• Anonymity can help individuals with stigmatizing conditions connect with others
• Young adults with mental illness commonly form online relationships
• Social media use in individuals with serious mental illness associated with greater community and civic engagement
• Individuals with depressive symptoms prefer communicating on social media than in-person
• Online conversations do not require iimnediate responses or non-verbal cues
Social media platforms offer near continuous opportunities to connect and interact with others, regardless of time of day or geographic location. This on demand ease of communication may be especially important for facilitating social interaction among individuals with mental disorders experiencing difficulties interacting in face-to-face settings. For example, impaired social functioning is a common deficit in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and social media may facilitate communication and interacting with others for these individuals ( Torous & Keshavan, 2016 ). This was suggested in one study where participants with schizophrenia indicated that social media helped them to interact and socialize more easily ( Miller et al., 2015 ). Like other online communication, the ability to connect with others anonymously may be an important feature of social media, especially for individuals living with highly stigmatizing health conditions ( Berger, Wagner, & Baker, 2005 ), such as serious mental disorders ( Highton-Williamson, Priebe, & Giacco, 2015 ).
Studies have found that individuals with serious mental disorders ( Spinzy, Nitzan, Becker, Bloch, & Fennig, 2012 ) as well as young adults with mental illness ( Gowen, Deschaine, Gruttadara, & Markey, 2012 ) appear to form online relationships and connect with others on social media as often as social media users from the general population. This is an important observation because individuals living with serious mental disorders typically have few social contacts in the offline world, and also experience high rates of loneliness ( Badcock et al., 2015 ; Giacco, Palumbo, Strappelli, Catapano, & Priebe, 2016 ). Among individuals receiving publicly funded mental health services who use social media, nearly half (47%) reported using these platforms at least weekly to feel less alone ( Brusilovskiy, Townley, Snethen, & Salzer, 2016 ). In another study of young adults with serious mental illness, most indicated that they used social media to help feel less isolated ( Gowen et al., 2012 ). Interestingly, more frequent use of social media among a sample of individuals with serious mental illness was associated with greater community participation, measured as participation in shopping, work, religious activities or visiting friends and family, as well as greater civic engagement, reflected as voting in local elections ( Brusilovskiy et al., 2016 ).
Emerging research also shows that young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms appear to prefer communicating on social media rather than in-person ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ), while other studies have found that some individuals may prefer to seek help for mental health concerns online rather than through in-person encounters ( Batterham & Calear, 2017 ). In a qualitative study, participants with schizophrenia described greater anonymity, the ability to discover that other people have experienced similar health challenges, and reducing fears through greater access to information as important motivations for using the Internet to seek mental health information ( Schrank, Sibitz, Unger, & Amering, 2010 ). Because social media does not require the immediate responses necessary in face-to-face communication, it may overcome deficits with social interaction due to psychotic symptoms that typically adversely affect face-to-face conversations ( Docherty et al., 1996 ). Online social interactions may not require the use of non-verbal cues, particularly in the initial stages of interaction ( Kiesler, Siegel, & McGuire, 1984 ), with interactions being more fluid, and within the control of users, thereby overcoming possible social anxieties linked to in-person interaction ( Indian & Grieve, 2014 ). Furthermore, many individuals with serious mental disorders can experience symptoms including passive social withdrawal, blunted affect and attentional impairment, as well as active social avoidance due to hallucinations or other concerns ( Hansen, Torgalsbøen, Melle, & Bell, 2009 ); thus, potentially reinforcing the relative advantage, as perceived by users, of using social media over in person conversations.
There is growing recognition about the role that social media channels could play in enabling peer support ( Bucci et al., 2019 ; Naslund, Aschbrenner, et al., 2016b ), referred to as a system of mutual giving and receiving where individuals who have endured the difficulties of mental illness can offer hope, friendship, and support to others facing similar challenges ( Davidson, Chinman, Sells, & Rowe, 2006 ; Mead, Hilton, & Curtis, 2001 ). Initial studies exploring use of online self-help forums among individuals with serious mental illnesses have found that individuals with schizophrenia appeared to use these forums for self-disclosure, and sharing personal experiences, in addition to providing or requesting information, describing symptoms, or discussing medication ( Haker, Lauber, & Rössler, 2005 ), while users with bipolar disorder reported using these forums to ask for help from others about their illness ( Vayreda & Antaki, 2009 ). More recently, in a review of online social networking in people with psychosis, Highton-Williamson et al (2015) highlight that an important purpose of such online connections was to establish new friendships, pursue romantic relationships, maintain existing relationships or reconnect with people, and seek online peer support from others with lived experience ( Highton-Williamson et al., 2015 ).
Online peer support among individuals with mental illness has been further elaborated in various studies. In a content analysis of comments posted to YouTube by individuals who self-identified as having a serious mental illness, there appeared to be opportunities to feel less alone, provide hope, find support and learn through mutual reciprocity, and share coping strategies for day-to-day challenges of living with a mental illness ( Naslund, Grande, Aschbrenner, & Elwyn, 2014 ). In another study, Chang (2009) delineated various communication patterns in an online psychosis peer-support group ( Chang, 2009 ). Specifically, different forms of support emerged, including ‘informational support’ about medication use or contacting mental health providers, ‘esteem support’ involving positive comments for encouragement, ‘network support’ for sharing similar experiences, and ‘emotional support’ to express understanding of a peer’s situation and offer hope or confidence ( Chang, 2009 ). Bauer et al. (2013) reported that the main interest in online self-help forums for patients with bipolar disorder was to share emotions with others, allow exchange of information, and benefit by being part of an online social group ( Bauer, Bauer, Spiessl, & Kagerbauer, 2013 ).
For individuals who openly discuss mental health problems on Twitter, a study by Berry et al. (2017) found that this served as an important opportunity to seek support and to hear about the experiences of others ( Berry et al., 2017 ). In a survey of social media users with mental illness, respondents reported that sharing personal experiences about living with mental illness and opportunities to learn about strategies for coping with mental illness from others were important reasons for using social media ( Naslund et al., 2017 ). A computational study of mental health awareness campaigns on Twitter provides further support with inspirational posts and tips being the most shared ( Saha et al., 2019 ). Taken together, these studies offer insights about the potential for social media to facilitate access to an informal peer support network, though more research is necessary to examine how these online interactions may impact intentions to seek care, illness self-management, and clinically meaningful outcomes in offline contexts.
Many individuals living with mental disorders have expressed interest in using social media platforms for seeking mental health information ( Lal, Nguyen, & Theriault, 2018 ), connecting with mental health providers ( M. L. Birnbaum et al., 2017 ), and accessing evidence-based mental health services delivered over social media specifically for coping with mental health symptoms or for promoting overall health and wellbeing ( Naslund et al., 2017 ). With the widespread use of social media among individuals living with mental illness combined with the potential to facilitate social interaction and connect with supportive peers, as summarized above, it may be possible to leverage the popular features of social media to enhance existing mental health programs and services. A recent review by Biagianti et al (2018) found that peer-to-peer support appeared to offer feasible and acceptable ways to augment digital mental health interventions for individuals with psychotic disorders by specifically improving engagement, compliance, and adherence to the interventions, and may also improve perceived social support ( Biagianti, Quraishi, & Schlosser, 2018 ).
Among digital programs that have incorporated peer-to-peer social networking consistent with popular features on social media platforms, a pilot study of the HORYZONS online psychosocial intervention demonstrated significant reductions in depression among patients with first episode psychosis ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2013 ). Importantly, the majority of participants (95%) in this study engaged with the peer-to-peer networking feature of the program, with many reporting increases in perceived social connectedness and empowerment in their recovery process ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2013 ). This moderated online social therapy program is now being evaluated as part of a large randomized controlled trial for maintaining treatment effects from first episode psychosis services ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2019 ).
Other early efforts have demonstrated that use of digital environments with the interactive peer-to-peer features of social media can enhance social functioning and wellbeing in young people at high risk of psychosis ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2018 ). There has also been a recent emergence of several mobile apps to support symptom monitoring and relapse prevention in psychotic disorders. Among these apps, the development of PRIME (Personalized Real-time Intervention for Motivational Enhancement) has involved working closely with young people with schizophrenia to ensure that the design of the app has the look and feel of mainstream social media platforms, as opposed to existing clinical tools ( Schlosser et al., 2016 ). This unique approach to the design of the app is aimed at promoting engagement, and ensuring that the app can effectively improve motivation and functioning through goal setting and promoting better quality of life of users with schizophrenia ( Schlosser et al., 2018 ).
Social media platforms could also be used to promote engagement and participation in in-person services delivered through community mental health settings. For example, the peer-based lifestyle intervention called PeerFIT targets weight loss and improved fitness among individuals living with serious mental illness through a combination of in-person lifestyle classes, exercise groups, and use of digital technologies ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, Shevenell, Kinney, & Bartels, 2016 ; Aschbrenner, Naslund, Shevenell, Mueser, & Bartels, 2016 ). The intervention holds tremendous promise as lack of support is one of the largest barriers toward exercise in patients with serious mental illness ( Firth et al., 2016 ) and it is now possible to use social media to counter such. Specifically, in PeerFIT, a private Facebook group is closely integrated into the program to offer a closed platform where participants can connect with the lifestyle coaches, access intervention content, and support or encourage each other as they work towards their lifestyle goals ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, & Bartels, 2016 ; Naslund, Aschbrenner, Marsch, & Bartels, 2016a ). To date, this program has demonstrate preliminary effectiveness for meaningfully reducing cardiovascular risk factors that contribute to early mortality in this patient group ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, Shevenell, Kinney, et al., 2016 ), while the Facebook component appears to have increased engagement in the program, while allowing participants who were unable to attend in-person sessions due to other health concerns or competing demands to remain connected with the program ( Naslund, Aschbrenner, Marsch, McHugo, & Bartels, 2018 ). This lifestyle intervention is currently being evaluated in a randomized controlled trial enrolling young adults with serious mental illness from a variety of real world community mental health services settings ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, Gorin, et al., 2018 ).
These examples highlight the promise of incorporating the features of popular social media into existing programs, which may offer opportunities to safely promote engagement and program retention, while achieving improved clinical outcomes. This is an emerging area of research, as evidenced by several important effectiveness trials underway ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2019 ; Aschbrenner, Naslund, Gorin, et al., 2018 ), including efforts to leverage online social networking to support family caregivers of individuals receiving first episode psychosis services ( Gleeson et al., 2017 ).
The science on the role of social media for engaging persons with mental disorders needs a cautionary note on the effects of social media usage on mental health and well being, particularly in adolescents and young adults. While the risks and harms of social media are frequently covered in the popular press and mainstream news reports, careful consideration of the research in this area is necessary. In a review of 43 studies in young people, many benefits of social media were cited, including increased self-esteem, and opportunities for self-disclosure ( Best, Manktelow, & Taylor, 2014 ). Yet, reported negative effects were an increased exposure to harm, social isolation, depressive symptoms and bullying ( Best et al., 2014 ). In the sections that follow (see Table 1 for a summary), we consider three major categories of risk related to use of social media and mental health. These include: 1) Impact on symptoms; 2) Facing hostile interactions; and 3) Consequences for daily life.
