Social Media and Mental Health: A Literature Review

This literature review explores the impact of social media on mental health. It covers various studies that highlight the link between social media usage and depression, anxiety, low self esteem, and other mental disorders. The studies also discuss the impact of cyberbullying, peer victimization, and social comparisons on mental health. The review concludes that social media has a pervasive influence on mental health and well-being, and suggests that image-based platforms like Instagram may be more beneficial than text-based platforms.

College of Doctoral Studies
PSY-803 Literature Review Resources
Anxiety and Depression connected to Social Media in the 21st
Century
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1. Reference Information
Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). # Sleepyteens: social media use in adolescence is associated
with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of Adolescence, 51, 41-
49.
Link
http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/120206/7/120206.pdf
Annotation
The main purpose of this article is to study the impacts of excessive social media usage on sleep
quality, anxiety, depression, self esteem and other mental disorders in adolescents. The article
takes into account the usage of social media platforms, especially during night time and how that
affects the self esteem levels and sleep patterns of teenagers. The writers are of the opinion that
adolescents who were more inclined towards using social media at night and during the day were
more likely to be invested emotionally in their online presence. As a result, most of them failed to
get adequate sleep which affected their anxiety levels and even led to chronic depression.

At least 90 per cent adolescents, according to the authors, indulge in social media. As a result, the
identities of these adolescents become intertwined with their online presence. Their poor sleep
quality in turn makes them more vulnerable to low self esteem, early onset of depression and
anxiety disorders. The article can be called a credible one because it provides sufficient empirical
evidence to support its hypothesis.
2. Reference Information
De Choudhury, M., Gamon, M., Counts, S., & Horvitz, E. (2013). Predicting depression via
social media. ICWSM, 13, 1-10.
Link
https://www.aaai.org/ocs/index.php/ICWSM/ICWSM13/paper/viewFile/6124/6351
Annotation
The article claims that social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter can be used to study the
behavioral patterns of people across the world. The authors in the article hypothesize that at least
tens of millions of people across the world suffer from depression. The article uses a
crowdsourcing technique to gather information on social media users. The social media platforms
(mainly Twitter) of people who had been diagnosed with clinical depression were analyzed. Their
posts and statuses over a period of time were studied in order to identify behavioral patterns
associated with depression and other mental disorders.
This article is a highly credible one because it portrays social media platforms as an important
way of identifying behavioral patterns which could indicate depressive symptoms. Such
information could be used to identify people suffering from the mental disorder, and it would be
possible for them to get help. However, the authors fail to specify the use of social media as one
of the leading causes of depression.
3. Reference Information
Rosen, L. D., Whaling, K., Rab, S., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Is Facebook
creating “iDisorders”? The link between clinical symptoms of psychiatric disorders and
technology use, attitudes and anxiety. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 1243-1254.
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

Link
http://www5.csudh.edu/psych/
Is_Facebook_Creating__iDisorders__The_Link_Between_Clinical_Symptoms_of_Psychiatr
ic_Disorders_and_Technology_Use,_Attitudes_and_Anxiety-2013-
Computers_in_Human_Behavior_Rosen_Whaling_Rab_Carrier_Cheever.pdf
Annotation
This study attempts to highlight the fact that use of certain technologies or media, for instance
Facebook, would result in unfavorable attitudes and anxiety amongst the users. The article also
claims that the excessive use of social media platforms would result in a few specific kinds of
mental disorders which include – chronic depression, anxiety, compulsive behavior, paranoia,
histrionic behavior, anti social behavior and even schizophrenia. The authors also opine that the
increased use of internet and over exposure of teens to the world of social media has increased the
levels of depression, sadness and loneliness amongst teens and adults.
The authors strengthen their argument by using an anonymous questionnaire which was filled up
by teens on social media platforms. Responses from these teens demonstrated various kinds of
mental disorders like personality disorders, anxiety, failure to maintain social relationships,
dysthemia and bipolar mania. However, it can be argued that the authors narrow their discussion
by simply focusing on one social media platform. Moreover, the results are based on an online
anonymous questionnaire, which is adversely affects the credibility of the article.
4. Reference Information
Brooks, S. (2015). Does personal social media usage affect efficiency and well-
being?. Computers in Human Behavior, 46, 26-37.
Link
http://www.bwgriffin.com/gsu/courses/edur9131/content/
Brooks_SocialMedia_WellBeing.pdf
Annotation
The author in this article claims that social media has been found to be detrimental to both the
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

