FURTHER RESEARCH

We have been assigned our task of writing a treatment and creating a 3-column script. For this task, my group, Nadia, Libby and I, must work by ourselves, not sharing any ideas among each other. This is so that when we come to actually filming our documentary, we can combine the many features of our own individual treatments and create a longer film among us. Further research into my selected topic was made. I have decided to put in bold the information that I think will be extremely useful in this task and I will most likely use in my documentary planning process.

http://blog.degreed.com/10-ways-social-media-affects-our-mental-health/

10 WAYS SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECTS OUR MENTAL HEALTH

• 1. Social Media is Addictive
• "Studies show that 63% of Americans log on to Facebook daily, and 40% log on multiple times each day."
• 2. Social media makes us compare our lives with others'
• "Posts on social media many times present an idealized version of what’s happening, what something looks like, or how things are going. This can lead users to constantly compare themselves to others and think less of their own lives. If things are going particularly well for people in your newsfeed and you’re having a rough day, of course this will likely negatively affect your mood."
• People who are constantly on social media are more exposed to this and therefore would be more prone to feeling this negative mood. Feeling bad about your life can have a huge affect on your mental health and often leads into depression.
• 3. Social media makes us restless
• Two out of Three people admit that they have difficulty relaxing when unable to use their social media accounts
• 4. Social media gives rise to cyberbullying
• Cyberbullying is a concern especially among adolescents
• An organization that aims for internet safety, called Enough is Enough, conducted a survey that found 95% of teenagers who use social media have witnessed cyberbullying, and 33% have been victims themselves.
• Situations like this can lead to people becoming anti-social and distancing themselves from others and developing a case of depression.

 

• 5. Social Media glamorises drug and alcohol use
• A study that explored the relationship between teenagers, social media, and drug use found that 70% of teenagers ages 12 to 17 use social media, and that those who interact with it on a daily basis are five times more likely to use tobacco, three times more likely to use alcohol, and twice as likely to use marijuana.
• In addition, 40% admitted they had been exposed to pictures of people under the influence via social media, suggesting correlation between the two factors.
• 6. Social Media can make us unhappy
• This links back to the point of people comparing their lives to others on social media and therefore feeling worse about themselves.
• 7. Social media can lead to the fear of missing out
• It can evoke anxiety and cause social media users to question why everyone is “having fun without them.”
• 8. Social media often leads to multitasking
• Research has shown that our brains don’t have the capacity to fully focus our attention on two things at once, and instead multitasking causes our brain to quickly switch from one task to another. This hinders information processing and productivity.
• (points 9 &10 weren't exactly negative points about social media so I have decided to leave that out.)

15/02/16