Studies consistently highlight that use of social media, especially heavy use and prolonged time spent on social media platforms, appears to contribute to increased risk for a variety of mental health symptoms and poor wellbeing, especially among young people ( Andreassen et al., 2016 ; Kross et al., 2013 ; Woods & Scott, 2016 ). This may partly be driven by the detrimental effects of screen time on mental health, including increased severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms, which have been well documented ( Stiglic & Viner, 2019 ). Recent studies have reported negative effects of social media use on mental health of young people, including social comparison pressure with others and greater feeling of social isolation after being rejected by others on social media ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). In a study of young adults, it was found that negative comparisons with others on Facebook contributed to risk of rumination and subsequent increases in depression symptoms ( Feinstein et al., 2013 ). Still, the cross sectional nature of many screen time and mental health studies makes it challenging to reach causal inferences ( Orben & Przybylski, 2019 ).
Quantity of social media use is also an important factor, as highlighted in a survey of young adults ages 19 to 32, where more frequent visits to social media platforms each week were correlated with greater depressive symptoms ( Lin et al., 2016 ). More time spent using social media is also associated with greater symptoms of anxiety ( Vannucci, Flannery, & Ohannessian, 2017 ). The actual number of platforms accessed also appears to contribute to risk as reflected in another national survey of young adults where use of a large number of social media platforms was associated with negative impact on mental health ( Primack et al., 2017 ). Among survey respondents using between 7 and 11 different social media platforms compared to respondents using only 2 or fewer platforms, there was a 3 times greater odds of having high levels of depressive symptoms and a 3.2 times greater odds of having high levels of anxiety symptoms ( Primack et al., 2017 ).
Many researchers have postulated that worsening mental health attributed to social media use may be because social media replaces face-to-face interactions for young people ( Twenge & Campbell, 2018 ), and may contribute to greater loneliness ( Bucci et al., 2019 ), and negative effects on other aspects of health and wellbeing ( Woods & Scott, 2016 ). One nationally representative survey of US adolescents found that among respondents who reported more time accessing media such as social media platforms or smartphone devices, there was significantly greater depressive symptoms and increased risk of suicide when compared to adolescents who reported spending more time on non-screen activities, such as in-person social interaction or sports and recreation activities ( Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, & Martin, 2018 ). For individuals living with more severe mental illnesses, the effects of social media on psychiatric symptoms have received less attention. One study found that participation in chat rooms may contribute to worsening symptoms in young people with psychotic disorders ( Mittal, Tessner, & Walker, 2007 ), while another study of patients with psychosis found that social media use appeared to predict low mood ( Berry, Emsley, Lobban, & Bucci, 2018 ). These studies highlight a clear relationship between social media use and mental health that may not be present in general population studies ( Orben & Przybylski, 2019 ), and emphasize the need to explore how social media may contribute to symptom severity and whether protective factors may be identified to mitigate these risks.
Popular social media platforms can create potential situations where individuals may be victimized by negative comments or posts. Cyberbullying represents a form of online aggression directed towards specific individuals, such as peers or acquaintances, which is perceived to be most harmful when compared to random hostile comments posted online ( Hamm et al., 2015 ). Importantly, cyberbullying on social media consistently shows harmful impact on mental health in the form of increased depressive symptoms as well as worsening of anxiety symptoms, as evidenced in a review of 36 studies among children and young people ( Hamm et al., 2015 ). Furthermore, cyberbullying disproportionately impacts females as reflected in a national survey of adolescents in the United States, where females were twice as likely to be victims of cyberbullying compared to males ( Alhajji, Bass, & Dai, 2019 ). Most studies report cross-sectional associations between cyberbullying and symptoms of depression or anxiety ( Hamm et al., 2015 ), though one longitudinal study in Switzerland found that cyberbullying contributed to significantly greater depression over time ( Machmutow, Perren, Sticca, & Alsaker, 2012 ).
For youth ages 10 to 17 who reported major depressive symptomatology, there was over 3 times greater odds of facing online harassment in the last year compared to youth who reported mild or no depressive symptoms ( Ybarra, 2004 ). Similarly, in a 2018 national survey of young people, respondents ages 14 to 22 with moderate to severe depressive symptoms were more likely to have had negative experiences when using social media, and in particular, were more likely to report having faced hostile comments, or being “trolled”, from others when compared to respondents without depressive symptoms (31% vs. 14%) ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). As these studies depict risks for victimization on social media and the correlation with poor mental health, it is possible that individuals living with mental illness may also experience greater hostility online compared to individuals without mental illness. This would be consistent with research showing greater risk of hostility, including increased violence and discrimination, directed towards individuals living with mental illness in in-person contexts, especially targeted at those with severe mental illnesses ( Goodman et al., 1999 ).
A computational study of mental health awareness campaigns on Twitter reported that while stigmatizing content was rare, it was actually the most spread (re-tweeted) demonstrating that harmful content can travel quickly on social media ( Saha et al., 2019 ). Another study was able to map the spread of social media posts about the Blue Whale Challenge, an alleged game promoting suicide, over Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr and other forums across 127 countries ( Sumner et al., 2019 ). These findings show that it is critical to monitor the actual content of social media posts, such as determining whether content is hostile or promotes harm to self or others. This is pertinent because existing research looking at duration of exposure cannot account for the impact of specific types of content on mental health and is insufficient to fully understand the effects of using these platforms on mental health.
The ways in which individuals use social media can also impact their offline relationships and everyday activities. To date, reports have described risks of social media use pertaining to privacy, confidentiality, and unintended consequences of disclosing personal health information online ( Torous & Keshavan, 2016 ). Additionally, concerns have been raised about poor quality or misleading health information shared on social media, and that social media users may not be aware of misleading information or conflicts of interest especially when the platforms promote popular content regardless of whether it is from a trustworthy source ( Moorhead et al., 2013 ; Ventola, 2014 ). For persons living with mental illness there may be additional risks from using social media. A recent study that specifically explored the perspectives of social media users with serious mental illnesses, including participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, or major depression, found that over one third of participants expressed concerns about privacy when using social media ( Naslund & Aschbrenner, 2019 ). The reported risks of social media use were directly related to many aspects of everyday life, including concerns about threats to employment, fear of stigma and being judged, impact on personal relationships, and facing hostility or being hurt ( Naslund & Aschbrenner, 2019 ). While few studies have specifically explored the dangers of social media use from the perspectives of individuals living with mental illness, it is important to recognize that use of these platforms may contribute to risks that extend beyond worsening symptoms and that can affect different aspects of daily life.
In this commentary we considered ways in which social media may yield benefits for individuals living with mental illness, while contrasting these with the possible harms. Studies reporting on the threats of social media for individuals with mental illness are mostly cross-sectional, making it difficult to draw conclusions about direction of causation. However, the risks are potentially serious. These risks should be carefully considered in discussions pertaining to use of social media and the broader use of digital mental health technologies, as avenues for mental health promotion, or for supporting access to evidence-based programs or mental health services. At this point, it would be premature to view the benefits of social media as outweighing the possible harms, when it is clear from the studies summarized here that social media use can have negative effects on mental health symptoms, can potentially expose individuals to hurtful content and hostile interactions, and can result in serious consequences for daily life, including threats to employment and personal relationships. Despite these risks, it is also necessary to recognize that individuals with mental illness will continue to use social media given the ease of accessing these platforms and the immense popularity of online social networking. With this in mind, it may be ideal to raise awareness about these possible risks so that individuals can implement necessary safeguards, while also highlighting that there could also be benefits. For individuals with mental illness who use social media, being aware of the risks is an essential first step, and then highlighting ways that use of these popular platforms could also contribute to some benefits, ranging from finding meaningful interactions with others, engaging with peer support networks, and accessing information and services.
To capitalize on the widespread use of social media, and to achieve the promise that these platforms may hold for supporting the delivery of targeted mental health interventions, there is need for continued research to better understand how individuals living with mental illness use social media. Such efforts could inform safety measures and also encourage use of social media in ways that maximize potential benefits while minimizing risk of harm. It will be important to recognize how gender and race contribute to differences in use of social media for seeking mental health information or accessing interventions, as well as differences in how social media might impact mental wellbeing. For example, a national survey of 14- to 22-year olds in the United States found that female respondents were more likely to search online for information about depression or anxiety, and to try to connect with other people online who share similar mental health concerns, when compared to male respondents ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). In the same survey, there did not appear to be any differences between racial or ethnic groups in social media use for seeking mental health information ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). Social media use also appears to have a differential impact on mental health and emotional wellbeing between females and males ( Booker, Kelly, & Sacker, 2018 ), highlighting the need to explore unique experiences between gender groups to inform tailored programs and services. Research shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals frequently use social media for searching for health information and may be more likely compared to heterosexual individuals to share their own personal health experiences with others online ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). Less is known about use of social media for seeking support for mental health concerns among gender minorities, though this is an important area for further investigation as these individuals are more likely to experience mental health problems and more likely to experience online victimization when compared to heterosexual individuals ( Mereish, Sheskier, Hawthorne, & Goldbach, 2019 ).
Similarly, efforts are needed to explore the relationship between social media use and mental health among ethnic and racial minorities. A recent study found that exposure to traumatic online content on social media showing violence or hateful posts directed at racial minorities contributed to increases in psychological distress, PTSD symptoms, and depression among African American and Latinx adolescents in the United States ( Tynes, Willis, Stewart, & Hamilton, 2019 ). These concerns are contrasted by growing interest in the potential for new technologies including social media to expand the reach of services to underrepresented minority groups ( Schueller, Hunter, Figueroa, & Aguilera, 2019 ). Therefore, greater attention is needed to understanding the perspectives of ethnic and racial minorities to inform effective and safe use of social media for mental health promotion efforts.
Research has found that individuals living with mental illness have expressed interest in accessing mental health services through social media platforms. A survey of social media users with mental illness found that most respondents were interested in accessing programs for mental health on social media targeting symptom management, health promotion, and support for communicating with health care providers and interacting with the health system ( Naslund et al., 2017 ). Importantly, individuals with serious mental illness have also emphasized that any mental health intervention on social media would need to be moderated by someone with adequate training and credentials, would need to have ground rules and ways to promote safety and minimize risks, and importantly, would need to be free and easy to access.
An important strength with this commentary is that it combines a range of studies broadly covering the topic of social media and mental health. We have provided a summary of recent evidence in a rapidly advancing field with the goal of presenting unique ways that social media could offer benefits for individuals with mental illness, while also acknowledging the potentially serious risks and the need for further investigation. There are also several limitations with this commentary that warrant consideration. Importantly, as we aimed to address this broad objective, we did not conduct a systematic review of the literature. Therefore, the studies reported here are not exhaustive, and there may be additional relevant studies that were not included. Additionally, we only summarized published studies, and as a result, any reports from the private sector or websites from different organizations using social media or other apps containing social media-like features would have been omitted. Though it is difficult to rigorously summarize work from the private sector, sometimes referred to as “gray literature”, because many of these projects are unpublished and are likely selective in their reporting of findings given the target audience may be shareholders or consumers.
Another notable limitation is that we did not assess risk of bias in the studies summarized in this commentary. We found many studies that highlighted risks associated with social media use for individuals living with mental illness; however, few studies of programs or interventions reported negative findings, suggesting the possibility that negative findings may go unpublished. This concern highlights the need for a future more rigorous review of the literature with careful consideration of bias and an accompanying quality assessment. Most of the studies that we described were from the United States, as well as from other higher income settings such as Australia or the United Kingdom. Despite the global reach of social media platforms, there is a dearth of research on the impact of these platforms on the mental health of individuals in diverse settings, as well as the ways in which social media could support mental health services in lower income countries where there is virtually no access to mental health providers. Future research is necessary to explore the opportunities and risks for social media to support mental health promotion in low-income and middle-income countries, especially as these countries face a disproportionate share of the global burden of mental disorders, yet account for the majority of social media users worldwide ( Naslund et al., 2019 ).
