Welcome back to StoryLab! Today we are going all the way back to the start of the universe. Oh no, not the big bang, but more like 1997, when the first social media platform was launched! While it sounds exciting, people downloaded their interests into their profiles and became overwhelmed with stalking, talking and sharing. It’s the Stock market and the currency? Personal information!

The credibility given to individuals posts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, twitter or even dating applications like Tinder or Bumble came from the encryption and the security provided, proving that this is what this exact person wants to express.

However, a dilemma can take place when it comes to whether it has a positive or negative effect on people and about how it affects the different parties involved.

Let’s start with the effect of social media on the mental wellbeing of couples. It is indeed extremely common nowadays to have people share their love life experiences on social media by posting pictures, writing statuses, and sharing posts related to their current situation.

The way the couple interacts with each other, or the dynamic between them, is prone to change based on the comments and interfences of the cyber world, and in reciprocation, this world is affected directly and indirectly by the couple’s social media behavior. 

Let’s take a look at this closely. First, how does it affect the couple itself?

The internet became an exposure of the truth, the lies, hidden secrets, past and maybe actual situations the person can be in. By “stalking” someone, their friendships, old relationships, family members and issues can be easily found. And in that it has improved honesty between people knowing that lies will eventually be noticed. It can, however, ruin the trust between the two by exposing an affair for example. 

Having their personal experiences exposed, not necessarily by them but by their entourage also, could cause a lack of privacy that might emotionally and mentally affect the couple. Spending time alone becomes a time of minor anxiety for example as, due to them posting on socials, they worry about people coming to join anytime, uninvited and unexpected.. And having a private life exposed causes a lack of interest on many levels including sexually, socially, and psychologically. Due to all of this, the attitude of the couple and their ways of interacting with their environment, cyber or real, will change. 

Second, how does it affect the environment around the couple?

Seeing the posts of a person daily, knowing about their love life, what they do with their loved one, how long they have been together creates a certain kind of attachment and curiosity in the mind of the observer. It becomes similar to a series that has several addictive seasons.  Therefore, a certain emotional recognition is created. 

The follower, or “stalker”, will be hypnotized by the different ups and downs in the situations of the couples. They may be sad over a breakup and try to reminisce on the why and the how it happened. Positive feelings might also arise as being excited for a couple’s proposal for example and start picturing a clone perfect story that could happen to them, creating an 

idea of love that in reality is impossible to be the same for everyone. And therefore, it might trouble the mind and the perception of whoever adopts it.

Since we covered the romantic side of this universe, let’s dive into how social media affects us personally. On the positive side, social media became one of the very few and main mediums of communication during isolation periods such as the coronavirus, and was the only way for people to be keeping up with the world (and with the Kardashians). It helps people gain confidence by getting support on different topics and is also a main weapon of awareness for mental health and stigma elimination through campaigning, organizing webinars, hashtaging, posting images, tweeting and creating mental health awareness reels and TikToks, which became a new marketing tool for therapists, psychologists, social workers, and life coaches to educate the audience and advertise themselves and their services.

On the down side, social media can take someone slowly or even straight down the hill. People expose aspects of their life that can be fake and unrealistic, especially influencers. Idolising them or any other person a user follows or stalks constantly can lead to lower self esteem due to setting life standards that are unachievable. Social media is also a breeding ground for bullies and perverts, especially towards people under 18 years old. Through comments, parody videos, posts and stories, people can get targeted, blackmailed or even photoshopped. This can affect people’s mental health negatively, in some cases leading to suicide.

It can be tricky how much and to which extent the positive consequences and the negative ones’ balance each other when It comes to the effect of social media on its users. Social media is two sided sword that can either make or break someone’s mental state. Finding balance by limiting screen time, doing outdoor activities and keeping in touch on a face to face level with our social environment.