professional and personal lives of individuals. According to the author, Stoney Brooks, there is
extensive research on the adverse impact of social media on the psychosocial well being of
individuals. The author claims that excessive use of social media can be distracting for people
and would have an impact on their task performance and productivity.
The survey carried out by the author showed that greater use of social media led to decline in the
level of task performance of the subjects. The article is further made credible by the claim that
social media use leads to depression and technology related stress. However, the article focuses
simply on the use of social media during professional times, and fails to account for the pervasive
negative consequences that internet addiction can have on the well being of an individual.
5. Reference Information
Ferguson, C. J., Muñoz, M. E., Garza, A., & Galindo, M. (2014). Concurrent and prospective
analyses of peer, television and social media influences on body dissatisfaction, eating disorder
symptoms and life satisfaction in adolescent girls. Journal of youth and adolescence, 43(1), 1-14.
Link
http://christopherjferguson.com/BodyImageProspective.pdf
Annotation
The article studies the impact of social media on the depression and anxiety prevalent amongst
teenage girls. The authors claim that proliferation of news and glamorous graphics on social
media could lead to increasing levels of self esteem issues, body image issues, life dissatisfaction
and eating disorders. The authors state that more than other media platforms like television or
traditional media, social media influenced the mental well being of teenage girls. For instance, it
was found that social media would increase the level of competition between peers amongst
Hispanic teenage girls. This increase in peer competition is what resulted in body image issues
and consequent depression amidst teenagers.
The article can be deemed credible because it highlights the link between social media platforms
and eating disorders and self esteem issues in teenage girls. However, the article simply focuses
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

on one aspect, that of peer competition, as a leading cause behind depression and other mental
disorders in teenage girls.
6. Reference Information
Landoll, R. R., La Greca, A. M., Lai, B. S., Chan, S. F., & Herge, W. M. (2015). Cyber
victimization by peers: Prospective associations with adolescent social anxiety and depressive
symptoms. Journal of adolescence, 42, 77-86.
Link
https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/43416065/
Cyber_victimization_by_peers_Prospective20160306-9581-1572jiu.pdf?
AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1537780476&Signature=VXp
Nd%2FjiB0b5qrVK4v2b%2FJu2CSY%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B
%20filename%3DCyber_victimization_by_peers_Prospective.pdf
Annotation
This article focuses on the role of peer victimization evident on social media as one of the leading
causes of mental disorders amongst users. Peer victimization is also termed as cybervictimization
and is extremely common amongst adolescents. In order to affirm the hypothesis, the authors
conduct a research on 839 adolescent high school students over a period of six weeks. The
research showed that the use of social media and cyberbullying or cyber victimization led to
symptoms of depression and social anxiety amongst students. Cyber victimization has also been
found to contribute to low self esteem, depression and even suicide ideation.
The first thing that one notices about the article is the emphasis on one aspect of social media use.
Cyber bullying is indeed one of the most common forms of harassment online at present. This has
been found to take a toll on the mental and physical well being of adolescents. However, the
article does not delve into the nature or the extent of the impact of cyber victimization.
7. Reference Information
Perloff, R. M. (2014). Social media effects on young women’s body image concerns: Theoretical
perspectives and an agenda for research. Sex Roles, 71(11-12), 363-377.
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

Link
https://is.muni.cz/el/1423/podzim2014/PSY221P121/um/
Perloff2014.SocialMediaEffectsBodyImage.BID.pdf
Annotation
The article claims that the pervasive nature of social media tends to influence the body image
issues of women and teenage girls. The article claims that women in the twenty first century are
increasingly reliant on social media. However, although social media is interactive in nature and
provides relevant information to individuals, it can also lead to peer competition and development
of negative attitudes amongst women. For example, social comparisons amongst women can lead
to body image concerns. Increase in body image issues has a direct impact on chronic depression,
social anxiety and loss of self esteem.
There is no doubt about the fact that the article can carries out extensive research into the
influence of social media on the mental well being of young women across the world. It studies in
detail the exact nature of the extensive impact of social media as compared to mass media. Yet, it
lacks sufficient empirical evidence which would affirm the authors’ statements.
8. Reference Information
Steers, M. L. N., Wickham, R. E., & Acitelli, L. K. (2014). Seeing everyone else's highlight reels:
How Facebook usage is linked to depressive symptoms. Journal of Social and Clinical
Psychology, 33(8), 701-731.
Link
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mai-Ly_Steers/publication/
267029087_Seeing_Everyone_Else's_Highlight_Reels_How_Facebook_Usage_Is_Linked_to
_Depressive_Symptoms/links/544208840cf2a6a049a5cc48.pdf
Annotation
The article is based on the claim that a medium is the message, signifying that a person may very
well communicate his inner thoughts and emotions through various media. Internet addiction In
the article is defined as excessive use of internet related services, which includes social media
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