As we consider future research directions, the near ubiquitous social media use also yields new opportunities to study the onset and manifestation of mental health symptoms and illness severity earlier than traditional clinical assessments. There is an emerging field of research referred to as ‘digital phenotyping’ aimed at capturing how individuals interact with their digital devices, including social media platforms, in order to study patterns of illness and identify optimal time points for intervention ( Jain, Powers, Hawkins, & Brownstein, 2015 ; Onnela & Rauch, 2016 ). Given that most people access social media via mobile devices, digital phenotyping and social media are closely related ( Torous et al., 2019 ). To date, the emergence of machine learning, a powerful computational method involving statistical and mathematical algorithms ( Shatte, Hutchinson, & Teague, 2019 ), has made it possible to study large quantities of data captured from popular social media platforms such as Twitter or Instagram to illuminate various features of mental health ( Manikonda & De Choudhury, 2017 ; Reece et al., 2017 ). Specifically, conversations on Twitter have been analyzed to characterize the onset of depression ( De Choudhury, Gamon, Counts, & Horvitz, 2013 ) as well as detecting users’ mood and affective states ( De Choudhury, Gamon, & Counts, 2012 ), while photos posted to Instagram can yield insights for predicting depression ( Reece & Danforth, 2017 ). The intersection of social media and digital phenotyping will likely add new levels of context to social media use in the near future.
Several studies have also demonstrated that when compared to a control group, Twitter users with a self-disclosed diagnosis of schizophrenia show unique online communication patterns ( Michael L Birnbaum, Ernala, Rizvi, De Choudhury, & Kane, 2017 ), including more frequent discussion of tobacco use ( Hswen et al., 2017 ), symptoms of depression and anxiety ( Hswen, Naslund, Brownstein, & Hawkins, 2018b ), and suicide ( Hswen, Naslund, Brownstein, & Hawkins, 2018a ). Another study found that online disclosures about mental illness appeared beneficial as reflected by fewer posts about symptoms following self-disclosure (Ernala, Rizvi, Birnbaum, Kane, & De Choudhury, 2017). Each of these examples offers early insights into the potential to leverage widely available online data for better understanding the onset and course of mental illness. It is possible that social media data could be used to supplement additional digital data, such as continuous monitoring using smartphone apps or smart watches, to generate a more comprehensive ‘digital phenotype’ to predict relapse and identify high-risk health behaviors among individuals living with mental illness ( Torous et al., 2019 ).
With research increasingly showing the valuable insights that social media data can yield about mental health states, greater attention to the ethical concerns with using individual data in this way is necessary ( Chancellor, Birnbaum, Caine, Silenzio, & De Choudhury, 2019 ). For instance, data is typically captured from social media platforms without the consent or awareness of users ( Bidargaddi et al., 2017 ), which is especially crucial when the data relates to a socially stigmatizing health condition such as mental illness ( Guntuku, Yaden, Kern, Ungar, & Eichstaedt, 2017 ). Precautions are needed to ensure that data is not made identifiable in ways that were not originally intended by the user who posted the content, as this could place an individual at risk of harm or divulge sensitive health information ( Webb et al., 2017 ; Williams, Burnap, & Sloan, 2017 ). Promising approaches for minimizing these risks include supporting the participation of individuals with expertise in privacy, clinicians, as well as the target individuals with mental illness throughout the collection of data, development of predictive algorithms, and interpretation of findings ( Chancellor et al., 2019 ).
In recognizing that many individuals living with mental illness use social media to search for information about their mental health, it is possible that they may also want to ask their clinicians about what they find online to check if the information is reliable and trustworthy. Alternatively, many individuals may feel embarrassed or reluctant to talk to their clinicians about using social media to find mental health information out of concerns of being judged or dismissed. Therefore, mental health clinicians may be ideally positioned to talk with their patients about using social media, and offer recommendations to promote safe use of these sites, while also respecting their patients’ autonomy and personal motivations for using these popular platforms. Given the gap in clinical knowledge about the impact of social media on mental health, clinicians should be aware of the many potential risks so that they can inform their patients, while remaining open to the possibility that their patients may also experience benefits through use of these platforms. As awareness of these risks grows, it may be possible that new protections will be put in place by industry or through new policies that will make the social media environment safer. It is hard to estimate a number needed to treat or harm today given the nascent state of research, which means the patient and clinician need to weigh the choice on a personal level. Thus offering education and information is an important first step in that process. As patients increasingly show interest in accessing mental health information or services through social media, it will be necessary for health systems to recognize social media as a potential avenue for reaching or offering support to patients. This aligns with growing emphasis on the need for greater integration of digital psychiatry, including apps, smartphones, or wearable devices, into patient care and clinical services through institution-wide initiatives and training clinical providers ( Hilty, Chan, Torous, Luo, & Boland, 2019 ). Within a learning healthcare environment where research and care are tightly intertwined and feedback between both is rapid, the integration of digital technologies into services may create new opportunities for advancing use of social media for mental health.
As highlighted in this commentary, social media has become an important part of the lives of many individuals living with mental disorders. Many of these individuals use social media to share their lived experiences with mental illness, to seek support from others, and to search for information about treatment recommendations, accessing mental health services, and coping with symptoms ( Bucci et al., 2019 ; Highton-Williamson et al., 2015 ; Naslund, Aschbrenner, et al., 2016b ). As the field of digital mental health advances, the wide reach, ease of access, and popularity of social media platforms could be used to allow individuals in need of mental health services or facing challenges of mental illness to access evidence-based treatment and support. To achieve this end and to explore whether social media platforms can advance efforts to close the gap in available mental health services in the United States and globally, it will be essential for researchers to work closely with clinicians and with those affected by mental illness to ensure that possible benefits of using social media are carefully weighed against anticipated risks.
Dr. Naslund is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (U19MH113211). Dr. Aschbrenner is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (1R01MH110965-01).
Publisher's Disclaimer: This Author Accepted Manuscript is a PDF file of a an unedited peer-reviewed manuscript that has been accepted for publication but has not been copyedited or corrected. The official version of record that is published in the journal is kept up to date and so may therefore differ from this version.
Conflict of Interest
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Social media essays resemble other academic papers and focus on a wide range of topics in various subjects. Basically, a unique trait is that such papers focus on social media, which shows their primary focus. In this case, a compelling essay should contain specific sections, like an introduction, body, and conclusion. Firstly, the Introduction entails a hook, summary of main ideas, and a strong thesis statement. Then, the body section must have several paragraphs that relate to a thesis statement. Besides, writers should split a thesis into several justifiable points to form body paragraphs. In turn, a conclusion should bring a paper to a logical closure. Hence, students need to learn how to write such compositions to meet their basic requirements and get a good response from an audience.
Social media is a useful tool that continues to gain popularity today due to its features. In this case, the most famous networking platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, among others, allow users to be connected with each other, and their distance does not matter. Besides, young individuals are dominant users of such technology. Basically, these defining features make online media an exciting area of study for writing different types of essays . In this case, many scholars write essays and research papers that focus on negative and positive issues related to the continued application of this mode of communication. Moreover, such papers focus on all matters about social media and its influence on all human characteristics. Hence, because online-based communication platforms are a popular means of communication, scholars write essays and research papers concerning their relationships with human lives.
According to its definition, a social media essay is a written analysis that explores the effects and significance of digital spaces in various contexts. Its main purpose for writing is to examine various facets of online platforms, their impact on society, and how they influence communication, relationships, culture, business, and even politics (Specht, 2019). In this case, typical themes include possible psychological impacts of Internet use, critical issues of privacy and data security, today’s coverage of information and misinformation, actual roles of virtual communities and networks in social movements and activism, and others. On the other hand, writers analyze and reflect on these aspects critically, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of how web platforms shape various spheres of life (Cogni, 2019). By doing so, they promote critical thinking, inform readers about the impacts, benefits, or drawbacks of this technology, and encourage thoughtful discourse on its implications for individuals and society at large. In terms of pages and words, the length of a social media essay can vary significantly depending on academic levels and specific assignment requirements, and general guidelines are:
High School
College (Undergraduate)
University (Advanced Undergraduate)
Term | Definition |
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Algorithm | A set of rules, codes, or calculations used by online platforms to determine the content shown to users. |
Engagement | Measures the interaction between users and content, including likes, shares, comments, and views. |
Influencer | An individual with a significant following on web networks who can affect opinions and behaviors. |
Hashtag | A word, term, or phrase preceded by the ‘#’ symbol and used to categorize and search for corresponding content themes. |
Viral | Describes content that rapidly spreads across digital platforms, gaining widespread attention. |
Echo chamber | A situation where users are exposed only to information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own. |
Misinformation | False or inaccurate information spread unintentionally on Internet networks. |
Disinformation | Deliberately false information spread to deceive or mislead people. |
User-generated content (UGC) | Content developed and published by users rather than professional content creators or brands. |
Privacy settings | Options available on online platforms that allow users to control who can see their information and activity. |
Analytics | Tools and digital techniques used to measure and analyze user metrics, such as engagement and reach. |
Cyberbullying | Harassment or bullying that takes place over digital devices and web platforms. |
Digital activism | The use of online platforms to promote social, political, or environmental causes. |
Followers | Individuals who subscribe to a user’s updates on networking platforms. |
Content curation | The process of gathering, organizing, writing, and sharing relevant content. |
Troll | A person who deliberately posts provocative or inflammatory comments on digital channels to elicit reactions. |
Influence | The capacity to have a specific effect on a character, development, action, or behavior of someone or something via Internet networks. |
Monetization | The process of earning revenue from online activities, such as through advertisements, sponsorships, or selling products. |
Digital footprint | The trail of data that a user leaves behind when using the Internet, including web interactions. |
Engagement rate | A metric that measures interaction levels (likes, comments, shares, etc.) when some piece of content receives, and it is relative to the number of followers. |
Selecting a suitable topic is the first and most important step toward writing a good social media essay. Basically, it can be an overwhelming task for college students to develop new themes for their essays and research papers (Redman & Maples, 2017). In turn, free examples of social issues essay topics in various disciplines are:
Students can learn if they need to write social media essays and research papers quickly. In most cases, the topics have the words “social media” (Redman & Maples, 2017). Basically, this feature distinguishes these essays from other essay topics. Moreover, such papers follow a unique essay structure that enables students to express their thoughts effectively (Cogni, 2019). Besides, one can identify different types of essays based on the kind of argument presented on a topic. In turn, to start a social media essay, writers begin with a compelling hook, provide relevant background information, and clearly state their thesis sentences. Hence, basic guidelines on how one may identify various types of social media essays are:
An argumentative social media essay should have a strong argument. Basically, this essay’s topic should prompt a person to pick one side of a discussion and provide the necessary support (Specht, 2019). Besides, argumentative prompts require one to use facts and analysis from credible sources. In turn, one may identify these argumentative essay topics quickly since they encourage writers to give an opinion.
