The Digitalization of Our Social Lives is Damaging Mental Health

We increasingly live online—it’s no surprise the mental health crisis grows in size and scope each year.

More than  7 of every 10 Americans use social media for connections, news, sharing information or entertainment, according to Pew Research Center. As Gen Z and millennials comprise bigger portions of America’s population, and older generations become more regular users of social media, that share only grows each year. We outsource sharing memories to Instagram and Snapchat, letting friends know about a new job on LinkedIn, discussing politics on Facebook and X, and entertaining ourselves through short clips on YouTube and TikTok. 

None of it replaces the benefits to our mood and emotional wellbeing that face-to-face interaction does.

The more life-like communication is, the less lonely and sad people are, and the more affectionate, supported and happy they feel, according to a study conducted by researchers at Bryn Mawr College. Using the Covid-19 pandemic to analyze how different forms of communication impact wellbeing, they found that face-to-face communication was leaps and bounds better than even the next best thing, like a video call.

Socializing is arguably the most important thing someone can do for their mental health. In a recent study published in Scientific Reports last year, face-to-face communication was found to be the best predictor of someone’s mental health during the pandemic—out-ranking age, physical activity and gender. It also beat all forms of digital communication, including speaking on the phone, texting or emailing, and video calling.

“Despite living in a highly technological world, particularly in industrialized western nations, the numerous technological devices and services available cannot replace the mental health and well-being benefits of in-person communication,” the researchers concluded.

Of course, work-from-home and social norms make constant face-to-face socializing harder, or simply less accessible. 

Many people moved out of cities during the pandemic and now often have to drive somewhere to meet with friends or see people outside their immediate household. Less in-office working means less conversations, including all those random interactions while getting lunch or seeing people you don’t immediately work with. 

The expectation to post heavily on social media, or constant triggers to respond to online discourse, lowers your likelihood of discussing with people in the real-world—where views are often tempered from the extremes found online. 

There’s a range of consequences of spending too much time on your phone or computer, outside just having less opportunity for in-person contact.

They include:

• Sleep deprivation 

• Lower self-esteem

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Illusory sense of reality

• Impaired socialization skills

So when you do finally meet people in public, you’re tired, drained, awkward and want to or recede back to your screen.

It can be difficult to notice or realize when you’re missing out on face-to-face communication. Often, the negative impacts of social media and screen time creep up on us, slowly but steadily eating away at our mental health.

Mental Health Technologies helps primary care physicians, mental health providers and other healthcare specialists identify, track and refer for mental conditions. Growing anxiety, or increasingly dealing with more severe or regular bouts of depression, can be caught and discussed with your provider before it becomes too big of a drag on your day-to-day life.

Our platform can track if patients are improving or regressing in certain areas as they begin treatment, providing an effective means for monitoring symptom relief. For clinicians, we can help you send patients assessments, upload results into your EHR, notify you of high-risk answers and make referrals on your behalf.

MHT also tracks & uploads subsequent test results performed by referred specialists. To learn more about how the MHT service works, contact us here, today.

Resources:

1. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/

2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-34957-4