spiral Of Silence Cause Mental Illnesses?
Having understood that media is a tool for change, it is now evident that the change brought about by social media is the source of mental illness among the youth. A study by Karim et al. (2020) showed that social media is responsible for lack of sleep, leading to depression and insomnia among the youth. This study confirms McLuhan’s hypothesis that the media changes people’s lives. Therefore, social media has created increased dependence, which, in turn, leads to several hours spent on social media. The result is less sleep, which has a negative side effect on the youth’s mental health. Social media is also responsible for social media addiction. Studies conducted by Doan et al. (2020) have shown youth social media addiction. Social media addiction in itself is a psychological issue that again proves McLuhan’s theory on how social media changes the environment, and the change in the environment results in mental illnesses among the youth. The pressure of the exchange of information and culture on the internet is also responsible for self-esteem issues and mental illnesses.
Conclusion
Social media today is popular media among young adults. Even though almost everybody uses it, the young adult is the group impacted the most by this media. This group uses this media to communicate but, most importantly, to gather information. Since it is a widely used media, it is also a tool used to popularize certain ideas. Some popularized ideas are not supported by a minority who, over time, become silent and keep their opposing opinion to themselves. This situation is referred to as a state of silence. As explained in theory, the state of silence happens when one rivaling idea becomes popular and gets support from many people in society. To an extent, those with opposing ideas remain silent because they fear isolation. It is this state of silence that is characterized by fear of isolation that is causing mental illnesses among young adults. Through the discussion, three things are noted. Firstly, some do not want isolation, so they join the majority. This population suffers from mental illnesses because they struggle to “fit in,” yet the process of fitting in is expensive. Secondly, another group is pressured to support the popular idea. This group of young people also undergo mental illnesses because they feel forced to do what they do not want. Thirdly, some are then isolated because they refuse to support the idea. This group also ends up having mental issues because they are rejected.
References
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Chen, H. T. (2018). Spiral of silence on social media and the moderating role of disagreement and publicness in the network: Analyzing expressive and withdrawal behaviors. New Media and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818763384
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Dalisay, F. S. (2012). The Spiral of Silence and Conflict Avoidance: Examining Antecedents of Opinion Expression Concerning the U.S. Military Buildup in the Pacific Island of Guam. Communication Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2012.704567
Doan, L. P., Le, L. K., Nguyen, T. T., Nguyen, T. T. P., Le, M. N. V., Vu, G. T., Latkin, C. A., Ho, C. S. H., Ho, R. C. M., & Zhang, M. W. B. (2022). Social Media Addiction among Vietnam Youths: Patterns and Correlated Factors. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(21), 14416. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114416
Future. (2016). The Percocet & Stripper Joint (Official Video). YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaWdMrmEhDA
Gearhart, S., & Zhang, W. (2018). Same Spiral Different Day? Testing the Spiral of Silence across Issue Types. Communication Research, 45(1), 34–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650215616456
Guerrero, A. (2015) 10 Types of Visual Social Media Posts That Get Shared Like Crazy. Jeff Bullas. Retrieved from https://www.jeffbullas.com/10-types-of-visual-social-media-%09posts-that-get-shared-like-crazy/
Karim, F., Oyewande, A. A., Abdalla, L. F., Chaudhry Ehsanullah, R., & Khan, S. (2020). Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 12(6), e8627. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.8627
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Roncallo-Dow, S., & Scolari, C. A. (2016). Marshall McLuhan: The possibility of re-reading his notion of medium. Philosophies, 1(2), 141-152.
SWNS (2022). The shocking number of people have sent nude photos, poll finds, New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2022/09/13/shocking-number-of-people-have-sent-%09nude-photos-poll-finds/.
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Question 
You are to choose one or more media artifacts to analyze (possibly 2-3 advertisements, videos, newscasts, Facebook posts, etc…). Remember, you must apply one of the communication/media theories from the theories module. Be sure to utilize a minimum of 6 peer-reviewed sources.
Impacts of Social Media on the Mental Health of Young Adults
Theories:
Spiral of Silence Theory (Noelle-Neumann)
Due to the enormous power of the media, the media have a lasting effect on public opinion. Mass media work simultaneously with majority opinion to silence minority beliefs on cultural issues. A fear of isolation prompts those with minority views to examine the beliefs of others. Individuals who fear being socially isolated are prone to conform to what they perceive as a majority view. Every so often, the silent minority raises its voices into activism.
Medium Theory (McLuhan)
Society has evolved as its technology has evolved. From the alphabet to the Internet, we have been affected by and affect electronic media. In other words, the medium is the message. The laws of media—enhancement, obsolescence, retrieval, and reversal—demonstrate that technology affects communication through new technology.