A persuasive social media essay focuses on urging readers to accept a particular belief or idea. For example, corresponding persuasive topics require students to use logical concepts to support the main argument (Redman & Maples, 2017). Besides, such themes focus on promoting critical thinking skills when dealing with a specific idea. In turn, one may identify such persuasive essay topics easily because such themes contain keywords, like “effects,” “impacts,” “causes,” and “pros and cons,” among others.
A satirical writing style requires learners to use sarcasm when criticizing a subject. In this case, satirical social media essay topics compel writers to use irony and hyperbole elements to communicate their points (Cogni, 2019). On the other hand, students may identify such issues easily since such assignments require them to use creativity with a good sense of humor. In most cases, such topics relate to “addiction” or “isolation.”
Section | Description |
---|---|
Title | Provide a clear and unique title that reflects an assigned topic or argument. |
Abstract (optional) | Write a brief summary of an essay’s content and main findings (usually 150-250 words). |
Introduction | Introduce the topic. |
Provide background information or context. | |
State a central thesis or main argument. | |
Literature Review (optional) | Overview of existing research, knowledge gap, and theories related to Internet networks. |
Body Paragraph 1 | Start with a single topic sentence that introduces the first main point. |
Provide supporting evidence, examples, or research. | |
Add analysis and explanation of how this point supports the thesis. | |
Body Paragraph 2 | Begin with another topic sentence that introduces the second main point. |
Provide supporting evidence, examples, or research. | |
Add analysis and explanation of how this point supports the thesis. | |
Body Paragraph 3 | Include a good topic sentence that introduces the third main point. |
Provide supporting evidence, examples, or research. | |
Add analysis and explanation of how this point supports the thesis. | |
Counterarguments | Present potential opposing views or counterarguments. |
Provide supporting evidence, examples, or research. | |
Refutations (optional) | Refute counterarguments with evidence and reasoning. |
Provide supporting evidence, examples, or research. | |
Discussion (optional) | Discuss the wider impact of study findings and how they contribute to the understanding of digital channels. |
Conclusion | Restate the thesis in light of the evidence presented. |
Summarize the central points discussed in the body. | |
Offer final thoughts, implications, or suggestions for future research. | |
References/Bibliography | List all sources cited in a written essay, formatted according to the required citation style (e.g., APA 7, MLA 9, Harvard, Chicago/Turabian, etc.). |
Appendices (optional) | Include additional materials, such as charts, graphs, or questionnaires, that are referenced in a composition. |
Note: A general format presented in a table above works not only for organizing an essay but also for writing a social media research paper. In this case, optional sections are necessary for organizing research papers, while other parts are needed for writing a typical essay on social media. Moreover, some sections can be combined in a single paragraph or added and deleted depending on a writer’s scope of research. Finally, to write a social media essay, writers start by introducing an engaging topic and thesis, then develop body paragraphs with evidence and analysis, address counterarguments, and conclude by summarizing key points and reiterating a main idea of a composition.
All essays require a proper structure, just like other academic papers. For example, a typical structure of a social media essay includes an introduction part with a corresponding thesis statement, several body paragraphs presenting evidence and analysis, a section addressing counterarguments, and a conclusion that summarizes the main points and restates a central claim (Redman & Maples, 2017). As such, the first step in writing a successful media paper is to develop a correct essay outline, which shows all the necessary sections. In turn, students may use the following structure:
Outstanding social media essays should have a good college essay introduction that captures the reader’s attention with an impressive hook. For example, to structure a social media essay, writers begin with an introduction and thesis statement, follow with body paragraphs presenting evidence and analysis, write a counterargument section with an opposing position, and conclude with a summary and restatement of a thesis (Specht, 2019). Moreover, an engaging hook sentence makes people interested in reading an entire essay. In turn, some examples of sentence starters for beginning a social media essay include:
Writing a good introduction for a social media essay includes keywords and an overview of the main ideas. In particular, people should include keywords that relate to a topic in question (Boot et al., 2021). Moreover, opening paragraphs should consist of catchy words, while they allow readers to have a clear picture of an intended message. In turn, a clear summary of the main ideas allows the targeted audience to develop a clear understanding of a topic. Besides, such brief details reveal writing an essay’s scope.
Outstanding social media essays should have a clear thesis statement that reveals the main message. Basically, a good thesis statement should show the writer’s unique thoughts and perception of a topic (Redman & Maples, 2017). Besides, one should create a debatable thesis statement that seeks to prove something about a subject in question.
The body of social media essays provides ideas required to support a central claim. In this case, writers have a mandate to provide adequate evidence to support a thesis statement (Specht, 2019). Basically, the essay’s body should contain different sections related to a thesis statement. Hence, writers must follow a specific structure of body paragraphs.
Each body paragraph must begin with a topic sentence that relates to a thesis statement. In practice, a body paragraph in any essay must focus on writing one idea. To make a social media essay stand out, writers offer unique insights, support their arguments with strong evidence, and present a well-balanced analysis of different perspectives (Capriotti & Zeler, 2023). Moreover, a topic sentence should relate to a single idea connected to a central argument. In turn, this strategy enables one to communicate intended ideas to the audience clearly.
Students must provide the necessary evidence to support an idea presented in a topic sentence. As a rule, one should use real-life examples or evidence from reliable sources to support a topic sentence. Basically, this approach makes a media essay appear compelling and relevant to issues that affect readers (Schulz et al., 2022). Moreover, writers can use media posts as references in their essays, but they must ensure they are from credible sources and appropriately cited. In turn, one should provide correct citations for evidence by using appropriate referencing formats, such as APA 7, MLA 9, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian, among others.
Writers must provide a clear and relevant description of evidence cited from academic sources to avoid plagiarism and write effectively. Moreover, readers need to understand corresponding connections between an example given, a topic sentence, and a thesis statement. In this case, one should provide one or two sentences that explain how the evidence supports an idea presented in a paragraph (Cogni, 2019). Besides, a prudent writer uses transitional words in a paragraph to enhance the flow of ideas and separate sentences for a friendly reading. In turn, readers should have a seamless flow of concepts as they go through a text.
Each body paragraph must end with a concluding and transitioning statement. For instance, all the body paragraphs should have a unique relationship between key ideas presented in these sections (Redman & Maples, 2017). On the other hand, readers should not experience unnecessary disruptions and obstructions as they move from one paragraph to another. In this case, the last sentence of each body paragraph must provide a clear summary of the main ideas presented in a section. Besides, this sentence should be linked to a topic sentence of the next paragraph. Hence, students must ensure all body paragraphs are connected with each other to keep the audience glued until the end of an essay.
The ideas presented in a thesis statement determine the number of body paragraphs that one should use when writing a social media essay. As a rule, one should focus on communicating the main message effectively (Boot et al., 2021). Moreover, one must evaluate a thesis statement and split it into different ideas to convey the central idea effectively. For persuasive essay topics, one must use several paragraphs that show facts effectively. To ensure their social media essay is unbiased and objective, writers rely on credible sources, present multiple perspectives, and avoid letting personal opinions dominate an entire analysis. Hence, a good essay should have several sections that enhance a logical representation of ideas.
A social media essay must have a concluding paragraph that brings a paper to a logical closure. Basically, students not only focus on being creative when writing the conclusion part but also reiterate the main points discussed in a body section with a thesis statement by using different wording (Specht, 2019). Unfortunately, some writers make mistakes in introducing new information and evidence in the conclusion section. Besides, such flaws undermine the essay’s quality and lower the ability to communicate the intended message. As a rule, one should restate a thesis statement and summarize the ideas presented in all topic sentences. Besides, the closing paragraph should include any appropriate call to action. Hence, the conclusion should bring an entire essay to a logical closure that reveals the ideas presented.
Topic: Is Social Media a Problem or a Solution?
Introduction Sample
Social media is a primary cause of the major problems today. Basically, the emergence of this technology has enabled people to maintain close interaction with friends from all over the world. Besides, such applications make digital channels a suitable solution to societal issues and interests. However, it results in many social ills. Although some people argue that digital technologies solve societal problems, their continued wide use leads to long-lasting hatred problems.
Examples of Body Paragraphs
Argument: Hatred
Social media leads to hatred among teenagers. For instance, most teenagers rely on digital devices to establish relationships with their peers. In this case, they tend to spread hatred in their social circles. Moreover, web bullying and victimization are the primary causes of teenage suicide. In turn, hatred caused by this online technology can lead to terminal consequences. Hence, online communication can be a significant cause of hatred among teenagers despite having some benefits.
Counterargument: Benefits
On the other hand, social media communication provides a unique way of establishing unique solutions. For instance, teenagers create friends through online platforms. In turn, this strategy allows them to share ideas and issues that affect their lives. Eventually, they manage to address many challenges that affect their lives. Hence, web-based spaces support the establishment of unique societal solutions.
Weaknesses of a Counterargument: Proper Use
The counterclaim is weaker than the main argument since it ignores that only a small number of people use social media constructively. For example, new web users may face bullying and other mistreatments that lead to anger and resentment. Besides, addiction to its usage leads to psychological problems like stress.
Conclusion Sample
In summary, some people argue that social media solves societal problems. However, such arguments tend to disregard the impact of the continued widespread application of internet-based communication methods, which causes long-lasting problems of hatred. Unfortunately, the significance of such disgust may include suicide among teenagers.
Topic: Describe Two Undesirable Effects of Social Media
Example of an Introduction
Online-based communication methods form an indispensable fragment of human life. Basically, many individuals rely on social media for communicating and maintaining close contact with friends and family members. Despite the presence of such benefits, the wide use of web platforms leads to adverse effects. Because online networking is a popular mode of communication, it continues to cause negative impacts, like cyberbullying and suicidal thoughts.
Body Sample
Effect 1: Cyberbullying
The wide use of social media platforms leads to cyberbullying among teenagers. For example, the majority of teenagers who use online platforms have experienced cyberbullying in the form of name-calling and rumor-spreading. Basically, these abusive online behaviors lead to damaging resentments and unmatched hatred among teenagers. In turn, this problem leads to chronic stress among victims. Hence, such platforms expose youths to cyberbullying, including suicidal thoughts.
Effect 2: Suicidal Thoughts
Social media use has a direct contribution to a suicidal way of thinking. For example, many scientists show in their study reports how the Internet and other networking platforms influence suicidal thoughts. In this case, damaging resentments from cyberbullying and intimidation in online environments motivate youths to think about suicide as a way to get out of problems they face. Moreover, online interactions expose teenagers to enter cults and groups that consider suicide as an easier way of escaping social challenges. Hence, interactions through digital spaces are a source of motivation for teenagers to develop suicidal thoughts.
Example of a Conclusion
In summary, social media is a popular mode of communication today. In particular, the development of online platforms as a suitable tool of interaction exposes teenagers to adverse effects like cyberbullying. Moreover, many youths develop anger and resentment that may lead to suicidal thoughts. Thus, scientists need to develop new methods of how to overcome such outcomes of media use.
Digital platforms are popular methods of communication in the twenty-first century. In this case, many students write essays and research papers on connections between the use of online-based communication methods and human lives. Moreover, social media essays are unique academic papers that focus on a wide range of topics. Hence, easy steps that learners should consider when writing social media essays are:
Boot, A. B., Dijkstra, K., & Zwaan, R. A. (2021). The processing and evaluation of news content on social media is influenced by peer-user commentary. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications , 8 (1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00889-5
Capriotti, P., & Zeler, I. (2023). Analysing effective social media communication in higher education institutions. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications , 10 (1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02187-8
Cogni, M. (2019). From sentences to essays: A guide to reflective writing through reflective thinking . Vernon Press.
