A literature review is a descriptive summary of research on a topic that has previously been studied. It should provides readers the particular context of your research topic and inform them of the significant knowledge and ideas that have been established on the topic. 

By completing this assignment, you should be able to:

• Identify and formulate an inquiry question that defines what you'd like to research
• Apply your knowledge on reading research that you've learned in class
• Analyze information found in educational journal articles
• Synthesize new knowledge into a written literature review

 

Literature Review

Impact of Social Media on People’s Psychological Well-being

            Social media is one of the popular communication media in contemporary society. According to Best et al. (2014), the most popular social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snap Chat. Even though social media transformed many aspects of society, such as how people communicate, gather data, and interact, it has its set of downsides. Best et al. (2014) supports this position by intimating that extended social media use positively and negatively affects adolescents’ well-being. A person’s well-being generally denotes their psychological and physical wellness. According to Best et al. (2014), many teenagers spend extended periods going through their social media accounts. They use platforms such as Facebook to communicate and interact with family members and friends.

Isolation emanating from the lack of sufficient human contact can adversely affect an individual's mental health. At times, such isolation can lead to the development of mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. Many adolescents use social media as a way of escaping such isolation, considering these platforms give them a chance to connect regularly and easily with friends and family members. The net effect of this is that teenagers gain access to social support systems, which they can use to overcome any problems they might be facing. Swist et al. (2015) agree with Best et al. (2014) that social media use has numerous benefits for people's well-being. According to Swist et al. (2015), social media plays a pivotal role in society since it has enhanced the quality of interpersonal relationships. Individuals no longer have to expend considerable resources and time traveling to meet up with loved ones to celebrate important moments together.

Facebook, for instance, has a feature referred to as Facebook Live, which allows users to rope in family members during important celebrations such as birthdays, weddings, and funerals. Swist et al. (2015) further postulate that such features allow an individual's loved ones to observe and actively participate in the celebrations. The ease with which people can connect and come together to celebrate important moments in their lives helps enhance their friendship and familial bonds. Stawarz et al. (2019) posit that social media can be a beneficial tool, especially when combating psychological disorders. Most people use social media because it adds some entertainment value to their lives. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, give users access to vast entertainment content.

When a person has a long and stressful day at work or in school, they can go to these platforms and scroll through them. Going through the entertainment materials present on these platforms improves their mental well-being by relieving their stress levels. The net effect is that it lowers the risk of such persons developing other serious mental ailments, considering stress is a major precursor of psychological disorders. Although McCrae et al. (2017) agrees with Best et al. (2014) and Swist et al. (2015) that social media has numerous benefits, it has its set of downsides.  Social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook have features that allow users to post not only pictures but also see the comments other users post on such pictures. McCrae et al. (2017) argue that even though these features are perceived as innovative, they put users' psychological well-being in jeopardy. This is because when a user posts a picture or video and does not gather the likes or comments they hoped for, and instead they get bullied, their self-esteem will be adversely affected.

Once this happens, their risk of suffering from psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety will increase. Chester et al. (2020) also posit that social media is quite addictive, forcing people to spend considerable periods going through the various platforms. When people spend extensive periods on social media, they often become anxious and stressed when they spend time away from this digital environment. A study conducted by Rosen in 2014, involving college students, who were forced to spend one hour away from their devices, points to the adverse impact the digital environment has on student’s mental health (Gordon et al., 2021). The study found out that the more time the participants spent away from their devices the more stressed and anxious they became. Furthermore, some of them showed symptoms of a phenomenon Rosen referred to as “phantom pocket vibration” (Gordon et al., 2021). It is an outcome witnessed when an individual mistakenly assumes that their phone is vibration, an aspect that then forces them to check the device, although such vibrations never took place.

Impact of Social Media on People’s Physical Health

Another adverse effect of social media addiction is sleep deprivation. Spending too much time navigating through social media can prevent users from getting sufficient sleep (Chester et al., 2020). When this happens, people become physically inactive, and at times they suffer from sleep deprivation. Lack of sufficient sleep and inactivity can adversely affect such users' mental health. Sleep also contributes immensely to the enhancement of a person’s physical well-being. When a person fails to get sufficient sleep, they will inadvertently suffer from mental and physical exhaustion, which then impairs their ability to undertake tasks. According to Chester et al. (2020), extensive social media use can result in the acquisition of physical health problems such as neck and eye strains and hearing loss. Thanks to the numerous technological advances, people can easily access social media through portable personal devices such as laptops and smartphones. Such a phenomenon allows people to spend extensive periods on social media due to the ease of accessibility. Consistently doing this increases the likelihood of a user developing eye and neck strains.

Research Questions

1. What is the impact of social media use on people’s mental health?
2. What is the impact of social media use on people’s physical health?

Impact of Social Media on People’s Wellbeing

Impact of Social Media on People’s Psychological Well-being

• Social media has its sets of upsides and downsides.
• According to Best et al. (2014), extended social media use positively and negatively affects adolescents’ well-being.
• Social media can help individuals deal with isolation.
• Isolation can lead to the development of mental disorders such as anxiety and depression.
• Many adolescents use social media as a way of escaping such isolation, considering these platforms give them a chance to connect regularly and easily with friends and family members.
• Social media adds entertainment value to people’s lives.

Impact of social media on People’s Physical Health

• According to Chester et al. (2020), social media addiction can lead to sleep deprivation.
• Sleep also contributes the enhancement of a person’s physical well-being. When a person fails to get sufficient sleep, they will inadvertently suffer from mental and physical exhaustion, which then impairs their ability to undertake tasks.
• Spending extensive periods on social media can also lead to the emergence of physical health issues such as neck and eye strains and hearing loss.