COM 111 0389

TTH 1:30-3:00
Instructor: Mr. Angelico Aguilar

Reporters: Asuncion, Don Jerod

Rodriguez, Milles

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF MEDIA ON HEALTH

Media today has a huge influence on people’s health. Be it television, computers, video games, social networking sites –
it hugely impacts all aspects of a teen’s life. But all is not bad with the media. If used right, media can change lives for
good.

POSITIVE
Emotional connections improve health. Social media can help you connect with more people and stay in touch with
those with whom you’re already close.

Improve mental health. Emotions expressed online affect your mood. It not only helps to relieve social isolation but also
open new communication pathways and offers much-needed support. It allows people to share their thoughts without
revealing their identity. And it develops within people an enhanced talent of self-expression without any fear. (Curatti,
2018)

Social media interactions can help decrease negative emotions and boost well-being. When people feel badly,
they have a need to reach out to others because this can help reduce negative emotions and restore a sense of well-
being. But talking to someone face-to-face or on the phone might feel daunting because people may worry that they are
bothering them. (Thriveworks, 2017)

Information. You can find a large amount of health-related information on social media. This can be quite helpful. On
the other hand, if you take random advice without doing proper research, it can also be harmful.

Accessing Health Information

There are innumerable places to get health information online. If you’re active on Facebook, you probably have
friends who post their favorite health advice. You could learn about a potential therapy, cure or drug that’s truly helpful
for you or someone you care about.

On the other hand, if you accept everything you see on social media uncritically, you could end up taking bad
advice. You should never mistake a tweet or Facebook post as expert opinion. Even if it’s given by a qualified expert, that
person hasn’t examined you. At most, you should use social media as the first stage of your research. (Sysomos, 2016)

Help Develop Awareness. Most people live a sheltered life. But with exposure to various media outlets, they can
develop awareness about society and the world, this includes health information. This cultural and political awareness is
vital if we want to groom a generation of socially responsible citizens.

Help Develop Social Skills.

Many people are socially awkward. Media gives them the chance to groom their social skills. It also gives them the
chance to expand their social circle and develop new friendships. Other benefits include social confidence, heightened
literacy in the media, and more social support. Social media diversifies your teen’s social skills, which in turn helps him
navigate successfully through modern society.
But these benefits cannot sugar-coat the negatives that come with media. There is some truth in what people say today.

NEGATIVE
We seem to be drowning in information. But for others, this information overload can be the cause for serious concern.

Obesity. Chances are people today spend most of their time in front of the TV or computer. Going outside has become
a rarity. Add to that bad eating habits, and they have an obesity epidemic at hand.

Addiction to social media. People who are addicted to social media may experience negative side effects such as eye
strain, social withdrawal or lack of sleep.

Stress. If you spend your time researching problems or arguing with people, you may experience stress, which can have
a negative impact on your health.

Sleep

Getting worked up with anxiety or envy from what we see on social media keeps the brain on high alert, preventing us
from falling asleep. (Independent UK, 2018)

Specifically, on Physical Health

Social media can directly impact physical health. This is usually associated with the way you use it. For example:

 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. If you do too much keying, you may experience problems that affect your hands or
wrists. There are also specific problems associated with keying on mobile phones, which can strain the tendons
of your fingers. These problems aren’t all caused by social media. It can just as easily be caused by having to type
term papers for school or reports at work.

 Eye problems. You can get eyestrain from staring at screens for too long.

 Fatigue. This is another symptom of overusing social media. If you’re staying up too late posting on Twitter of
Facebook, you may be losing valuable sleep.

 Lack of exercise. Social media can cut into time you might otherwise be spending outdoors or exercising.

 Distraction. One of the most dangerous potential consequences of social media addiction is driving while being
distracted. As recent stories have confirmed, you can even get hurt texting and walking.

References:
How Can Social Media Affect Your Health? https://sysomos.com/2016/10/27/can-social-media-affect-health/

Six Ways Media Negatively Impacts Your Health. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/social-

media-mental-health-negative-effects-depression-anxiety-addiction-memory-a8307196.html

Seven Ways that Social Media is Affecting Us Positively. https://curatti.com/social-media-positive-effects/

Contrary to Popular Belief, Social Media Can Have Positive Effects on Our Mental Health.
https://thriveworks.com/blog/social-media-positive-effects-mental-health/

Society for Consumer Psychology (2017, December 11). How Social Networking Keeps People
Healthy. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved December 11, 2017 from http://neurosciencenews.com/social-media-health-
8166/