Redman, P., & Maples, W. (2017). Good essay writing: A social sciences guide . SAGE Publications Ltd.
Schulz, A., Fletcher, R., & Nielsen, R. K. (2022). The role of news media knowledge for how people use social media for news in five countries. New Media & Society , 26 (7), 4056–4077. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221108957
Specht, D. (2019). The media and communications study skills: Student guide . University of Westminster Press.
The truth about teens, social media and the mental health crisis.
Michaeleen Doucleff
For years, the research picture on how social media affects teen mental health has been murky. That is changing as scientists find new tools to answer the question. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
For years, the research picture on how social media affects teen mental health has been murky. That is changing as scientists find new tools to answer the question.
Back in 2017, psychologist Jean Twenge set off a firestorm in the field of psychology.
Twenge studies generational trends at San Diego State University. When she looked at mental health metrics for teenagers around 2012, what she saw shocked her. "In all my analyses of generational data — some reaching back to the 1930s — I had never seen anything like it," Twenge wrote in the Atlantic in 2017.
Twenge warned of a mental health crisis on the horizon. Rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness were rising. And she had a hypothesis for the cause: smartphones and all the social media that comes along with them. "Smartphones were used by the majority of Americans around 2012, and that's the same time loneliness increases. That's very suspicious," Twenge told NPR in 2017.
But many of her colleagues were skeptical. Some even accused her of inciting a panic with too little — and too weak — data to back her claims.
Now, six years later, Twenge is back. She has a new book out this week, called Generations , with much more data backing her hypothesis. At the same time, several high-quality studies have begun to answer critical questions, such as does social media cause teens to become depressed and is it a key contributor to a rise in depression?
In particular, studies from three different types of experiments, altogether, point in the same direction. "Indeed, I think the picture is getting more and more consistent," says economist Alexey Makarin , at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
How to help young people limit screen time — and feel better about how they look, a seismic change in how teens spend their time.
In Generations , Twenge analyzes mental health trends for five age groups, from the Silent Generation, who were born between 1925 and 1945, to Gen Z, who were born between 1995 and 2012. She shows definitively that "the way teens spend their time outside of school fundamentally changed in 2012," as Twenge writes in the book.
Take for instance, hanging out with friends, in person. Since 1976, the number of times per week teens go out with friends — and without their parents — held basically steady for nearly 30 years. In 2004, it slid a bit. Then in 2010, it nosedived.
"It was just like a Black Diamond ski slope straight down," Twenge tells NPR. "So these really big changes occur."
At the same time, around 2012, time on social media began to soar. In 2009, only about half of teens used social media every day, Twenge reports. In 2017, 85% used it daily. By 2022, 95% of teens said they use some social media, and about a third say they use it constantly, a poll from Pew Research Center found .
"Now, in the most recent data, 22% of 10th grade girls spend seven or more hours a day on social media," Twenge says, which means many teenage girls are doing little else than sleeping, going to school and engaging with social media.
Not surprisingly, all this screen time has cut into many kids' sleep time. Between 2010 and 2021, the percentage of 10th and 12th graders who slept seven or fewer hours each night rose from a third to nearly one-half. "That's a big jump," Twenge says. "Kids in that age group are supposed to sleep nine hours a night. So less than seven hours is a really serious problem."
On its own, sleep deprivation can cause mental health issues. "Sleep is absolutely crucial for physical health and for mental health. Not getting enough sleep is a major risk factor for anxiety and depression and self-harm," she explains. Unfortunately, all of those mental health problems have continued to rise since Twenge first sounded the alarm six years ago.
"Every indicator of mental health and psychological well-being has become more negative among teens and young adults since 2012," Twenge writes in Generations . "The trends are stunning in their consistency, breadth and size."
Across the board, since 2010, anxiety, depression and loneliness have all increased . "And it's not just symptoms that rose, but also behaviors," she says, "including emergency room visits for self-harm, for suicide attempts and completed suicides." The data goes up through 2019, so it doesn't include changes due to COVID-19.
All these rapid changes coincide with what, Twenge says, may be the most rapid uptake in a new technology in human history: the incorporation of smartphones into our lives, which has allowed nearly nonstop engagement with social media apps. Apple introduced the first iPhones in 2007, and by 2012, about 50% of American adults owned a smartphone, the Pew Research Center found .
The timing is hard to ignore, says data scientist Chris Said , who has a Ph.D. in psychology from Princeton University and has worked at Facebook and Twitter. "Social media was like a nuclear bomb on teen social life," he says. "I don't think there's anything in recent memory, or even distant history, that has changed the way teens socialize as much as social media."
But the timing doesn't tell you whether social media actually causes depression in teens.
In the past decade, scientists have published a whole slew of studies trying to answer this question, and those studies sparked intense debate among scientists and in the media. But, Said says, what many people don't realize is scientists weren't using — or didn't even have — the proper tools to answer the question. "This is a very hard problem to study," he says. "The data they were analyzing couldn't really solve the problem."
The mental health of teen girls and lgbtq+ teens has worsened since 2011.
So the findings have been all over the place. They've been murky, noisy, inconclusive and confusing. "When you use tools that can't fully answer the question, you're going to get weak answers," he says. "So I think that's one reason why really strong evidence didn't show up in the data, at least early on."
On top of it, psychology has a bad track record in this field, Said points out. For nearly a century, psychologists have repeatedly blamed new technologies for mental and physical health problems of children, even when they've had little — or shady — data to back up their claims.
For example, in the 1940s, psychologists worried that children were becoming addicted to radio crime dramas, psychologist Amy Orben at the University of Cambridge explains in her doctoral thesis. After that, they raised concerns about comic books, television and — eventually — video games. Thus, many researchers worried that social media may simply be the newest scapegoat for children's mental health issues.
A handful of scientists, including MIT's Alexey Makarin, noticed this problem with the data, the tools and the field's past failures, and so they took the matter into their own hands. They went out and found better tools.
Over the past few years, several high-quality studies have come that can directly test whether social media causes depression. Instead of being murky and mixed, they support each other and show clear effects of social media. "The body of literature seems to suggest that indeed, social media has negative effects on mental health, especially on young adults' mental health," says Makarin, who led what many scientists say is the best study on the topic to date.
In that study, Makarin and his team took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the staggered introduction of Facebook across U.S. colleges from 2004 to 2006. Facebook rolled out into society first on college campuses, but not all campuses introduced Facebook at the same time.
For Makarin and his colleagues, this staggered rollout is experimental gold.
"It allowed us to compare students' mental health between colleges where Facebook just arrived to colleges where Facebook had not yet arrived," he says. They could also measure how students' mental health shifted on a particular campus when people started to spend a bunch of their time on social media.
Luckily, his team could track mental health at the time because college administrators were also conducting a national survey that asked students an array of questions about their mental health, including diagnoses, therapies and medications for depression, anxiety and eating disorders. "These are not just people's feelings," Makarin says. "These are actual conditions that people have to report."
They had data on a large number of students. "The data comes from more than 350,000 student responses across more than 300 colleges," Makarin says.
This type of study is called a quasi-experiment, and it allows scientists to estimate how much social media actually changes teens' mental health, or as Makarin says, "We can get causal estimates of the impact of Facebook on mental health."
So what happened? "Almost immediately after Facebook arrives on campus, we see an uptick in mental health issues that students report," Makarin says. "We especially find an impact on depression rates, anxiety disorders and other questions associated with depression in general."
And the effect isn't small, he says. Across the population, the rollout of Facebook caused about 2% of college students to become clinically depressed. That may sound modest, but with more than 17 million college students in the U.S. at the time, that means Facebook caused more than 300,000 young adults to suffer from depression.
For an individual, on average, engaging with Facebook decreases their mental health by roughly 22% of the effect of losing one's job, as reported by a previous meta-analysis, Makarin and his team found.
Facebook's rollout had a larger effect on women's mental health than on men's mental health, the study showed. But the difference was small, Makarin says.
He and his colleagues published their findings last November in the American Economic Review . "I love that paper," says economist Matthew Gentzkow at Stanford University, who was not involved in the research. "It's probably the most convincing study I've seen. I think it shows a clear effect, and it's really credible. They did a good job of isolating the effect of Facebook, which isn't easy."
Of course, the study has limitations, Gentzkow says. First off, it's Facebook, which teens are using less and less. And the version of Facebook is barebones. In 2006, the platform didn't have a "like" button" or a "newsfeed." This older version probably wasn't as "potent" as social media now, says data scientist Chris Said. Furthermore, students used the platform only on a computer because smartphones weren't available yet. And the study only examined mental health impacts over a six-month period.
Nevertheless, the findings in this study bolster other recent studies, including one that Gentzkow led.
Back in 2018, Gentzkow and his team recruited about 2,700 Facebook users ages 18 or over. They paid about half of them to deactivate their Facebook accounts for four weeks. Then Gentzkow and his team looked to see how a Facebook break shifted their mental health. They reported their findings in March 2020 in the American Economic Review.
This type of study is called a randomized experiment, and it's thought of as the best way to estimate whether a variable in life causes a particular problem. But with social media, these randomized experiments have big limitations. For one, the experiments are short-term — here only four weeks. Also, people use social media in clusters, not as individuals. So having individuals quit Facebook won't capture the effect of having an entire social group quit together. Both of these limitations could underestimate the impact of social media on an individual and community.
Nevertheless, Gentzkow could see how deactivating Facebook made people, on average, feel better. "Being off Facebook was positive across well-being outcomes," he says. "You see higher happiness, life satisfaction, and also lower depression, lower anxiety, and maybe a little bit lower loneliness."
Gentzkow and his team measured participants' well-being by giving them a survey at the end of the experiment but also asking questions, via text message, through the experiment. "For example, we sent people text messages that say, 'Right now, would you say you're feeling happy or not happy,'" he explains.
Again, as with Makarin's experiment, the effect was moderate. Gentzkow and his colleagues estimate that temporarily quitting Facebook improves a person's mental health by about 30% of the positive effect seen by going to therapy. "You could view that meaning these effects are pretty big," he explains, "or you could also see that as meaning that the effects of therapy are somewhat small. And I think both of those things are true to an extent."
Scientists still don't know to what extent social media is behind the rising mental health issues among teenagers and whether it is the primary cause. "It seems to be the case — like it's a big factor," says MIT's Alexey Makarin, "but that's still up for debate."
Still, though, other specifics are beginning to crystallize. Scientists are narrowing in on what aspects of social media are most problematic. And they can see that social media won't hurt every teen — or hurt them by the same amount. The data suggests that the more hours a child devotes to social media, the higher their risk for mental health problems.
Finally, some adolescents are likely more vulnerable to social media, and children may be more vulnerable at particular ages. A study published in February 2022 looked to see how time spent on social media varies with life satisfaction during different times in a child's life (see the graphic).
The researchers also looked to see if a child's present use of social media predicted a decrease of life satisfaction one year later. That data suggests two windows of time when children are most sensitive to detrimental effects of social media, especially heavy use of it. For girls, one window occurs at ages 11 through 13. And for boys, one window occurs at ages 14 and 15. For both genders, there's a window of sensitivity around age 19 — or near the time teenagers enter college. Amy Orben and her team at the University of Cambridge reported the findings in Nature Communications .
