Digital Detox 101: How Social Media Affects Your Self-Esteem

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Social media has become a vital part of our everyday lives. Social media platforms allow users to interact with others through likes, comments, chats, videos, and other features. These platforms also include an algorithm-based system in which users receive content based on their likes and interests, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (American Academy of Pediatrics, n.d.). 

Social media helps us stay connected with what is going on in the world and what friends and family are up to, and allows people to expand their creativity and share meaningful insights. However, a careful balance is required. Social media has serious implications for self-esteem and mental health in general. You may also find yourself feeling more anxious, depressed, or have feelings of FOMO, or the fear of missing out. Now more than ever, it is important to recognize your limits and take care of your mental health regarding social media usage (American Academy of Pediatrics, n.d.).

What is self-esteem?

Social media has a big impact on our self-esteem. According to VeryWellMind, self-esteem is how you see your personal value and worth (Cherry, n.d.). It influences how you approach different situations, your motivation, and your mental well-being.

Some key components of self-esteem include self-confidence, feelings of security, identity, sense of belonging, and perceptions of competence. If you have a healthy self-esteem, you probably feel confident, have a positive outlook on life, and believe you are equal to everyone else. However, if you have low self-esteem, you may have a negative outlook on life, have trouble saying no, or believe that others are better than you (Cherry, n.d.).

How does social media impact self-esteem?

Social media relies on constant comparison. When you open your feed, all you see are different people doing different things. One post might be of your classmate travelling to Japan. Another video might be of a talented athlete playing in the World Cup. Even though they might not have anything to do with you directly, you will probably subconsciously start comparing yourself (Dalomba, 2022). You may ask yourself, “Why don’t I have the opportunity to travel? Why can’t I be as athletic and successful as others? What is wrong with me?”

It is important to remember that social media is a curation of people’s best moments. It is far from reality. If you see your favorite content creator posting her coffee run and dinner, you aren’t seeing the times when she may be sitting at home upset or taking a nap from burnout. It is also hard to see the mental health struggles that a person may be facing (Dalomba, 2022). 

Signs that social media is impacting your mental health

HelpGuide highlights some other ways in which social media impacts your mental health. These may include (Robinson, n.d.)… 

• Feelings of inadequacy: While scrolling through your friend’s feed, you may feel like you are not enough. This prompts feelings of envy and dissatisfaction, hurting the relationships you care about.
• FOMO: The fear of missing out can trigger negative self-esteem or feelings of hurt. You may pick up your phone more often to check for updates, leaving you in a compulsive cycle that takes you away from the present moment. 
• Social media addiction: Heavy social media usage may lead to an addiction (YES, it’s a real thing). This can impact your sleep and self-esteem.
• Isolation: Spending time on social media often triggers feelings of isolation. It is easy to sit in your room and doomscroll for hours while letting the real world pass by you.
• Depression and anxiety: Humans rely on face-to-face interactions. We are naturally social creatures, so staying glued to the screen can trigger negative feelings and leave us feeling lonely.

Tips for a healthy digital detox

It is important to recognize that social media will play a role in your life. The world today is so heavily digitized, so it may be impossible to completely step away from the digital world. However, taking a digital detox is a great way to reset your mind and think about how social media actually impacts your life. A digital detox involves a set period of time in which you stay away from digital devices and social media platforms. There are steps you can take to ensure a healthy digital detox to improve your mental health and self-esteem. Taking small steps is key (Brown University Health Blog Team, 2023):

• Make a plan: Think to yourself, “What is negatively impacting me?” If you feel that you might be too dependent on social media, resolve that you will stay away from all platforms for a week, or however long you deem necessary.
• Set specific goals: It is important to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals, or SMART goals. Think of specific actions that can help you achieve them. For example, your goal might be to stay off all social media platforms for a week. You resolve to put your phone away while eating because you notice that is when you check it the most.
• Tell family and friends: Having a support system while chasing any sort of goal is vital. Let them know that they may not get an immediate response from you, as you are taking a break. This reduces the pressure on yourself. You may even wish to see them in person more, as you don’t have contact over the screen! Do things with them that you normally wouldn’t get the chance to!
• Evaluate your results and make changes: After your set period is over, evaluate. What did you notice? How do you feel before and after? Write down in a journal some things you observed throughout the week, and what you could have done differently. It is important that after you achieve your goal, you don’t revert to old behaviors. Set more long-term goals afterwards so you can reduce digital dependency over time.

Social media is a vital part of our lives. It can be very useful, but also the most dangerous thing. It is important to take care of yourself and the people around you.

To discuss how therapy could help you during this season of your life, please contact me or schedule your free 15-minute consultation.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. (n.d.). What is social media? https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/center-of-excellence-on-social-media-and-youth-mental-health/qa-portal/qa-portal-library/qa-portal-library-questions/what-is-social-media/?srsltid=AfmBOooZdPRrbnmQ1slXkK8z0flfdbNhnWxc4BI9NdwPN0VWVLsLqeoU

Brown University Health Blog Team. (2023, June 8). What is a digital detox and do you need one? Brown Health University. https://www.brownhealth.org/be-well/what-digital-detox-and-do-you-need-one

Cherry, K. (n.d.). What is self-esteem? VeryWellMind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-esteem-2795868

Dalomba, D. (2022, March 1). Pros and cons of social media. Brown Health University. https://www.brownhealth.org/be-well/social-media-good-bad-and-ugly

Robinson, L. (n.d.). Social media and mental health. HelpGuide. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/social-media-and-mental-health

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