Caring for mental health in the age of online negativity

Soon after she wakes up every morning, 23-year-old blogger from the city, Sushmita Agarwal, spends at least a half hour scrolling through her Instagram account. This continues throughout the day, with regular checking of the social media app at least once every hour. “I definitely spend at least six hours of each of my days on Instagram alone, to see what people are up to,” says Sushmita.

Studies by the United Kingdom’s Royal Society for Public Health and others have found Instagram to be the worst social networking platform for mental health, due to the anxiety, depression, fear of missing out, and inferiority complex issues it can lead to. So, how are the active users coping with the negativity that comes with this platform? They shed light on using this double-edged sword.

“At times, the comments on the pictures shared get very personal. That is when the remarks get to your head, and make you feel low about yourself. I have had days when the comments on my body or skin colour have got be bothered. At a time when everyone is looking to share only ‘flawless’ pictures on their Instagram accounts, it is hard to not take these remarks seriously. While I try not to take them to my heart, I feel the need for occasional breaks from social media altogether when it gets overwhelming,” says Sushmita, who has been an active blogger for the past four years.

Having battled depression before, Sushmita says she applies her prior talks with mental health experts to the times when she’s bogged down by Instagram negativity. “Now, I have realised that it is just another person behind the nasty comments, and try not to take them to heart. If each person starts portraying more realistic sides of their lives, than look for the prettiest pictures, the platform will surely become a better place,” she stresses.

Marking Mental Health Awareness Month this May, the social media platform is also holding several campaigns to help ease the stress on its users. Instagram is reportedly planning to do away with the number of likes displayed along with each post.

Actor Amitash Pradhan also admits to being burdened by the site’s not-so-pleasant sides. “There is so much hate on it that it started to upset me initially. I was quite taken aback by the kind of abuses one can be subject to. I was recently on the receiving end of slander and it bothered me quite a bit. One has to be extremely evolved to stay unaffected by many fake profiles that exist to spread hatred. Each morning I think I should go on a social media break, but it hasn’t been possible,” Amitash tells DT Next.

Psychologist Nikita Vyas suggests setting aside time for social media each day so as to cut down its effects. “Social media started off as a form of sharing self-love and life experiences, but it took a different turn over time. Adults also fall into the trap of comparing themselves and how they look to others. Through a feature on Instagram, one can set an alert on the amount of time spent on it. One can be clever about the app’s usage by limiting the time spent on it to 30 minutes or 1 hour. An average user, otherwise, ends up spending at least 1-4 hours on Instagram each day,” she points out. Shedding the obsessions to portray only “perfect” pictures of one’s life can also help in easing one’s digital presence, she adds.