This type of evidence is known as a correlative. "It's hard to draw conclusions from these studies," Gentzkow says, because many factors contribute to life satisfaction, such as environmental factors and family backgrounds. Plus, people may use social media because they're depressed (and so depression could be the cause, not the outcome of social media use).
"Nevertheless, these correlative studies, together with the evidence from the causal experiments, paint a picture that suggests we should take social media seriously and be concerned," Gentzkow adds.
Psychologist Orben once heard a metaphor that may help parents understand how to approach this new technology. Social media for children is a bit like the ocean, she says, noting that it can be an extremely dangerous place for children. Before parents let children swim in any open water, they make sure the child is well-prepared and equipped to handle problems that arise. They provide safety vests, swimming lessons, often in less dangerous waters, and even then parents provide a huge amount of supervision.
Alyson Hurt created the graphic. Jane Greenhalgh and Diane Webber edited the story.
The thesis statement.
This is not an exhaustive list of bad thesis statements, but here're five kinds of problems I've seen most often. Notice that the last two, #4 and #5, are not necessarily incorrect or illegitimate thesis statements, but, rather, inappropriate for the purposes of this course. They may be useful forms for papers on different topics in other courses.
A thesis takes a position on an issue. It is different from a topic sentence in that a thesis statement is not neutral. It announces, in addition to the topic, the argument you want to make or the point you want to prove. This is your own opinion that you intend to back up. This is your reason and motivation for writing.
Bad Thesis 1
Bad Thesis 2 : This paper will consider the advantages and disadvantages of certain restrictions on free speech.
Better Thesis 1 : Stanley Fish's argument that free speech exists more as a political prize than as a legal reality ignores the fact that even as a political prize it still serves the social end of creating a general cultural atmosphere of tolerance that may ultimately promote free speech in our nation just as effectively as any binding law.
Better Thesis 2 : Even though there may be considerable advantages to restricting hate speech, the possibility of chilling open dialogue on crucial racial issues is too great and too high a price to pay.
A thesis should be as specific as possible, and it should be tailored to reflect the scope of the paper. It is not possible, for instance, to write about the history of English literature in a 5 page paper. In addition to choosing simply a smaller topic, strategies to narrow a thesis include specifying a method or perspective or delineating certain limits.
Bad Thesis 2 : The government has the right to limit free speech.
Better Thesis 1 : There should be no restrictions on the 1st amendment if those restrictions are intended merely to protect individuals from unspecified or otherwise unquantifiable or unverifiable "emotional distress."
Better Thesis 2 : The government has the right to limit free speech in cases of overtly racist or sexist language because our failure to address such abuses would effectively suggest that our society condones such ignorant and hateful views.
A thesis must be arguable. And in order for it to be arguable, it must present a view that someone might reasonably contest. Sometimes a thesis ultimately says, "we should be good," or "bad things are bad." Such thesis statements are tautological or so universally accepted that there is no need to prove the point.
Bad Thesis 2 : There are always alternatives to using racist speech.
Better Thesis 1 : If we can accept that emotional injuries can be just as painful as physical ones we should limit speech that may hurt people's feelings in ways similar to the way we limit speech that may lead directly to bodily harm.
Better Thesis 2 : The "fighting words" exception to free speech is not legitimate because it wrongly considers speech as an action.
A good argumentative thesis provides not only a position on an issue, but also suggests the structure of the paper. The thesis should allow the reader to imagine and anticipate the flow of the paper, in which a sequence of points logically prove the essay's main assertion. A list essay provides no such structure, so that different points and paragraphs appear arbitrary with no logical connection to one another.
Bad Thesis 2 : None of the arguments in favor of regulating pornography are persuasive.
Better Thesis 1 : Among the many reasons we need to limit hate speech the most compelling ones all refer to our history of discrimination and prejudice, and it is, ultimately, for the purpose of trying to repair our troubled racial society that we need hate speech legislation.
Better Thesis 2 : None of the arguments in favor of regulating pornography are persuasive because they all base their points on the unverifiable and questionable assumption that the producers of pornography necessarily harbor ill will specifically to women.
In an other course this would not be at all unacceptable, and, in fact, possibly even desirable. But in this kind of course, a thesis statement that makes a factual claim that can be verified only with scientific, sociological, psychological or other kind of experimental evidence is not appropriate. You need to construct a thesis that you are prepared to prove using the tools you have available, without having to consult the world's leading expert on the issue to provide you with a definitive judgment.
Bad Thesis 2 : Hate speech can cause emotional pain and suffering in victims just as intense as physical battery.
Better Thesis 1 : Whether or not the cultural concept of free speech bears any relation to the reality of 1st amendment legislation and jurisprudence, its continuing social function as a promoter of tolerance and intellectual exchange trumps the call for politicization (according to Fish's agenda) of the term.
Better Thesis 2 : The various arguments against the regulation of hate speech depend on the unspoken and unexamined assumption that emotional pain is either trivial.
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A recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal revealed that Facebook was aware of mental health risks linked to the use of its Instagram app but kept those findings secret. Internal research by the social media giant found that Instagram worsened body image issues for one in three teenage girls, and all teenage users of the app linked it to experiences of anxiety and depression. It isn’t the first evidence of social media’s harms. Watchdog groups have identified Facebook and Instagram as avenues for cyberbullying , and reports have linked TikTok to dangerous and antisocial behavior, including a recent spate of school vandalism .
As social media has proliferated worldwide—Facebook has 2.85 billion users—so too have concerns over how the platforms are affecting individual and collective wellbeing. Social media is criticized for being addictive by design and for its role in the spread of misinformation on critical issues from vaccine safety to election integrity, as well as the rise of right-wing extremism. Social media companies, and many users, defend the platforms as avenues for promoting creativity and community-building. And some research has pushed back against the idea that social media raises the risk for depression in teens . So just how healthy or unhealthy is social media?
Two experts from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Psychiatry share their insights into one crucial aspect of social media’s influence—its effect on the mental health of young people and adults. Deborah Glasofer , associate professor of psychology in psychiatry, conducts psychotherapy development research for adults with eating disorders and teaches about cognitive behavioral therapy. She is the co-author of the book Eating Disorders: What Everyone Needs to Know. Claude Mellins , Professor of medical psychology in the Departments of Psychiatry and Sociomedical Sciences, studies wellbeing among college and graduate students, among other topics, and serves as program director of CopeColumbia, a peer support program for Columbia faculty and staff whose mental health has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. She co-led the SHIFT research study to reduce sexual violence among undergraduates. Both use social media.
Mellins : Facebook and Instagram and other social media platforms are important sources of socialization and relationship-building for many young people. Although there are important benefits, social media can also provide platforms for bullying and exclusion, unrealistic expectations about body image and sources of popularity, normalization of risk-taking behaviors, and can be detrimental to mental health. Girls and young people who identify as sexual and gender minorities can be especially vulnerable as targets. Young people’s brains are still developing, and as individuals, young people are developing their own identities. What they see on social media can define what is expected in ways that is not accurate and that can be destructive to identity development and self-image. Adolescence is a time of risk-taking, which is both a strength and a vulnerability. Social media can exacerbate risks, as we have seen played out in the news.
Although there are important benefits, social media can also provide platforms for bullying and exclusion, unrealistic expectations about body image and sources of popularity, normalization of risk-taking behaviors, and can be detrimental to mental health. – Claude Mellins
Glasofer : For those vulnerable to developing an eating disorder, social media may be especially unhelpful because it allows people to easily compare their appearance to their friends, to celebrities, even older images of themselves. Research tells us that how much someone engages with photo-related activities like posting and sharing photos on Facebook or Instagram is associated with less body acceptance and more obsessing about appearance. For adolescent girls in particular, the more time they spend on social media directly relates to how much they absorb the idea that being thin is ideal, are driven to try to become thin, and/or overly scrutinize their own bodies. Also, if someone is vulnerable to an eating disorder, they may be especially attracted to seeking out unhelpful information—which is all too easy to find on social media.
Mellins : For young people, social media provides a platform to help them figure out who they are. For very shy or introverted young people, it can be a way to meet others with similar interests. During the pandemic, social media made it possible for people to connect in ways when in-person socialization was not possible. Social support and socializing are critical influences on coping and resilience. Friends we couldn’t see in person were available online and allowed us important points of connection. On the other hand, fewer opportunities for in-person interactions with friends and family meant less of a real-world check on some of the negative influences of social media.
Whether it’s social media or in person, a good peer group makes the difference. A group of friends that connects over shared interests like art or music, and is balanced in their outlook on eating and appearance, is a positive. – Deborah Glasofer
Glasofer : Whether it’s social media or in person, a good peer group makes the difference. A group of friends that connects over shared interests like art or music, and is balanced in their outlook on eating and appearance, is a positive. In fact, a good peer group online may be protective against negative in-person influences. For those with a history of eating disorders, there are body-positive and recovery groups on social media. Some people find these groups to be supportive; for others, it’s more beneficial to move on and pursue other interests.
Mellins : If you feel social media is a negative experience, you might need a break. Disengaging with social media permanently is more difficult—especially for young people. These platforms are powerful tools for connecting and staying up-to-date with friends and family. Social events, too. If you’re not on social media then you’re reliant on your friends to reach out to you personally, which doesn’t always happen. It’s complicated.
Glasofer : When you find yourself feeling badly about yourself in relation to what other people are posting about themselves, then social media is not doing you any favors. If there is anything on social media that is negatively affecting your actions or your choices—for example, if you’re starting to eat restrictively or exercise excessively—then it’s time to reassess. Parents should check-in with their kids about their lives on social media. In general, I recommend limiting social media— creating boundaries that are reasonable and work for you—so you can be present with people in your life. I also recommend social media vacations. It’s good to take the time to notice the difference between the virtual world and the real world.
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Writing a well-done thesis statement can often feel easier said than done. After all, this one sentence sets the tone for your entire paper and can make or break your assignment. To help with your next essay , we've put together a list of the most common thesis statement mistakes and tips to help you avoid them.
Just in case you need a refresher, here's a quick review:
A thesis statement, as defined by Dictionary.com , is: “a short statement, usually one sentence, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence.”
A thesis statement introduces your essay's main idea in the first paragraph of your assignment. It is the guiding factor that controls and organizes all other thoughts in your research paper.
It can take a long time to master the art of crafting a thesis statement. Luckily, there are some tools to help.
A good place to start is by checking out a thesis statement template. This will help ensure that you're including everything you're supposed to.
Here's a quick example:
You can also use an online thesis generator to organize your main idea and evidence. You enter the basic information about your argument and topic, and it helps you create a solid thesis statement.
It also helps to take time to explore some thesis statement examples (both good and bad) to clarify how to fix some of these common mistakes.
Once you know the basics of how to write a thesis statement, there are certain mistakes to watch out for. Learning how to identify these common errors and understanding how to avoid them will help make your thesis statement a strong one.
Your reader needs to immediately understand your purpose. If it is vague or unclear, you've lost your audience from the start. Narrow down your focus and use straightforward language to state your main idea .
Making a statement that is too long or wordy generally confuses your reader. It also weakens the argument you are trying to make.
As you move up through school, your writing should mature as well. A successful thesis statement from junior high is not necessarily a strong thesis statement in high school or college. While being very basic and obvious in your younger writing might be fine, writing as an older student should be more precise and refined.