platforms like Facebook. The authors also claim that internet addiction can potentially lead to
depressive symptoms in adults and youngsters. The article mainly emphasizes on the concept of
social comparison, which refers to the act of comparing oneself with others on social media.
The most noteworthy aspect of the article is the fact that it delves deep into the concept of social
comparisons and the adverse impacts it would have on mental health and well being. However, it
must be noted that there are several other reasons why individuals on social media suffer from
depression or anxiety – for instance, cyber bullying or peer pressure.
9. Reference Information
Pittman, M., & Reich, B. (2016). Social media and loneliness: Why an Instagram picture may be
worth more than a thousand Twitter words. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 155-167.
Link
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brandon_Reich/publication/
299997003_Social_media_and_loneliness_Why_an_Instagram_picture_may_be_worth_mor
e_than_a_thousand_Twitter_words/links/59cc6864a6fdcc451d5cf3ec/Social-media-and-
loneliness-Why-an-Instagram-picture-may-be-worth-more-than-a-thousand-Twitter-
words.pdf
Annotation
The article claims that social media has had a pervasive influence on the present generation.
Although social media allows individuals across geographic barriers to communicate and
connect, the young generation today is lonelier than ever. Given the impact on social media on
mental and physical well being of individuals, the authors are of the opinion that the prolific
impact of social media is unlikely to decrease in the upcoming years.
As a result, the authors suggest an interesting alternative. According to them, image based social
media platforms like Instagram would be more beneficial than text based platforms which offer
no intimacy at all. However, it must be understood that even image based platforms like
Instagram may lead to social comparisons and have an adverse impact on the mental well being
of individuals.
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

10 Reference Information
Lup, K., Trub, L., & Rosenthal, L. (2015). Instagram# instasad?: exploring associations among
instagram use, depressive symptoms, negative social comparison, and strangers
followed. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(5), 247-252.
Link
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Leora_Trub/publication/
276208382_Instagram_Instasad_Exploring_Associations_Among_Instagram_Use_Depressi
ve_Symptoms_Negative_Social_Comparison_and_Strangers_Followed/links/
55d3430208aec1b0429f336b.pdf
Annotation
This article mainly emphasizes on one social media platform, Instagram, and its resulting
depressive symptoms in adults and young adults. According to the authors, the imaged based
social media platform allowed a number of strangers to follow an individual and vice versa. This
activity not only increased the level of social comparisons one indulges in but also increased
levels of loneliness.
The authors carried out their research based on questionnaires filled online. The research affirms
the fact that extensive use of Instagram led to associations with more number of strangers, which
could lead to depressive symptoms. However, the article simply focuses on one aspect of
Instagram – namely, that of strangers following a person on the platform. However, the authors
ignore a major aspect of social media use, like cyber crimes, which are rampant on image based
platforms like Instagram.
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

Bibliography:
Brooks, S. (2015). Does personal social media usage affect efficiency and well-
being?. Computers in Human Behavior, 46, 26-37.
De Choudhury, M., Gamon, M., Counts, S., & Horvitz, E. (2013). Predicting depression via
social media. ICWSM, 13, 1-10.
Ferguson, C. J., Muñoz, M. E., Garza, A., & Galindo, M. (2014). Concurrent and prospective
analyses of peer, television and social media influences on body dissatisfaction, eating
disorder symptoms and life satisfaction in adolescent girls. Journal of youth and
adolescence, 43(1), 1-14.
Landoll, R. R., La Greca, A. M., Lai, B. S., Chan, S. F., & Herge, W. M. (2015). Cyber
victimization by peers: Prospective associations with adolescent social anxiety and
depressive symptoms. Journal of adolescence, 42, 77-86.
Lup, K., Trub, L., & Rosenthal, L. (2015). Instagram# instasad?: exploring associations among
instagram use, depressive symptoms, negative social comparison, and strangers
followed. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(5), 247-252.
Perloff, R. M. (2014). Social media effects on young women’s body image concerns: Theoretical
perspectives and an agenda for research. Sex Roles, 71(11-12), 363-377.
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

Pittman, M., & Reich, B. (2016). Social media and loneliness: Why an Instagram picture may be
worth more than a thousand Twitter words. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 155-167.
Rosen, L. D., Whaling, K., Rab, S., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Is Facebook
creating “iDisorders”? The link between clinical symptoms of psychiatric disorders and
technology use, attitudes and anxiety. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 1243-1254.
Steers, M. L. N., Wickham, R. E., & Acitelli, L. K. (2014). Seeing everyone else's highlight
reels: How Facebook usage is linked to depressive symptoms. Journal of Social and
Clinical Psychology, 33(8), 701-731.
Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). # Sleepyteens: social media use in adolescence is associated
with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of
Adolescence, 51, 41-49.
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.