Social Media Use and Mental Health: A Global Analysis

Research indicates that excessive use of social media can be related to depression and anxiety. This study conducted a systematic review of social media and mental health, focusing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Based on inclusion criteria from the systematic review, a meta-analysis was conducted to explore and summarize studies from the empirical literature on the relationship between social media and mental health. Using PRISMA guidelines on PubMed and Google Scholar, a literature search from January 2010 to June 2020 was conducted to identify studies addressing the relationship between social media sites and mental health. Of the 39 studies identified, 20 were included in the meta-analysis. Results indicate that while social media can create a sense of community for the user, excessive and increased use of social media, particularly among those who are vulnerable, is correlated with depression and other mental health disorders.

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3.3. Instagram

Three of the studies included in the analysis focused on Instagram. Across these studies, the general trend was that Instagram may be a contributing factor in causing body image and self-harm issues in young people. Of the three studies focusing exclusively on Instagram, one study found a relationship between consistent Instagram usage and negative body image and self-harm [40]. This study focused on content posted on Instagram between 18 June 2014, and 30 June 2014, to evaluate the meaning, popularity, and content advisory warnings related to ambiguous non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) hashtags on Instagram. The sample of 201 Instagram posts led to the identification of 10 ambiguous NSSI hashtags, with some common terms including #selfinjuryy and #MySecretFamily. “#MySecretFamily” was a popular term that described the broader community of NSSI and mental illness. The term #MySecretFamily had approximately 900,000 search results at the time. Content Advisory warnings were only generated by one-third of the relevant hashtags [40]. Another study discussed how image-based social media such as Instagram may become a source of mental health-related information and a tool for health communication [42]. Brown et al. (2019) pointed out in their study how although most of the study participants (80%) had come across expressions of active suicidal thoughts, activity and language use on Instagram did not predict acute suicidality [41].