Your readers need to care about your topic in some way. Is this information helpful? Beneficial? Worth investigating? If not, choose a heartier topic that's worth discussing.
Slang, abbreviations, and poor spelling have no place in a clear thesis statement. Use professional language to make your point.
Even if you have a decent thesis statement, it will mean nothing if the rest of the essay strays from your main idea. Always connect your thoughts back to the thesis statement . The paper needs to be coherent and stay on target with your original argument.
Crafting a thorough thesis statement can feel like a difficult task, but it doesn't have to. If you are mindful of common mistakes that students make, you can avoid these errors and create a thesis statement that is clear, engaging, and purposeful.
Don’t overlook the title and section headers when putting together your next writing assignment. Follow these pointers for keeping your writing organized and effective.
Need a topic for your upcoming argumentative essay? We've got 100 helpful prompts to help you get kickstarted on your next writing assignment.
Your personal statement is arguably the most important part of your college application. Follow these guidelines for an exceptional admissions essay.
Docteur en sciences de l'information et de la communication, chercheur associé laboratoire DICEN Ile de France, Université Gustave Eiffel
Fabrice Lollia does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Université Gustave Eiffel provides funding as a member of The Conversation FR.
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Social networks have revolutionised the way we communicate, stay informed and share moments of our daily lives. We use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to keep in touch with our friends and family, share our experiences, keep informed, and express our opinions.
But beyond these personal and often superficial uses, social networks play a much more complex and sometimes troubling role in society. The question arises: what impact do social networks have on societal security risk? How can these tools influence or even destabilise society? And how can individual users mitigate the risks?
Societal security risks refer to threats that can undermine the social fabric and stability of a community or nation. These risks often arise from issues such as political instability, economic inequality, social unrest, or large-scale migration. For instance, widespread unemployment can lead to social unrest, jeopardising societal stability. A more specific example is the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation is the unintentional spread of falsehoods, while disinformation is the calculated dissemination of lies intended to deceive.
False information circulating through social media and other channels can polarise societies, erode trust in institutions, and incite violence or discrimination.
I study interactions within organisations, with a focus on the impact of new technologies and human dynamics. In a recent article I attempted to answer these questions about the risks that social networks introduce. To do so, I analysed various aspects of the interactions between social networks and public security. In short, I found that the societal security risk posed by social networks is complex, multifaceted and dynamic. It requires ongoing research, careful regulation and, above all, that all users learn to understand and navigate digital environments critically.
Here, I offer three tips to help individual users minimise the risks of social networks while not losing the benefits:
build your digital literacy
avoid algorithmic traps
be quick to report and block suspicious information or problematic content.
Videos and testimonials shared on social media platforms can help spread the word about events far beyond a single geographical area. Take, for example, the police killing of George Floyd, an African-American man, in 2020. Although the events took place far away, they had a considerable impact in France, where I was living until a few months ago, generating demonstrations of support.
Floyd’s death also reignited the debate on police violence and racism in France. These events were taken up by associations defending Black people’s rights in France, rapidly creating a phenomenon of transnational solidarity.
The flip side is that sometimes, videos and testimonies can also contribute to the circulation of unverified or even false information, amplifying confusion and anger. Research has shown that fake news spreads six times faster than real information on platforms such as X, formerly called Twitter.
Social networks have also become formidable tools of influence . For example, they allow political leaders and parties to interact directly with their voters, bypass traditional media and control their message by targeting an often young audience.
However, this power to influence can be used maliciously to manipulate information . There is no shortage of examples of disinformation campaigns on platforms such as Twitter or Facebook, whether unfounded rumours, fake accounts or political trolls.
This phenomenon is part of a wider trend of increasing disinformation in Africa : the Africa Center for Strategic Studies reported in March 2024 that
disinformation campaigns seeking to manipulate African information systems have surged nearly fourfold since 2022.
Given that young people are heavy users of these platforms, they become prime targets for misinformation and manipulation.
This is especially worrying since states have increasingly begun to use social networks as a battleground for “ information wars ”. These battles are fought with true or false information rather than with traditional weapons. They aim to influence public opinion, destabilise political opponents and promote national interests. Electoral interference via social networks has become commonplace, with accusations of orchestrated disinformation campaigns to influence election results.
Read more: AI propaganda campaign in Rwanda has been pushing pro-Kagame messages – a dangerous new trend in Africa
The potentially dangerous influence of social networks does not stop at politics or misinformation. Online platforms have become fertile ground for spreading extremist rhetoric. This is because they are so easy to access and offer the opportunity to contact individuals directly.
Research shows that extremist organisations have used these platforms to spread their ideologies, often targeting vulnerable young people and exploiting their sense of exclusion or seeking identity. (Social networks are not the only factor in radicalisation – it is a complex process. However, its role should not be ignored.)
Of course, governments and technology companies can make a major contribution to solving these problems. They can work together to develop effective strategies to detect and counter misinformation and disinformation, ensuring that social media platforms remain reliable sources of information and do not become tools for manipulation and deception.
But there is also plenty that individual users can do to make online spaces safer for themselves.
1. Develop your digital literacy: My research has shown that learning how to manage information is a necessary prerequisite for combating disinformation. Users can learn how to critically evaluate and verify information, and how to identify reliable sources. There are initiatives to support this learning, such as WhatsApp’s collaboration with the NASSCOM Foundation in India , which aims to train users to spot fake news.
Fact-checking tools and platforms like Libération’s CheckNews or Africa Check can be used to verify the accuracy of information circulating online.
2. Avoid algorithmic traps: Be aware of algorithmic biases. I and others have shown that algorithms are never neutral. This is because of inherent biases in their construction and the opaque nature of these systems. These biases can trap users in filter bubbles and promote misinformation to fuel disinformation. It is essential to diversify your sources of information and follow accounts that offer varied perspectives.
Read more: Algorithms are moulding and shaping our politics. Here's how to avoid being gamed
3. Don’t hesitate to report and block: If you encounter suspicious information or problematic content, use platforms’ reporting features to alert moderators. It is also advisable to block persistent sources of disinformation to guard yourself against further exposure.
Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn says criticism over Paris Olympics performance is 'pretty devastating'
Australian Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn has made her first public statement since the Paris Olympic Games.
Gunn was criticised for her performance in breaking, with allegations she was mocking the sport.
The Australian Olympic Committee demanded an online petition calling for accountability over Gunn's selection for Paris 2024 be removed.
Australian Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn has called for an end to the "pretty devastating" reaction to her performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Raygun, the breaking name of Australian academic and B-Girl, was maligned for her performance last week during breaking's Olympic debut.
There have been allegations that the Australian was mocking the sport , while footage of her moves has gained notoriety on social media.
In her first statement since the Olympics, Gunn said she gave her all in the Olympics and was shattered by the backlash she has received.
"I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me, I really appreciate the positivity and I was glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives — that's what I hoped," she said in a video posted to her Instagram page.
"I didn't realise that that would also open the door to so much hate which has frankly been pretty devastating.
"While I went out there and had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.
"I'm honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of Breaking's Olympic debut."
Raygun was defeated in all three bouts at the Olympic Games, failing to secure a single vote from any of the judges.
On Thursday, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) demanded the removal of an online petition that called for "immediate accountability and transparency" over Gunn's selection.
The AOC wrote to change.org, stating the petition had "stirred up public hatred without any factual basis".
The petition has reportedly been removed.
One suggestion made in the petition was that more talented breakdancers were overlooked for the spot on the Olympic team. The petition was also critical of Australian team chef de mission Anna Meares.
"In regards to the allegations and misinformation floating around, I'd like to ask everyone to please refer to the recent statement made by the AOC as well as the posts on the Ausbreaking Instagram page as well as the WDSF Breaking for Gold page," Gunn said.
"I'd really like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community, and the broader street dance community.
"Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this so I ask you to please respect their privacy."
AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said those who signed the online petition should apologise to Gunn and Meares.
"Take care what you sign up [to] … because it was totally factually incorrect," Carroll told ABC News Breakfast.
"Maybe have a think. There is always opportunity to use social media for good and say sorry to Rachael and Anna."
Carroll said the AOC had been in touch with Gunn to ensure she was coping.
"Some of my crew — because I've been on the plane coming home — have been in contact with her … in the early hours of this morning," he said.
"We are providing support, both personal and in how to manage the PR situation."
How did raygun qualify for the olympics is she really the best australia has to offer.
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A seasoned writer myself, I have watched so many students struggle to formulate a thesis statement. One sentence really the backbone of your paper has surprisingly been very tricky to perfect. No fears, though! I am here to guide you through the making process, sharing my experience and addressing you to a game-changing tool that will make magic transform your vague notions into thesis statements.
Imagine the thesis statement to be the North Star of your paper. It is the one- or two-sentence declaration boldly announcing your main point or argument. It isn't a summary, but rather a mission statement of sorts for your paper to guide your reader through the twists and turns of your research or analysis.
An excellent thesis statement truly ought to have these elements:
The main idea or argument: This is what will propel the paper forward. It is, in effect, its heart. What are you attempting to prove, explain, or explore? Do not bury the lead—state it up front.
Specificity: Vagueness is the enemy of a good thesis. Get specific! Instead of saying, "Social media is bad," pinpoint exactly how it's detrimental.
Scope: Set the setting of your discussion. Are you dealing with a particular time period, demographic, or another aspect of your topic? Let your reader in on it.
Significance: So what? Why does your argument matter? Explain to your reader why they should care about your topic and your take on it, too.
Structure: Be concise and to the point. Try not to get no more than one or two sentences with real punch.
When all of these elements come together, you get a thesis statement that is not only informative but stimulating and attractive, beckoning your reader towards the rest in a paper.
In academic writing, thesis statements fall under classes depending on the type of essay or paper being written. Knowing them can help in creating an emphatic and fruitful thesis statement.
An argumentative thesis statement does indeed stand strong on a debated issue. This implies that it incorporates the author's position and the reasons, along with evidence supporting that position. This means convincing the reader that this is the right argument, together with supporting rationale and credible resources.
The impact of social media on adolescent mental health is devastating due to the rising cases of cyberbullying and body images that are unachievable. "
On the other hand, the thesis statement for an expository essay aims to explain or describe the topic in a neutral way and is not argumentative. It provides the reader with a clear view of what the essay is going to talk about or analyze since it contains purely factual information, providing insight into the subject matter.
Setting a solid thesis statement doesn't have to be terrifying. Just break it down into three manageable steps:
Step 1: Identify the Topic and the Main Idea
Think of this as laying the groundwork for your thesis—what is the central subject you're going to be exploring, and what is your main point about it?
Example: If your chosen topic is "The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Job Employment," then you would say your thesis is that AI will create new and destroy existing jobs.
Step 2: Craft Your Preliminary Thesis Statement
In this step, you'll write your initial draft of the thesis statement. Your reaction to the primary idea should be simple and logically evident.
Example: Original thesis: "Artificial intelligence is likely to create a huge impact in the job market, generating as well as putting people out of jobs at the same time."
Step 3: Revisioning and Refining Your Thesis Statement
Now you're ready to refine your thesis. Add detail, flesh out your language, and make it clear that it encompasses what you discuss in your paper.
WPS AI will give you the best partner in this regard and can help you ensure your writing is error-free, with its grammar check, perfecting word choice through its paraphrasing tool, and even ideating for you regarding argumentation, with an AI-powered writing assistant. WPS AI interface with Grammar check, Paraphrasing and Writing assistant features highlighted.
