Annotated Biliography

How does social media use impact anxiety and depression in modern society?

• Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2019). A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851

This journal explores the impact that social media has had on depression and anxiety in adolescents. It starts with the basics, such as defining exactly what is considered social media, as well as adolescence- and then it dives into data-heavy research regarding the topic. I think this source will definitely help me with my own research paper; all of its research and data are very recent and also explains that significant research is still being done daily. In addition, the source also provides other sources for similar research, which has proven useful to my paper as well. I also like that this source explains both positive and negative consequences of teens and children using social media. I personally had not even thought to explore the positives until reading this journal.

• Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Escobar-Viera, C. G., Barrett, E. L., Sidani, J. E., Colditz, J. B., & James, A. E. (2017). Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among U.S. young adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.013

This journal explores how the use of multiple social media platforms, also known as “multitasking,” leads to higher risk of depression and anxiety. The researchers found linear correlation to how many social media platforms a young adult uses and how psychologically distressed they are. I think this journal will help me with my paper because there are many available journals which explore the impact of social media on children and adolescents, whereas this one focuses on a slightly older population. Additionally, this journal acknowledges that society is already aware that social media impacts mental health, and takes it one step further by analyzing how drastically that impact worsens as media multitasking becomes more popular.

• Jovic, J., Ćorac, A., & Ignjatović-Ristić, D. (2019). P.447 Correlation between Instagram addiction and the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 29, S316–S317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.09.459

Although short, I think this source provides an interesting perspective for my paper. It summarizes the results of a study in which time spent and usage on Instagram were measured to determine if a person’s level of “Instagram Addition” has any correlation with their levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. The research determined that yes, there is a positive correlation between the two; however, the author states that while there may be a positive correlation, it is difficult to determine if people are depressed/anxious because of their high usage of the app, or if it is the other way around. I think that this is an interesting discussion that I should definitely mention in my paper.

• Twenge, J. M. (2018, March 19). Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/

This article, which was apparently a “provocative and widely read 2017 cover story” from The Atlantic, is definitely a great source to use for my paper. The author, who studies generational trends for a living, uses these trends to argue that social media is a direct, leading factor in what he calls today’s “emotional health crisis.” This article’s claims also inspired a lot of similar research, as well as arguments over the question. He also explores how increased use of Facebook leads to increased unhappiness, and more importantly, the same research showed that increased unhappiness does not lead to increased Facebook use. At the same time, I think it is very important to consider the bias of this author; he is writing to entertain, not only to inform. Plus, he has a clear disdain for the ways in which smartphones and social media have changed the way adolescents spend their time.

• Barry, C. T., Sidoti, C. L., Briggs, S. M., Reiter, S. R., & Lindsey, R. A. (2017). Adolescent social media use and mental health from adolescent and parent perspectives. Journal of Adolescence, 61, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.08.005

This journal is based on research regarding how social media use affects adolescents. I think it is a good journal for me to use in my research since it will help me to dive deeper in the pursuit of answering my inquiry question, since the article itself dives deeper than a lot of the journals that I have found. For example, it explores specific factors of anxiety and depression that social media use targets, such as decreased sleep and body image, and why exactly social media is such a threat to these factors.

• Dempsey, A. E., O’Brien, K. D., Tiamiyu, M. F., & Elhai, J. D. (2019). Fear of missing out (FoMO) and rumination mediate relations between social anxiety and problematic Facebook use. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 9, 100150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2018.100150

I think this source will be great for my research paper for 2 reasons. First, it explores the negative impacts of Facebook use on anxiety, specifically focusing on the term “FoMo,” or Fear of Missing Out. According to Dictionary.com, FoMo is “a feeling of anxiety or insecurity over the possibility of missing out on something, as an event or an opportunity.” Second, it also aims to explore the positive impacts that Facebook use can have on mental health, all while still taking that FoMo anxiety into consideration. It asks the question- has the rise in social media caused increased anxiety in society, or does our increased anxiety cause the rise in social media use?