Module 2

     Social networking platforms have become an integral part of daily life for people around the world. As discussed in Chapter 2, mediated communication can be an important tool to connect people of all ages, around the world. People are not only able to maintain existing relationships but are able to form new ones more easily because there isn't the necessity to meet in person. 

    One benefit of social networking sites is that they can bring people together as a support system. When I got divorced in 2024, I became a full time single mother to my five children and had to sell my home and most of my farm animals. I hadn't worked outside the home since 2007 because I supported my military husband as we moved from place to place, and I stayed home to raise the kids and homeschool them. After the divorce I felt stuck, isolated in my tiny hometown, and my self esteem took a big hit. What helped me was joining groups on Facebook. I joined groups for single parenting, homeschooling, job searching, funny memes, and hiking, among others. In using Facebook as a tool to help myself, I was able to connect with like minded people around the world who shared interests and life experiences. It reminded me that I am not alone, made me laugh when I needed to, and motivated me to keep stepping forward. According to the article from the National Library of Medicine, "Qualitatively, many advantages of online synchronous peer support platforms have been identified, including emotional support, the availability of advice, enablement of positive personal changes, engagement of valuable social interactions, and the opportunity to disclose and express feelings and views." (Rayland and Andrews) If used correctly, social media can provide a means to work on your self concept and improve your self esteem. 

    A drawback of social networking sites is that they use algorithms to control what you see and to promote advertisements. For some this can seem like a good thing. I know an older woman who seems to appreciate this fact because it makes it easier for her to navigate Facebook. She only sees what interests her and, being one who loves to shop, she is constantly seeing ads for things she may want to buy. Unfortunately, this constant advertisement has shown to cause an increase in compulsive shopping, such is the case with the older woman I mentioned. Sites that should seemingly be used for mediated communication are promoting businesses and trying to make sales; "...people pick up materialistic values through social learning from social media sites and media, which frequently support materialistic lifestyles." (Jameel, Khan, Alonazi, and Khan) These businesses using social media as a means for boosting sales benefit off of the daily scrolling of people who might have signed onto Facebook just to check in on friends or family. 

    To answer the question of whether or not there is an ideal number of "friends" to have on Facebook that will improve mental health, I do not think there is a set number. I would like to say that less is more. Having a smaller circle can bring you closer to those people and allow you to truly connect in a more meaningful way. On the other side, there is a connection between how many "friends" one has and their self esteem. Chapter 4 states that "self esteem is the part of the self-concept that involves evaluations of self-worth." The more friends you have, the more popular you seem, and that makes people feel good.

Arif Jameel, Sania Khan, Wadi B. Alonazi, Ali Ahmed Khan  "Exploring the Impact of Social Media Sites on Compulsive Shopping Behavior: The Mediating Role of Materialism"

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10799573/

Amy Rayland and Jacob Andrews  "From Social Network to Peer Support Network: Opportunities to Explore Mechanisms of Online Peer Support for Mental Health"

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10015351/