Using these steps and WPS AI, you can come up with a thesis statement that is clear and concise, yet thought-provoking and engaging enough to set the stage for a well-organized and impactful paper.
Get the Basics in Place, Then Take Your Thesis Statement From Good to Great You are about to submit your thesis statement. Okay, this is where WPS AI really can become the ultimate cheat not that I told you to use it like one. Think of it as your personal writing coach, who'll help you fine-tune your masterwork:
Grammar and Syntax Guru: Even the most seasoned writer may miss typing this or that. A grammar check in WPS is there for your rescue. It will pick up any weird errors and give a professional finish to your thesis.
Length Master: Too long? Too short? WPS AI can help you find that Goldilocks zone. Need a bit more meat? AI writing assistant is happy to assist with suggestions of more details. Want to tighten things up? The paraphrasing tool can help condense your statement while retaining its meaning.
Clarity Champion: Sometimes, even when we know what to say, the words don't quite come out right. Use WPS AI rewriting suggestions to rephrase clunky or unclear language, so that your thesis is clear and your main point comes across clearly.
Think of WPS AI as your copilot to this journey that is the thesis statement. It is here to help you chart your way through the quagmire of linguistic subtleties, rub your prose until it gleams like a beacon of shining wisdom, and come up with a thesis statement sure to draw in the reader and set the tone for a great paper. So go ahead, take the plunge, and watch your thesis statements climb through the roof!
Q1. can a thesis statement be two sentences long.
Although a thesis statement may be two sentences long in certain rare circumstances, it is best for clarity and emphasis to be expressed in one. This way, the reader can quickly ascertain the main argument from the final sentence of your first paragraph.
Ask yourself these questions to help generate a thesis statement:
Step 1: Select your topic: Think of a specific area or issue you want to write about.
Step 2: Formulate your question: Pose a question as related to the topic selected. Asking something that interests you will help in formulating the thesis statement.
Step 3: Formulate your rough answer: Provide a tentative answer to your question. This serves you as the working thesis.
Step 4: Elaborate and clarify: Add specific detail, reason, or qualification to give your thesis statement more specificity. Make sure that it is clear, specific, and directly states how the scope of your paper will follow.
A good thesis statement should be :
Specific: States what clearly will be about or what argument will take place in your paper.
Debatable: It introduces a position that could be argued or disputed.
Insightful: It provides insight into what the scope and purpose of your paper are.
Supported: Evidence and logical reasoning in the paper support this.
A good thesis statement makes sure that there is precision and clarity to guide your readers through the central ideas of your paper.
An effective thesis statement in academic writing serves as one's map, indicating what the main argument is and why it matters. This guide puts a premium on the clarity and specificity with which thesis statements should be written. For that, WPS AI enables you to efficiently create drafts down to the refinement stage, making sure your thesis statement strongly communicates what your paper is about. A good thesis helps you create valid claims, if not vivid arguments for your audience.
15 years of office industry experience, tech lover and copywriter. Follow me for product reviews, comparisons, and recommendations for new apps and software.
Raygun has broken her silence.
Not long after her breakdancing performances during the 2024 Paris Olympics were widely mocked across social media, the Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn also known as “Raygun,” responded to the criticism.
During a news conference with ESPN on Saturday, Gunn said she wanted to bring a unique style of dance to the competition.
“What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative — that’s my strength, my creativity,” said Gunn. “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.”
2024 Paris Olympics
American B-girls didn’t advance to the medal round of the first Olympic breaking competition, but they were proud to see their art in the spotlight.
Aug. 9, 2024
Gunn’s three performances Friday went viral because of their simplicity, unusual moves, and because each received a 0 from the judges. While breaking is scored on creativity, personality, technique, diversity, musicality, and vocabulary, many took to social media to poke fun at Gunn’s routines.
“Just because your country CAN send a breakdancer to the Olympics doesn’t mean you SHOULD…This woman Raygun from Australia is the most embarrassing ... I ever seen,” one user wrote on X.
“ I kinda feel bad for RayGun , the Aussie #BreakingForGold — but that routine was hilariously ridiculous,” another wrote.
“ Australia just set breakdancing back 40 years ,” another user said.
There was an almost comical air of secrecy as dozens, then hundreds, of workers buzzed around Rosie’s dog beach for the Olympics closing ceremony filming.
Aug. 11, 2024
Australia’s chief de mission, Anna Meares, defended Gunn during a news conference on Saturday expressing how disheartened she is about the online reaction.
“I love Rachael … I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them airtime, has been really disappointing,” Meares said.
“Raygun is an absolutely loved member of this Olympic team … She has represented the Olympic team, the Olympic spirit with great enthusiasm. And I absolutely love her courage. I love her character, and I feel very disappointed for her, that she has come under the attack that she has.”
Gunn also fired back at critics of her green-and-yellow Australia team tracksuit with matching cap, posting on Instagram,”Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on what the b-boys wear tomorrow.”
Breaking, the newest Olympic sport, is trying to breakthrough on the biggest of stages. But will it satisfy the IOC’s desire for TV ratings and younger audiences?
During the news conference Saturday, Meares said the critiques against Gunn aren’t new and are part of a history of misogyny toward women in male-dominated sports experience. In 2008, she said she found Gunn in a room by herself crying.
“It took great courage for her to continue on and fight for her opportunity to participate in a sport that she loved,” Meares said. “That got her to winning the Olympic qualifying event to be here in Paris … She is the best breakdancer female that we have for Australia. “
Aug. 16, 2024
Aug. 12, 2024
Aug. 15, 2024
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21 Examples of Thesis Statements about Social Media. Recently, social media is growing rapidly. Ironically, its use in remote areas has remained relatively low. Social media has revolutionized communication but it is evenly killing it by limiting face-to-face communication. Identically, social media has helped make work easier.
Social media has become an integral part of modern society, revolutionizing the way people communicate, interact, and share information.With the rise of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, social media has transformed the way we connect with others and consume content. This essay will explore the impact of social media on society, focusing on the thesis statement that ...
Thesis Statement About Social Media. In today's digital age, social media platforms have become an integral part of our daily lives, shaping how we connect with others, consume information, and perceive the world around us. While the advent of social media has undoubtedly brought about numerous benefits, such as increased connectivity and ...
Why is social media bad for mental health? One of the numerous reasons why social media is bad for mental health is that it can make people sad, anxious, and stressed. Constant exposure to stressful internet content can have negative effects on people physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Bad Thesis Statement Examples. Overly Broad: "Social media has changed the way people communicate.". Although true, this statement is excessively general and does not specify which aspect of communication or which demographic is being explored. Lack of Clear Argument: "Social media is popular among young people.".
Social media essay topics. Social media essay topics can include anything involving social media. Here are a few examples of strong social media essay topics: Social media and society. Analyzing social media impact. Comparing social media platforms. Digital communication analysis. Social media marketing case studies.
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone ... Social media use can have a serious negative impact on areas of well-being including feelings of depression, anxiety, fear of missing out, body image, bullying and sleep. ... Statement of the Problem
Chief among Haidt's worries is that use of social media has left us particularly vulnerable to confirmation bias, or the propensity to fix upon evidence that shores up our prior beliefs. Haidt ...
Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media. Essay grade: Excellent. 2 pages / 1139 words. Introduction: In today's era, Social Media has been the most important part of everyone's life, from children to adults, be it as entertainment, shopping, education or a business tool.
Here is an outline for a social media essay; Introduction. Here, you begin with the topic, state its objective, provide reasons to support its claims and finalize with a precise and accurate thesis statement. Thesis statement. This statement should support and complement your main topic of discussion.
A study published in the journal Computers and Human Behaviour found that people who report using seven or more social media platforms were more than three times as likely as people using 0-2 ...
A Social Media Thesis Statement is a statement that expresses the key idea of an argument about the influence of social media platforms on modern society. It could be argued that social media has had both positive and negative impacts on people, from creating new opportunities for communication and connection to contributing to issues like ...
Step 4: Craft Your Introduction. The introduction should provide context, state the thesis statement, and grab the reader's attention. It precedes deciding your stance and initiates the overall writing process. Read this free PDF to learn more about crafting essays on social media!
The concern, and the studies, come from statistics showing that social media use in teens ages 13 to 17 is now almost ubiquitous. Two-thirds of teens report using TikTok, and some 60 percent of ...
negative emotions seem to indicate that addictive behaviors are on the rise and are closely related. to overuse of social media. On the other side of the coin, social media use also produces positive effects on. emotional well-being such as happiness, Mudita, humor, support, validation, and a more frequent.
The University of Kentucky concluded after a study that social media use is linked to higher symptoms of depression. An interview of over 5,000 high school and undergraduate students concluded that 52.7% "felt hopeless", 67.3% "felt lonely", 61.9% "felt overwhelming anxiety", and 39.1% "felt extremely depressed" (Cain).
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A thesis statement: tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself.
Abstract. Social media platforms are popular venues for sharing personal experiences, seeking information, and offering peer-to-peer support among individuals living with mental illness. With significant shortfalls in the availability, quality, and reach of evidence-based mental health services across the United States and globally, social ...
Thesis. Outstanding social media essays should have a clear thesis statement that reveals the main message. Basically, a good thesis statement should show the writer's unique thoughts and perception of a topic (Redman & Maples, 2017). Besides, one should create a debatable thesis statement that seeks to prove something about a subject in ...
"Social media was like a nuclear bomb on teen social life," he says. "I don't think there's anything in recent memory, or even distant history, that has changed the way teens socialize as much as ...
Bad Thesis 1. : Americans today are not prepared to give up on the concept of free speech. Bad Thesis 2: Hate speech can cause emotional pain and suffering in victims just as intense as physical battery. Better Thesis 1: Whether or not the cultural concept of free speech bears any relation to the reality of 1st amendment legislation and ...
Social media is criticized for being addictive by design and for its role in the spread of misinformation on critical issues from vaccine safety to election integrity, as well as the rise of right-wing extremism. Social media companies, and many users, defend the platforms as avenues for promoting creativity and community-building.
Statement of the problem. The research problem aims to analyze specific aspects of the research problem. The main purpose of this research was to conduct an approximate study on how social media affects the communication skills of students. This research paper investigated how the students respond to their experience in their way of communicating.
3. The Statement is Too Basic or Obvious. As you move up through school, your writing should mature as well. A successful thesis statement from junior high is not necessarily a strong thesis statement in high school or college. While being very basic and obvious in your younger writing might be fine, writing as an older student should be more precise and refined.
Videos and testimonials shared on social media platforms can help spread the word about events far beyond a single geographical area. Take, for example, the police killing of George Floyd, an ...
In her first statement since the Olympics, Gunn said she gave her all in the Olympics and was shattered by the backlash she has received. "I just want to start by thanking all the people who have ...
The impact of social media on adolescent mental health is devastating due to the rising cases of cyberbullying and body images that are unachievable. "Expository Essay. Expository Essay. On the other hand, the thesis statement for an expository essay aims to explain or describe the topic in a neutral way and is not argumentative.
Australia's Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, has responded to backlash received on social media following her viral performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Former President Donald Trump delivered his usual bombardment of false claims - at least 20 in all - during a Monday conversation with billionaire supporter Elon Musk, which was aired on Musk ...